Olympism For Humanity (O4H) Praxis Training Program

The core of our Olympism in Action Academic Innovation curriculum is designed based on more than 35 years of related institutional expertise on Applied Olympic Education, Global Sport for Development, Intercultural Education and Conflict Resolution program design, assessment and delivery. The essence of our curriculum is centered on the use of World Olympic Heritage, Virtues and ideals as a peacebuilding vehicle for embracing data-driven Human Development, Social Innovation, Democracy Actualization, Global Health and Sustainable Development programs and initiatives. Actualizing, in other words, the essence of the Olympic idea and ideals- through Praxis.- across communities in need- and in regions with long history of conflict.

Olympism in Action – Olympic Education Professional Training

35 ΧΡΟΝΙΑ ΕΦΑΡΜΟΣΜΕΝΗΣ ΟΛΥΜΠΙΑΚΗΣ ΠΑΙΔΕΙΑΣ

Given the increased international interest from a number of humanitarian, educational, sport, NGO practitioners and civil society institutions to promote the use of sport, arts, cultural and educational programs as vehicles to address local and global humanitarian challenges, change agents and agencies are expected to possess skills and competencies that traditional academic programs do not provide.

To address this largely unmet need, the annual Olympism For Humanity (O4H) Praxis Program provides interdisciplinary and applied professional development opportunities to advance evidence-based policy and programming.

Building on the great success of the first O4H professional training programs that took place in ancient Olympia in Summer 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2023 and 2024- and in India in 2017 and 2018 the O4H Praxis Program offers a ten-day residential professional development program in Ancient Olympia, Greece and across the globe.

Inspired and guided by the richness of the Olympic World Heritage, our academic work is built on a synthesis, Applied Sociology of Sport scholarship (Yiannakis, 1989, 1993, 2023) and collective work of award-winning Champions of Change initiatives implemented since 1993, ranging from data driven peace and democracy youth programs in regions of conflict, to multinational student engagement initiatives in close collaboration with the International Olympic Academy, the Muhamad Ali Institute of Peace and Justice, schools, universities and orphanages across continents. The ultimate goal of these ventures were to embrace Olympism for Humanity Literacy and Actualization (Lyras, 2020, 2021, 2023), the integration of World Olympic Heritage with peacebuilding, global health, sustainable development and social innovation as an unconventional tool and an effective peace and democracy actualization platform (Lyras, 2020, 2021, 2023; Moghaddam, 2016, 2019, 2021).

Our O4H Academy and training programs serve as a world-wide academic diplomacy platform and an Olympism in Action Global Innovation Hub for embracing Olympism and Sport as a peacebuilding platform and an enabler for the UN SDGs, children’s rights and responsibilities, equity and integrity, community health, regeneration and resilience. The aim is to promote systemic and collective change by creating peaceful, inclusive, healthy and resilient democratic communities that are physically active, culturally sensitive and civically engaged. Through our hybrid online and field-based training methodology, participants across continents will develop a personal portfolio with guidelines on how to design and deliver data driven “social innovation ventures” to champion collective and systemic change across agencies, in their respective communities. The vision is to develop incubators of “Champions of Change” across the globe with knowledge and tools on how to effectively design and deliver conflict transformation, democracy actualization, community health and sustainable development ventures, inspired and guided by the universality of the Olympic World Cultural Heritage- what we call- Olympic Literacy (Lyras, 2020, 2021, 2023).

Our next cycle of training will take place in Greece on June 28-July 7, 2025 at the premises of the International Olympic Academy, in Athens and Delphi. Join us! Pre-registration is now open!

The O4H Champions of Change – Praxis training is ideally suited to the needs of change-makers, sport stakeholders and humanitarian agents, NGO practitioners, students, athletes, Olympians, policy makers, faculty, researchers, program officers and educators. Our Olympism in Action professional development program in Ancient Olympia aims to provide the tools and skills for community-based programming, impact investment ventures, fundraising campaigns and scholarship. The O4H Praxis Program, provides extensive training on applied skills and competencies related to:

(a) Olympic Education and Olympism in Action foundations, theory and praxis

(b) Evidence-based data-driven Olympism-Global Sport for Development program design and delivery

(c) Data Analytics, Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) and Impact Assessment

(d) Non-profit and special event management

(e) Fundraising strategies and grant proposal writing

(f) Social Entrepreneurship Curriculum development for formal and non-formal educational systems (e.g., community and after school programs, primary, secondary, and tertiary education)

(h) Olympic and Paralympic Games, Marathon & Mega Events Legacies.

Integrated O4H Praxis and O4H Summits to Showcase and Embrace O4H Applied Knowledge Production

Since our first O4H Praxis Program, we have highlighted the need of creating O4H Summits- which serves as a showcase and an Applied knowledge Economy platform to optimize our impact and outreach. Since our first O4H Summit in 2014, O4H Academy is organizing symposia and social entrepreneurship workshops and showcase forums (O4H Summit) parallel to the O4H Praxis and Champions of Change program, aiming to advance interdisciplinary, academic human-centered alliances, scholarship and educational opportunities that will amplify the resolution of existing global challenges. The main highlights of our first O4H Summits in Ancient Olympia, were Professors’ Fathali Moghaddam, Barbara Burns and Alexis Lyras‘ keynote addresses. They all emphasized the connection between Olympism and Humanism as a peacebuilding transdisciplinary platform for embracing omniculturism, a collective sense of humanity, personal and democracy actualization, community health, social innovation and resilience (Burns, 2014, 2015, 2021; Lyras 2013, 2014, 2020, 2021; Moghaddam, 2014, 2020). These foundations are integrated in our Olympism for Humanity (O4H) and Sport For Development (SFD) Theories and serve as a universal transdisciplinary blueprint for applied knowledge production, academic teaching, social innovation, community development, fundraising and data-driven Humanity in Action ventures – across continents (Lyras, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2020, 2021, 2023).

Join our O4H Peace, Health & Democracy Academic Forum

4th of July, 2025 in Ancient Olympia

Our next cycle of O4H Champions of Change Professional training will take place in Greece at the premises of the International Olympic Academy in June 28- July 7, 2025. Join us! Applications are now open!