TITLE: MSC – Moving Schools Challenger
DATES: 01/01/23 – 31/12/25
IMPORTANT LINKS: Website
PARTNERS:
1. DEPORTE PARA LA EDUCACIÓN Y LA SALUD, Spain – Coordinator
2. L’ORMA SSD ARL, Italy – Partner
3. THE YOUTH SPORT UK CHARITABLE TRUST, United Kingdom – Partner
4. EUROPEAN PHYSICAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION ASBL (EUPEA), Luxembourg – Partner
5. INTERNATIONAL SPORT AND CULTURE ASSOCIATION (ISCA), Denmark – Partner
6. ASSOCIATION BG BE ACTIVE ASSOCIATION, Bulgaria – Partner
7. FUNDACJA V4 SPORT, Poland – Partner
8. UNIVERSITE DU LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg – Partner
DESCRIPTION
“Moving Schools Challenger (MSC)” is an Erasmus+ Sport project that transforms school life across Europe into a cooperative, engaging journey toward healthier and more active lifestyles. Building on a proven initiative in Spain, MSC creates a non-competitive, inclusive, and sustainable Pan-European challenge, encouraging students, teachers, and families to integrate physical activity, healthy habits, and environmental awareness into their daily lives.
The project originated from several years of successful implementation in Spanish schools, where it demonstrated measurable improvements in students’ activity levels and overall health behaviours. By setting cooperative monthly challenges — such as collectively completing the distance of a marathon, climbing a virtual mountain, or reaching a famous city — MSC motivates entire school communities to work together toward shared goals. Rather than competing against other schools, participants contribute to a collective achievement, promoting teamwork, inclusion, and mutual support.
Schools log their activities as “Healthy Kilometres” (HKm), which students earn not only through movement but also by adopting other positive behaviours such as healthy eating. Resources, tools, and monthly themes help teachers and students engage with the challenges, and each school receives diplomas and recognition for their progress. Digital platforms support coordination, reporting, and sharing between schools, fostering a sense of European connection and community.
Beyond promoting daily physical activity, MSC integrates healthy nutrition, environmental education, and outdoor activities, reinforcing European policy goals in health, sport, and education. The project explicitly focuses on inclusion by ensuring that all students — regardless of gender, ability, or background — contribute equally to the school’s success. Schools become vibrant hubs where healthy lifestyles are learned, experienced, and celebrated every day.
MSC pilots the program in seven countries — Spain, Denmark, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Bulgaria, and the UK — engaging 110 schools and more than 60,000 students in the first year. In its second phase, it expands to 27 countries and more than 400 schools, involving over 200,000 students, teachers, and families. The project aligns with EU and WHO strategies, addressing the alarming trends of childhood inactivity, obesity, and social exclusion, while also promoting environmental stewardship through outdoor activities and nature-related challenges.
By connecting existing European events and campaigns such as the European Week of Sport, European School Sport Day, and No Elevators Day into a coherent, year-long program, MSC builds on existing successes and creates a scalable, sustainable model. It fosters collaboration among schools, public authorities, and community organizations, offering a replicable blueprint for integrating health-enhancing physical activity into daily school life.
Ultimately, Moving Schools Challenger inspires children and their communities to embrace active, healthy, and environmentally-conscious habits that will serve them for a lifetime — proving that even small, everyday actions, when shared, can achieve great collective impact.
