The consortium of the European project “Play to Participate – Participate to Play (P2P)” met in Kavala, Greece, on 27th September 2024 for the project’s 2nd Partners Meeting. Hosted by HWBF, the meeting brought together representatives from partner organizations to review the progress of the project, evaluate ongoing activities, discuss challenges, and coordinate the next implementation phases of the Erasmus+ initiative focused on youth participation and sport.
Representatives from NGO IUVENTA, TDM 2000 Malta, RK Beograd, Conexao, FDIP, and HWBF participated in the meeting, while Malta Football Association (MFA) representatives joined online due to travel complications. The meeting provided an important opportunity for partners to strengthen coordination and ensure the smooth continuation of project activities across all participating countries.
The meeting opened with an overview of the current project situation and a review of timelines, milestones, and communication processes within the consortium. The Project Coordinator presented the overall implementation progress and highlighted that the project remains on track, with several key deliverables already completed successfully. At the same time, partners openly discussed communication challenges and emphasized the importance of timely responses, regular updates, and active collaboration among all organizations.
A substantial part of the discussions focused on the completion of WP2 – Research, which explored youth involvement in social and civic activities and mapped good practices related to participation through sport across partner countries. The consortium reviewed the completed deliverable “Youth involvement in democratic processes and Sport activities”, which gathered valuable research findings and examples from all participating countries. Partners were also encouraged to finalize translations and upload all supporting materials to the shared project platform.
The consortium then reviewed the implementation of WP3 – Sport Youth Council and Youth Board, one of the project’s most significant components. Partners reflected positively on the international training course previously organized in Serbia and confirmed that participants expressed high levels of satisfaction with the experience. The meeting also focused on the preparation of local training activities in each partner country, which aim to support the creation of Sport Youth Councils and Youth Boards at local and national levels.
Detailed discussions were held regarding participant selection criteria, organizational structures, local training implementation, reporting procedures, and the preparation of strategic documents that will guide the operation of the future youth councils and boards. Partners agreed that by the end of December 2024 each participating country should have established the foundations for its own Sport Youth Council, including selection procedures, governance structures, and participation mechanisms.
The meeting also addressed the next phase of WP4 – Youth Leadership Programme, led by Conexao. Partners discussed the structure of the upcoming deliverables and agreed to contribute practical activities related to youth participation, leadership, sport, and civic engagement. The consortium emphasized the importance of designing activities that are participatory, inclusive, and adaptable to local contexts.
Quality assurance and dissemination were also key topics during the meeting. Partners reviewed reporting obligations, monitoring procedures, and evaluation processes to ensure the quality and effectiveness of project implementation. Particular attention was given to dissemination activities, with the consortium acknowledging the need to increase communication efforts, strengthen visibility, improve coordination on social media, and reach the project’s dissemination targets and KPIs during the next implementation period.
The meeting concluded with a strong commitment from all partners to intensify collaboration and continue working toward the project’s mission of empowering young people through sport, participation, leadership, and democratic engagement. The consortium also confirmed that the next transnational partners meeting will take place in Malta in May 2025.