Ariadne’s workshops, Nova Gorica from July 25 to 30, 2022

A volleyball camp was held in Nova Gorica from July 25 to 30, represented by a professional Slovenian
volleyball player Dejan Vinčić.
For volleyball to remain one of the important sports in Nova Gorica in the future, care is taken in the
camp, where many girls and boys are happy every year. Above all, they teach them new volleyball
skills. Because sport is important and because through sport, we also learn other factors that are
important for the development of young people. As part of the camp, we therefore wanted to give
the children, in addition to volleyball knowledge, new knowledge in the field of a healthy lifestyle and
teach them how to avoid negative impact in their young life. As part of the Ariadne project, 2
workshops were held. At the first workshop, lecturer Jani Konjedic presented a healthy way of life, at
the 2nd one, he explained how to defend oneself against all environmental stressors. With this, we
helped to encourage young people to lead a healthy lifestyle, which nowadays with the help of all the
technology that surrounds us, is more than a difficult task. We introduced young people to the things
that adorn every successful athlete, i.e. how to achieve good results. What is most important, is it
diet, enough sleep, proper exercise, or a combination of all? In the second workshop, we learned
more about healthy eating itself, which plays one of the key roles in a healthy lifestyle.
What kind of nutrition is important during growing up and what kind later in life? What is most
important for young people? Which food should be avoided, and which should occupy most of our
plate. We looked at what kind of diet successful athletes have, how many meals they eat a day, what
is never missing from their plate. We also looked a little at the data on how many hours of sleep are
needed for the optimal functioning of our body and mind. How to stay focused throughout the day.
How important are short breaks throughout the day. But of course, not too much, so that we are not
even more tired after a long sleep than before. Lack of sleep affects the hormones responsible for
“hunger”. As a result, lack of sleep affects the way we eat. We have highlighted another problem that
every modern person has. Before going to sleep, we are used to spending many hours on electronic
devices, we go to bed at completely inappropriate hours, and all this spoils our sleep quality, which
means that instead of rested in the morning, we wake up even more tired. And with fatigue, we are in
a vicious circle, we have a greater desire for unhealthy food, we want sugar, which will only keep us
energized for a short time. In summary, we can say that a healthy lifestyle requires a combination of
all factors. When the children learned a lot of interesting things with the help of various games, we
also delighted them with a friendly tournament in volleyball and beach volleyball. Of course, they
were most happy about it. New knowledge is important, but the game was ultimately more
important. Watching young people enthusiastically “run” for a volleyball is priceless. Their smiles,
good mood and competitiveness are what bring a smile to every camp participant’s face. Full of new
they competed in their favorite sport, which helps children unconsciously learn good habits that are
an integral part of sports. Discipline, order, punctuality, proper nutrition, rest. As children take part in
daily training, they consequently have much less time available to spend in front of screens, be it
phones, tablets, computers, or television. All in all, it is also very important for the future, when they
will grow up. We know how demanding today’s world is, how very quickly everything can go wrong,
how very quickly it can pull us in the wrong direction. To a page where there is no real motivation,
where the word hello is anything but self-evident. That is why it is so important to continue to raise
awareness, to teach children about healthy habits that will serve them throughout their lives. And for
everything, the greatest thanks go to sports, be it a volleyball tournament, which our children played
like real professionals, or maybe a game of tennis. The genre is not important, what is important is
what we learn through the game. Sport can be a tool for a better life, especially with youngsters, who
are daily exposed to various negative factors and lost in the world of electronics. Sports matters.
Sport is a solution