On Monday, 26 January 2026, all ten partner organisations of the ESSEPA project (European Sport Safeguarding Education and Promotion Action) gathered in Ljubljana for their first in-person meeting.

ESSEPA is a project funded by the European Commission that aims to strengthen safeguarding in university sport through the development of an innovative online education and certification platform.

The kick-off meeting was hosted by EUSA at the Rectorate of the University of Ljubljana. Throughout the day, partners had the opportunity to get to know each other’s activities, share expertise from their respective fields, and jointly plan the next steps for the project’s two-year duration.

The consortium brings together a wide range of stakeholders, led by EUSA Institute, and includes the University of Zagreb, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University of Hamburg, the European Fair Play Movement, CUS Salerno, Dspot, the Albanian University Sport Federation, the Portuguese University Sport Federation, and the University Sport Association of Liechtenstein.

The meeting opened with presentations outlining each partner’s field of activity, followed by an overview of the project’s phases, planned activities, and expected outcomes. Over the course of 24 months, partners will work collaboratively to deliver high-quality knowledge and raise awareness of safeguarding issues in university sport events and beyond, through educational modules hosted on an online platform. This work will combine analytical research and technical development and will be coordinated by EUSA throughout the project timeline.

Following discussions on the project’s structure, participants were invited to take part in a thematic seminar on safeguarding, aimed at initiating reflection and providing a broader context. Professor David Gosar from the University of Ljubljana presented recent research findings on youth mental health, drawing on studies conducted in recent years.

This was followed by a presentation from Andreja Leskovsek McQuarrie of the Slovenian Olympic Committee, who shared key results from the BESST project (“Building European Safe Sport Together”), also funded by the European Commission. These insights will allow the ESSEPA consortium to build on existing expertise and further develop its approach to safeguarding.

Finally, Mojca Doupona from the University of Ljubljana presented the outcomes of the VOICE project, in which EUSA was a partner, focusing on combating sexual violence in European sport through the voices of those affected. The seminar concluded with contibution by Mojca Rupert, from the Department of Extracurricular Activities at the University of Ljubljana, who also briefly introduced the institution.

The final session of the meeting focused on discussing work plans, responsibilities, and deliverables, ensuring a shared understanding of the scope and outlines of the project moving forward.

EUSA warmly thanks all project partners for their active participation and valuable contributions to this kick-off meeting.

ESSEPA project is Co-funded by the European Union. More information will be available on the official project website which will be launched in February.