JÓZEF PIŁSUDSKI UNIVERSITY OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION IN WARSAW Faculty of Physical Education Department of Pedagogy dr Katarzyna Płoszaj ROLE OF OLYMPIAN CLUBS IN INFORMAL EDUCATION: a study conducted among lower-secondary school students Baku, 2015

Olympian Clubs are associations. The clubs operate under the auspices of Polish Olympic Committee. They are consistent with, and complement the school curriculum.

OLYMPIAN CLUBS AS AN EXAMPLE OF INFORMAL EDUCATION Classes at the Olympian clubs do not involve passivity or obligation They are conducive to shaping the attitudes of young people and encouraging their greater integration in pursuit of common objectives. They include attractive teaching and educational methods and forms, for children and teenagers at various levels of physical fitness.

WHAT DO OLYMPIAN CLUBS DO? organisation of trips; sports events; knowledge competitions about Olympism and the Olympic Games; art competitions; meetings with Olympic champions, coaches and sports celebrities; and many other activities related to sports and the subject of the Olympics.

OLYMPIAN CLUBS IN LOWER-SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN PARTICULAR PROVINCES Olympian clubs

AIM OF THE STUDY to analyse:  the functioning of Olympian clubs as promoters of the Olympic ideal,  the behaviour and interests declared by the young people who belong to a school Olympian club. to evaluate:  knowledge about the Olympic Games and Olympism,  learn the respondents’ opinions about sports, the Olympic movement, its values and its principles.

METHODOLOGIES Questionnaire survey:  for students of lower-secondary schools who belonged to Olympian clubs and for those who did not belong to such clubs  for supervisors at Olympian clubs The surveyed group comprised:  913 students of lower-secondary schools from 33 Olympian clubs  971 students from schools without Olympian clubs  27 supervisors at Olympian clubs

STUDY RESULTS RELATED TO FAIR PLAY FAIR PLAY BEHAVIOUR

KNOWLEDGE ABOUT OLYMPISM AND THE OLYMPIC GAMES, AND OPINIONS ABOUT FAIR PLAY AND DECLARED FAIR PLAY BEHAVIOUR

ASPIRATIONS TO BE OLYMPIC CHAMPIONS

Teenagers tend to behave based on the principles of fair play. They are able to form an attitude towards its messages and assumptions. Children and teenagers first accept the principle of fair play in sports, and later apply it in everyday life. CONCLUSION

The intended functions of Olympian clubs agree with their actual functions. The presented study results show the actual effects of the teaching and the educational impact of Olympian clubs in implementing informal education. This impact becomes clearly visible in the comparison with the young people in the control group. CONCLUSION

CONCLUSION The clubs strengthen the positive image of the Olympic Games, teaching youth about positive aspects of the Olympics and helping them to understand the dangers of modern sports. From this perspective, Olympic clubs may be treated as caretakers of the Olympic ideal, as they help ensure that it remains a positive influence. Olympic clubs fulfill their intended functions, and thus establishing them as promoters of Olympism is a valuable course of action.

Thank you