Transforming education through sport
The Olympic Games Rio 2016 education programme, Transforma, benefitted more than eight million students in almost 16,000 schools throughout Brazil between 2013 and 2016 and has continued to impact children and educators through two post-Games programmes.
Transforma offered educational support to schools, had a positive impact on student attitudes and broadened the range of sports practised in Brazilian schools beyond those that have traditionally been popular, such as football, volleyball and basketball. Furthermore, it encouraged more students to find a suitable sport, participate and increase their levels of physical activity.
Using the Olympic values as a tool for education, Transforma brought benefits to students beyond Rio de Janeiro and was active in all 26 Brazilian states. The programme worked closely with over 20,000 learning coordinators, physical education teachers and tutors, who received more than 190,000 hours of training.
Transforma created 277 digital courses that were used by nearly 11,000 teachers in 8,000 schools in Brazil. This pedagogical support enabled educators to use sport to create memorable learning experiences for students that flowed into other subjects.
In addition, Transforma fostered positive behavioural change among students in areas including nutritional and environmental awareness, as well as inclusion and diversity, through challenges undertaken in 1,771 schools. As part of this initiative, digital content was produced, including video tutorials on making sports equipment with recycled materials. This aspect of the programme led to an increase in students’ focus and academic performance and a reduction in bullying. Student-led competitions also enabled them to acquire organisational and leadership skills.
The example of the Rosa Da Fonseca Municipal School in Rio de Janeiro serves as a microcosm of the nationwide success of the programme. A physical education teacher at the school reported that, as a result of Transforma, students were more respectful of each other and of their teachers, participated in more sports and were more attentive in class.
Since the Games, the impact of Transforma on children and educators has continued with the creation of two complementary programmes.
The first one, the continuation of Transforma, is managed by the Brazilian Olympic Committee and funded by Olympic Solidarity. The post-Games programme develops education activities for schools across Brazil based on the Olympic values and in line with the national education programme. Since the Games, Transforma activities have included workshops for educators, school visits by Olympians, school festivals and visits to the Brazilian Olympic Committee headquarters. Additionally, a four-module e-learning course called “Olympic Values for Life” was launched in 2018.
The second post-Games education programme is managed by the non-profit organisation Impulsiona, with the objective of using sport as an educational tool. To achieve this, Impulsiona offers free online courses and in-person events for educators, engaging and empowering them to grow the offering of sport in state schools. By July 2024, Impulsiona had engaged over 77,000 schools in more than 5,000 cities in Brazil.
Another important legacy for education has been the Olympic Educational Gymnasiums (OEGs), an initiative driven by the city of Rio.
Created in 2012, the OEGs are full-time schools focused on integrating an excellent academic curriculum with sports training. The main objective is to provide students with the opportunity to develop their sporting skills, in parallel with providing excellent education. Full-time schooling is not the norm in Brazil, where children go to school for four hours per day, attending in either the morning or the afternoon.
Currently, more than 6,000 students are enrolled in the 12 OEGs in Rio: Santa Cruz (two units), Pedra de Guaratiba (two units), Santa Teresa, Benfica, Caju, Realengo, Pitangueiras, São Cristóvão, Senador Camará and Parque Olímpico.
Over the 11 years of the project, an important change was the expansion of the model to the two segments of elementary education, serving pupils in the initial years (1st to 5th grade) in addition to the final years (6th to 9th grade), which was the initial focus in the first years of the programme.