A unique pilot project was completed today. After two years, all responsible persons of the „Active Campus Europe“ project can look back to a successful procedure where it has been worked out to motivate inactive students and employees to move more in their daily life.

Peter Lynen, project manager and initiator claims that it was of a high importance to open doors to the university sports center for students and importantly for those of them who have not find any motivation based on their experiences during their school times. „Everybody is able to find something that interests them in our large number of sport activities, we offer”, he explains. “The RWTH Aachen is a great supporter of the health of their students. This is combined through networking and sharing of experiences”, says Prof. Dr. Doris Klee, Vice-Rector for Human Resources Management and Development of the RWTH Aachen. The popular and well-known „Pausenexpress“ is part of the national project „INFORM“. It counted over 1000 members of the RWTH Aachen that actively participated at it. Through those projects it was possible to create a guideline for other universities and „to encourage them by creating similar offers and to try them out. This is called ‚Best Practice Handbook‘, which shares the ideas of all ACE-participated universities but also with those who are interested in motivating their students for a more moveable life.”

The ACE-project focused on students who have not moved that much before the 10 weeks-project started. Eva Fluck, student at the RWTH Aachen, was one participant and after the end of the 10 weeks she can say that she is now highly encouraged to move more in her daily life. A spur-off-the-moment decision brought her to the project and the wish to change something in her daily routine. She was really excited of the trainees who spurred the participants to continue and to connect their future with motion and sport.

Generally, one can say that the topic of movement became highly important in the society nowadays. That’s why the state chancellery of federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia became focused on it.

„The ACE project is a high enrichment for NRW “, says Dr. Gerwin-Lutz Reinink from the department of sport and volunteering in the state chancellery of federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. There is a high need of improvement to motivate inactive but also high sportive people to live a more moveable life “. The „Best Practice Handbook“ should help to reach this improvement, because it is “easily accessible for everyone“. Sabine Verheyen, Member of the European Parliament and responsible for the Erasmus+-programs emphasizes the high importance of this project and thanked the RWTH Aachen for its initiative and implementation. Next to the good achievements for health promotion, the networking process helps to press against the populism in Europe. It is valuable to have contacts that look after you and who not let you down when you have a loss of motivation or fear. Eckhard Rhode, chairman of National Conference for University Sports in NRW, thanked the RWTH for their responsibility and their acknowledge of leading the project.

„University Sport is more! “, he assures and points out to its role as incubator in the partnership with the high-performance sport. It is proved that a special quota from NRW athletes to find in it and that dual career promotion is saved. NRW counted 5 participated universities. After such a successful end, the demand of continuing such a project is high. Peter Lynen is pleased to announce that „a request for a pursuing project is visible”. Answering the question if NRW will support such a new project again, Prof. Dr. Klee and Dr. Reinink agreed with one voice “Yes!”.

(c) Pictures by Sarah Rauch