The EUYouSport – European Youth and Sport Together project held its second in-person partner meeting on June 7th, 2025, in Munich, Germany, alongside the flagship European Youth and Sport Platform 2025 (EYSP2025).

This meeting brought together all project partners to review progress, share insights, and plan the next phase of activities. It marked a critical milestone in the project, reaffirming the shared commitment to empowering youth participation in sport governance across Europe.

At the heart of EUYouSport is the vision of ensuring that young people have a meaningful say in the decision-making processes of sports organisations. The European Youth and Sport Together (EUYOUSPORT) project aims to develop youth participation mechanisms within the decision-making processes of sports organisations. This initiative seeks to provide young people with meaningful opportunities to have their voices heard within the sport sector.

Sport, as a social activity, connects, engages, and empowers youth in ways that few other platforms can. However, young people are frequently excluded from decision-making processes, underrepresented in governing bodies, and their voices are often overlooked by policymakers when developing sport policies.

During the meeting in Munich, moderated by Tiago Guilherme, ENGSO Youth Managing Director, partners focused on the completion of Work Package 3, as well as the composition of the upcoming Conclusion Paper of the EYSP 2025, which will capture the key lessons of the European Youth and Sport Platform as well as the EUYOUSPORT, which outlines recommendations structured around three main thematic clusters. These recommendations will serve as a practical guide for organisations and policymakers to implement youth participation mechanisms within sport governance structures.

A significant highlight of the meeting—and of EYSP2025—was the formal establishment and launching of the European Youth and Sport Network. This network aims to connect young leaders and organisations across Europe and ensure sustained youth engagement beyond the EUYOUSPORT project itself. It represents a key legacy outcome, offering a permanent platform for young people to engage in policy dialogue, advocacy, and collaboration in the field of sport.

At the official launch of the network, partners shared their pledges, including EUSA, which was represented and introduced by Marta Studzinska, EUSA Education Officer.

Other ongoing activities discussed included the development of e-learning modules on EU institutions, youth policies, and sport governance, which will be accessible via the ENGSO Education platform. These modules are designed to raise awareness and build knowledge among young people about how EU structures work and how they can get involved. In addition, the national workshops in Portugal, Italy, and Finland are continuing to expand grassroots engagement and empower young people locally.

The key takeaway of the meeting is that the implications must first be viewed through the lens of young people’s needs and experiences, and then translated into actionable strategies for organisations and stakeholders.

The EUYouSport project brings together a diverse and experienced consortium of partners committed to strengthening youth participation in sport governance. The project is led by ENGSO Youth in collaboration with the European University Sports Association (EUSA), the Finnish Olympic Committee, OPES (Organizzazione Per l’Educazione allo Sport), German Sports Youth (Deutsche Sportjugend – dsj), the Confederação do Desporto de Portugal (Sport Confederation of Portugal), and the Cyprus Youth Council. 

The EUYouSport project is co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

For more information, please see https://engsoyouth.eu/euyousport/