Welcome to the EMPATIA educational website for Parents/Guardians of elite athletes-students

Welcome to the EMPATIA educational website for Dual Career parenting open to all Parents/Guardians of talented, elite athletes-students who combine sport & education.

On EMPATIA platform/website, we present information you need to know as a Parent/Guardian of an elite student-athlete to support your child. We’ve gathered crucial information, hints & tips and important documents in one place to help you empower your Dual Career athlete. We divided the content into 4 parts, which we named: WHY, WHAT, HOW & WHERE. We wish you successful support of your athletes for the benefit of themselves, you as Parents/Guardians and society as a whole.

This EMPATIA educational platform has been developed within the EU funded Erasmus+ Collaborative Partnership “Education Model for Parents of Athletes in Academics” (590437-EPP-1-2017-1-SI-SPO-SCP). Ten universities and sport institutions from six member states France, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Portugal & Slovenia with a consolidated experience and research in Dual Career at national and EU levels developed the platform through a customer-driven approach involving Dual Career Parents/Guardians and experts in the co-construction process of key information. Our goal is to be useful in providing comprehensive information and advice to support the parental role of Dual Career talented and elite athletes. As a Parent/Guardian of an elite athlete as student, we do request your help in sharing your experiences to make Dual Career parenting more effective. You can contribute by writing a blog, suggesting an article, and sharing our contact details and resources with other Parents/Guardians.

Dual Career facts in numbers

Fourteen scientific publications involving Parents/Guardians of student-athletes were reviewed (link). One hundred fifteen Dual Career Parents/Guardians (F=49, M=66) from France, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Slovenia participated in focus groups aimed to gain a thorough understanding of the parental needs in Dual Career. The workshops addressed five themes related to Dual Career parenting: 1) the athletes’ needs, 2) the sports environment, 3) the academic environment, 4) Dual Career-related policies and services, 5) the educational resources for Dual Career parenting. A list of eighty statements relevant for Dual Career parenting education was developed. Thirty two Dual Career experts from eleven countries (Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden validated the eighty statements. Four hundred eighty nine Dual Career Parents/Guardians engaged to integrate ideas and knowledge as a sound basis for a specific education program on Dual Career parenting. Finally, 76 parents of Dual Career athletes and 9 European Dual Career experts validated the EMPATIA education programme.