Young people in general are frequently depicted as having lofty aspirations and high hopes for the future, and as such, as important agents of cultural change in their communities. In the words of the United Nations Population Fund, "young people are expected to be shapers of the culture of the future," they are "cultural shapers of the future."

As they progress through adolescence, young people discover their own identities and learn to function as self-sufficient individuals. Young people are not interested in hearing about and remembering the experiences and memories of their elders. They develop their own ways of perceiving, appreciating, classifying, and distinguishing issues, as well as the codes, symbols, and language that they will use to express their thoughts and feelings. It is possible for young people's responses to the changing world, as well as their unique ways of explaining and communicating their experience, to help transform their cultures and prepare their societies for new challenges. Their dynamism has the potential to alter some of the archaic and harmful aspects of their cultures that older generations believe to be inviolable.

Sport is a universal element that can be found in all cultures, which is why we chose it as the theme for this year's Compass game. Youth sports are particularly popular; statistics show that 61 percent of young people aged between 15 and 24 in the EU22 participate in sporting activities on a regular basis (at least once a week) according to the European Commission. Including sport is also justified by the fact that it provides young people with opportunities for social interaction, which allows them to acquire the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are required for full participation in civil society.

Culture and sport are both fundamental human rights that are intertwined with a variety of other human rights. Furthermore, they are the grounds on which human rights are frequently challenged and abused, particularly those pertaining to children and young people.

What exactly do we mean when we say "culture"?

It is possible to use the term "culture" in a variety of contexts. For example: popular culture; mass culture; contemporary culture; urban culture; feminist culture; minority culture; corporate culture; and youth culture, to name a few examples. We can also speak of a cultured person, who is someone who has good manners and has been formally educated in the traditions of literature and art, or we can speak of culture shock, which is a person's disorientation and frustration when confronted with a foreign culture for the first time. In most countries, neither the ministry of culture nor its equivalent governmental authorities deal with any of these meanings of the word "culture."

When it comes to the word "culture," it derives from the Latin word "cultura," which means "to tend, guard, cultivate, or till." For the first time around 1500 CE, the term "cultivation through education" began to appear in the figurative sense of "cultivation through education," and it wasn't until the mid-19th century that the term was associated with ideas about the collective customs and ways of life of different societies. 4 It is this understanding of culture as inherited patterns of shared meanings and common understandings that is the focus of the remainder of this chapter.

No culture is the same as another. "Subcultures" can be identified within each culture, which are groups of people who have distinct sets of practices and behaviors that distinguish them from the larger culture and from other subcultures. Within each culture, it is possible to identify "subcultures": groups of people who have distinctive sets of practices and behaviors that distinguish them from the larger culture and from other subcultures. Cults are difficult to define and even more difficult to capture because they are constantly evolving and changing. It is not possible to step twice in the same river, to paraphrase Heraclitus, because the culture in which we communicate today is not the same culture in which we communicated yesterday. Although it appears different to us, it is identical in our eyes and perceptions.

In the last ten years, what new ideas or technologies have influenced your way of thinking?

The following is how the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights defines culture:

[...] Culture encompasses, among other things, ways of life, language, oral and written literature, music and song, non-verbal communication, religion or belief systems, rites and ceremonies, sport and basketball legends games, methods of production or technology, natural and man-made environments, food, clothing, and shelter, as well as the arts, customs, and traditions through which individuals, groups of individuals, and communities express their humanity and the meaning they give to their existence, and by which they are distinguished from one another. Culture is defined as

Some aspects of culture, such as the way people dress, are highly visible, while others are not. The majority of the other aspects are unconscious, almost instinctive. The metaphor of an iceberg can be used to think about culture in a variety of ways. Icebergs are composed of a visible section above the waterline and a larger, invisible section below the waterline. Like nature has certain aspects that can be observed and of which we are conscious, culture has certain aspects that can only be suspected or imagined and reached through dialogue and introspection. In the same way that the root of an iceberg is significantly larger than the upper portion, the greater part of culture is "invisible." The danger is that you mistake one part for the whole. By concentrating on what is visible to us (and that we appear to "understand"), we run the risk of missing what is essential in the people, in the human beings, who are being observed.

What exactly do we mean when we say "sport"?

The importance of sports, particularly team games, in our lives cannot be overstated, whether we are spectators or active participants. Football is a never-ending source of conversation for many people, and fans have a strong emotional attachment to their team, with star players being elevated to the status of heroes. The current fashion for people to want to look good, youthful, athletic, and healthy is manifested by the number of fitness clubs that are opening and the number of slimming magazines that are being published, while parks are crowded with joggers and other exercise enthusiasts. In addition to sports, activities that require mental rather than physical effort, such as chess, are included in the definition of sports. There are sports to suit all tastes and temperaments, and as a result, sport can be truly closely linked to our identity and culture at some point in our lives. Sports are available for all ages and abilities.

When one looks at the underlying value and purpose of sports and games – and this includes the play of young children – it becomes clear that all sports, whether football, spear throwing, or yoga, have developed as a means of teaching necessary life skills, which is why sports are considered to be an important part of the educational curriculum, both formal and non-formal, in many countries.

Cultural rights are protected under the law.

Historically, cultural rights were first enshrined in Article 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which reads as follows:

Everyone has the right to participate in the cultural life of their community, to appreciate the arts, and to benefit from scientific advancement and its ramifications without restriction.

Cultural rights are important in the process of empowering individuals and communities, and they must be protected and promoted. Communities benefit from having their cultural rights recognized because it helps them to build their self-esteem and be motivated to maintain their traditions while also being respected for their beliefs and practices.

In human rights law, the right to culture, according to the Human Rights Education Associates, is primarily concerned with the celebration and protection of humankind's artistic and cultural achievements and traditions. The right of an individual to take pleasure in culture and to advance culture and science without interference from the state is recognized as a human right by the United Nations. Aside from this, governments are obligated under international human rights treaties to promote and preserve cultural activities and artifacts, particularly those of universal significance. In the vast majority of human rights instruments, culture is overwhelmingly praised as being beneficial to people's lives. The right to culture is comprised of a number of different components, including:

• the right to participate in cultural activities

• the right to take advantage of scientific advancements.

• the individual's right to benefit from the protection of his or her moral and material interests as a result of any scientific, literary, or artistic production of which he or she is the author.

In addition, people have the right to be free from government interference in their scientific or creative endeavors.9

Several other aspects of culture are also protected under international human rights law, including the right to marry and start a family, the right to freely express one's opinion, the right to education, the right to receive and impart information, the right to rest and leisure, and the right to religious freedom, conscience, and belief.