GRASS Project hosts third workshop in Lisbon with Portuguese clubs

The Safer Grassroots Sports (GRASS) Project held its third workshop this Thursday in Lisbon, Portugal, welcoming a new round of pilot testing with grassroots sport clubs, hosted by the National Olympic Committee of Portugal, coordinator of the project.

The session gathered representatives from six Portuguese clubs: Associação Desportiva de Castelo de Vide, Associação Naval de Lisboa, Benedita Hoopers, Centro de Solidariedade Social de Pinhal de Frades, Clube Naval de Portimão, and Guimagym.

Participants engaged in a hands-on session focused on the two key tools developed by the GRASS project: the Safe Sport Self-Assessment Tool and the Safe Sport Digital Toolkit. These resources are designed to help grassroots sport organisations evaluate their safeguarding practices and implement effective strategies to protect participants from violence and abuse in sport.

The workshop also provided a space for open discussion, allowing clubs to share their experiences and offer feedback based on their daily realities. Their insights will be crucial in fine-tuning the tools ahead of their broader rollout.

The session was led by Bruno Avelar Rosa and Bruno Bidarra (Qantara Sports), with support from the project coordination team — Cristina Almeida and Joana Gonçalves (COP).

The final workshop in the GRASS tour is scheduled for 28 May in Sofia, Bulgaria, hosted at the Ministry of Youth and Sports.