#BeCROactive Awards 2025: Croatia celebrates projects that move citizens to an active and healthy life
Representatives of schools, companies, institutions, and associations from all over Croatia gathered at the Westin Hotel in Zagreb on December 17, 2025, to mark the #BeCROactive awards ceremony. This is a recognition that the Ministry of Tourism and Sport awards to those who have shown through their projects and daily work that physical activity can be integrated into community life – from the classroom and workplace to veterans' centers and small local environments.
The awards are modeled after the European #BeActive Awards, an initiative of the European Commission which, as part of the European Week of Sport, encourages citizens of all ages to get moving, engage in sports, and adopt healthier lifestyle habits. Croatia plays an important role in this story: for years, through hundreds of events across the country, efforts have been made to show that sport is not reserved only for top athletes, but belongs to everyone – regardless of age, fitness level, or social status.
This year's #BeCROactive call attracted a large number of applications from all parts of Croatia. An expert jury chose the best in four categories: Education, Workplace, Intergenerational Inclusion, and Local Hero. It is precisely this combination – from the formal education system, through employers, to individuals and organizations connecting generations – that makes the awards a powerful tool of public policy in the field of health and sport.
Why the #BeCROactive awards are important
The World Health Organization estimates that about a third of adults globally are insufficiently physically active, which increases the risk of chronic non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer. In the European Union, research shows that nearly half of the population never exercises or participates in sports activities, and another significant portion does not reach recommended levels of physical activity.
The consequences of such a state are not only a medical problem but also a serious social and economic challenge. Due to a sedentary lifestyle, health system costs rise, productivity in workplaces falls, and the quality of life for millions of people is lower than it could be. That is precisely why the European Week of Sport and accompanying initiatives like #BeActive and #BeCROactive are gaining increasing political weight within national frameworks.
The European Week of Sport 2025 in Croatia was held from September 23 to 30, with more than one hundred and sixty sports and recreational events in which more than 35 thousand citizens of all generations participated. The campaign showed once again that well-designed programs, support from local communities, and visible national campaigns can motivate people to step out of their routine, take time for movement, and connect with others through sport.
The #BeCROactive awards are, in this context, a kind of peak of the year: they reward concrete projects and people who have stood out, but at the same time set standards for future initiatives. The winners become role models for others – schools that are just thinking about introducing new sports programs, employers who want to improve conditions for their employees, associations, and centers looking for ways to include vulnerable or marginalized groups in social life.
Education: The Križevci school connecting profession, community, and movement
In the Education category, the finalists were the Ivan Seljanec High School from Križevci, the Hinko Juhn Elementary School from Podgorač, and the Eugen Kumičić Gymnasium from Opatija. The victory went to the Križevci school – a modern vocational institution with a long tradition, which has been recognized in recent years for quality educational programs and a strong connection with the local community.
Ivan Seljanec High School has been systematically working for years on promoting physical activity and healthy lifestyle habits among students. School sports content is not limited only to physical and health education classes but includes a range of extracurricular activities – from school sports teams to recreational programs intended for students who may not see themselves in competitive sports but want to remain active and healthy.
An important element of their approach is the inclusion of the local community. The school collaborates with city sports clubs, associations, and health institutions, organizes open days, school sports festivals, and joint actions promoting movement, proper nutrition, and addiction prevention. Students thus get the opportunity to experience different sports content – from traditional team sports to new forms of recreation – and find the activity that suits them best.
It is particularly important that physical activity in the school is not treated as an isolated segment of teaching, but as part of a broader concept of health and youth well-being. Mental health programs, workshops on the balance between school obligations and free time, and encouraging quality sleep and reducing screen time are part of a holistic approach that aims to create not only professional but also healthy and resilient young people.
Workplace: Mi Maris and the culture of care for employees
The Workplace category is focused on employers and institutions that integrate sport and recreation into their business as an integral part of employee care. The finalists of this year's competition were the Sports Association of the City of Zagreb, the company Mi Maris, and Croatian Post, and the award eventually went to the company Mi Maris.
Mi Maris is a company that, along with investing in modern technical equipment and professional training of employees, has long nurtured the philosophy that without satisfied and healthy employees, there is no successful company. The employee health care program is not limited to occasional sports events but is embedded in everyday life – from encouraging active commuting to work, through organized recreational activities to internal evaluation of initiatives coming "from below," from the employees themselves.
The company continuously enables its employees to participate in walking and running leagues, step-counting competitions, and various sports tournaments, in which family members of employees often join. Such an approach creates a sense of community, breaks down barriers between departments and hierarchical levels, and strengthens belonging to the organization. At the same time, it encourages employees to find their own "path of movement" – whether it be brisk walking, recreational running, team sports, or simply regular stretching during the workday.
The experience of Mi Maris also shows that investing in employee health has very concrete effects: fewer sick leaves, greater job satisfaction, better concentration, and greater resilience to stress. In times when there is much talk about burnout syndrome at work, such programs become an increasingly important part of responsible business practice and an indicator that corporate culture is not just a set of nicely written values, but a set of daily, tangible decisions.
Intergenerational Inclusion: Veterans' Center Daruvar as a bridge between generations
In the Intergenerational Inclusion category, the finalists were the Veterans' Center – Daruvar Branch, the Institute of Public Health of Međimurje County, and the Croatian Women's Society Pleternica. The winner was declared the Veterans' Center – Daruvar Branch, an institution that has become one of the key meeting places for the veteran population, children, youth, and the elderly in the local community in a short time.
The Veterans' Center in Daruvar is part of a network of veterans' centers established by the Ministry of Croatian Veterans with the aim of providing rehabilitation, sports, recreational, cultural, and social content to former veterans and their families. The Daruvar branch particularly stood out during the European Week of Sport 2025, when, in cooperation with the City of Daruvar, elementary schools, and local sports clubs, it organized a series of activities – from Nordic walking and joint training sessions to educational workshops on a healthy lifestyle.
The center's programs are designed to connect generations: children and youth participate in sports workshops with veterans, older people get adapted movement programs, and everyone shares experiences, stories, and time spent in motion. This breaks down prejudices, reduces loneliness, strengthens the sense of belonging, and builds trust between generations that otherwise rarely meet in the same space.
The special value of the Daruvar model lies in the fact that sport serves as a starting point for broader social change. Physical activity here is not a goal in itself, but a means for rehabilitation, psychological empowerment, prevention of mental difficulties, and reintegration of veterans into social life. In a society that still bears the consequences of war experience, such programs have both symbolic and very concrete weight.
Local Hero: The teacher moving generations on Korčula
The Local Hero category is dedicated to individuals and organizations whose personal engagement goes beyond the usual frameworks of a job or volunteer work. In this year's final were Damir Žegarac, the sports association Sportikus from Prelog, Sanda Tasovac, Vela Luka High School, and Maja Mlinarić from the Women's Handball Club 1234 Virovitica. The award went to Sanda Tasovac, a professor of physical and health education from Vela Luka High School.
Sanda Tasovac has been recognized for years as a teacher who goes far beyond formal teaching obligations. Within the school and local community, she systematically promotes a healthy lifestyle, physical activity, and the mental health of young people. Through projects, workshops, field trips, and cooperation with various institutions, she encourages students to experience movement as a natural part of everyday life, and not just as a graded school subject.
Her expertise is also visible in the educational materials she has developed – from presentations and teaching scenarios about movement as a biological need to programs focused on addiction prevention, development of social skills, and recognizing signals of impaired mental health. By incorporating sport into the broader context of care for students' psychological well-being, Sanda Tasovac shows that physical education teaching can be an important ally to school pedagogues, psychologists, and class teachers.
In smaller environments like Vela Luka, where the school often represents the central gathering place, the engagement of individuals carries particular weight. Students, their parents, and the wider community recognize in Sanda's work a person they can trust, someone who encourages them but also listens to their needs and limits. Precisely this combination of expertise, empathy, and long-standing dedicated work is the reason why she deservedly took the title of local heroine.
When nature becomes a classroom: The Nature’s Classroom project
The #BeCROactive awards ceremony was not only a retrospective of what has already been done but also an opportunity to present new ideas. The president of the Society for Sports Recreation Super Kid, Mario Škegro, presented the Erasmus+ Sport project Nature’s Classroom to those gathered, which connects sport, staying in nature, and education into a unique whole.
The basic idea of the project is simple but powerful: to turn the natural environment into a classroom where children and young people learn through movement. Through outdoor sports activities, hiking, games in the forest, orienteering, but also ecological workshops, participants simultaneously develop motor skills, strengthen fitness, learn about environmental preservation, and build self-confidence.
Nature’s Classroom strongly emphasizes international cooperation and the exchange of good practices. Project participants come from different countries and educational systems, and they are connected by the desire to offer children a different learning experience – one that goes beyond the walls of the classroom, encourages teamwork, and shows that school content can be mastered in sneakers, and not just behind a school desk.
Such projects fit perfectly into the goals of the European Week of Sport: instead of a one-off action, programs and partnerships are created that last longer than the event itself, leaving lasting traces in local communities and changing the way we think about schools, sports grounds, and public spaces.
Physical activity as an investment in mental health
An important dimension of the meaning of the #BeCROactive awards was also opened by a short conversation with Sandra Đurijanček, Mag. Psych., a mental coach from the company Mentalni trening. She highlighted that regular physical activity is not only a tool for maintaining good physical shape but one of the most effective natural "shields" against stress, anxiety, and burnout syndrome.
Research in recent years increasingly clearly shows that movement helps regulate emotions, improves sleep, increases concentration, and facilitates learning. In a business environment, physically active employees tolerate daily pressures more easily, recover faster after intense work periods, and make decisions more readily. In schools, children who move regularly show better results, but also more self-confidence and social skills. In older age, regular physical activity helps preserve independence, reduce the risk of dementia, and maintain a sense of purpose.
The importance of adapted and safe physical activity was especially emphasized – adapted to age, health status, and individual capabilities. Not everyone is built for a marathon, but almost everyone can find an activity that suits them: a light walk, Nordic walking, strength exercises with their own body weight, dancing, cycling, or stretching exercises. The key is that activities are regular and that we perceive them as an investment in our own well-being, and not as just another obligation.
This is precisely where we return to the idea of the #BeCROactive awards. The winners in all four categories show that we can initiate change in very concrete places: in school gyms, offices, veterans' centers, on school playgrounds, and local sports fields. When such projects are recognized and awarded, a clear message is sent that care for physical activity and mental health is a shared responsibility – of the state, institutions, employers, and every individual.
Croatia still shares the challenges of the rest of Europe when it comes to physical inactivity, but stories like the one from Križevci, Daruvar, Vela Luka, and the company Mi Maris show that there is knowledge, will, and creativity to reverse trends. The #BeCROactive awards are therefore not only a recognition of the best but also a call to everyone else to get involved – to move a class, an office, a neighborhood, or an entire city. Because every walk, every school action, every recreational tournament, and every local hero makes a difference in creating a more active, healthier, and more connected Croatia.
Sources:
- Ministry of Tourism and Sport of the Republic of Croatia – #BeCROactive 2025 awards ceremony (link)
- Modni Almanah – report from the #BeCROactive 2025 awards ceremony (link)
- Redakcija.hr – “The best projects, organizations, and individuals promoting active and healthy life in Croatia” (link)
- Sports Association of the City of Zagreb – news about the #BeCROactive 2025 awards ceremony and the date of the event at the Westin Hotel (link)
- WHO & Eurobarometer – data on physical inactivity and habits of Europeans in the field of sport and recreation (WHO, European Commission – Special Eurobarometer 525 “Sport and Physical Activity”) (link, link)
- European Week of Sport & European Week of Sport 2025 in Croatia – information on the goals of the #BeActive campaign and the number of participants in Croatia (link, link)
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