More Than Winning: How PE & Athletics Can Shape Changemakers (featuring Dr. Gesa Beecken)
In this episode of the Edvolution Podcast, we explore a powerful and often overlooked connection: how athletics and physical education can be a catalyst for service learning, sustainability, global citizenship, and edible education.
We’re joined by Dr. Gesa Beecken, Athletic Director and PE Lead at the International School of Ulm in Germany. Gesa brings a fresh and thoughtful perspective on how movement, play, and competition can support deeper learning and social impact.
Together, we discuss:
- How athletics can move beyond winning and losing to build character, empathy, and agency
- The natural links between nutrition, edible education, and athletic performance
- Embedding service learning and inclusion directly into PE and sports programs
- Rethinking tournaments, gear, travel, and events through a sustainability lens
- Using play and game-based learning to engage students with the UN Sustainable Development Goals
This episode invites educators and school leaders to rethink spaces we don’t always associate with service learning, and to see athletics as a powerful platform for connection, purpose, and real-world learning.
Here are Gesa's resource recommendations:
- Transforming Basketball
- Soccer Drive & Ray Power
- Global Goals Festival Day 1 and Day 2
As always, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to [email protected] to share what’s happening in your school community or to continue the conversation.
Join us next time for more stories and strategies at the intersection of learning, sustainability, global citizenship, and edible education.
