SOTELI- Building COMMON Understanding on Sport and Well-being

The aim of the SOTELI project is to enhance expertise in physical activity for professionals in the social, health, and sports sectors, as well as for future professionals, through interdisciplinary collaboration. The second goal is to strengthen the interaction skills of professionals providing exercise counseling and lifestyle guidance, and to advance physical activity as part of well-being promotion. The third aim is to build a common framework for promoting physical activity in the social work, health, and physical activity sectors. This framework combines the expertise of the social, health, and sports sectors with experiential learning.



The project is implemented as a multidisciplinary and multi-professional collaboration between Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, LAB University of Applied Sciences, the Finnish Sports Institute, and Outward Bound Finland ry, in close cooperation with regional social, health and sports organisations.



The project has developed a multidisciplinary training model and the TREFFA tool to support professionals’ self-awareness, interaction skills and reflective practice. Eight trainings (four for professionals and four for students) have been delivered in face-to-face, hybrid and online formats, reaching 177 participants. Feedback has averaged over 4/5, and participants have reported improved practical skills in discussing physical activity, greater confidence in client encounters and strengthened multidisciplinary cooperation.



SOTELI – Building COMMON Understanding on Sport and Well-being has strengthened the competences of social, health and sports professionals and students in promoting physical activity in everyday client work. The project has addressed the need to improve physical activity promotion by developing professionals’ self-awareness, interaction, encounter and reflection skills.