Introductory webinar “The EUs Erasmus+ Programme in the fields of youth and sports: opportunities for Calls 2023-2024” (online)
On August 23, 2023, as part of the 2023-2024 Erasmus+ Youth & Sports call campaign, an introductory webinar “The EUs Erasmus+ Programme in the fields of youth and sports: opportunities for Calls 2023-2024” was held. The event was organized by the National Erasmus+ office in Ukraine together with the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, Council on Youth Affairs under the President of Ukraine, National Olympic Committee of Ukraine, Sports Committee of Ukraine, Information Center Erasmus+ Youth and the European Solidarity Corps, Salto – YOUTH, ESN Ukraine , Young European Ambassadors with the support of the National University of Physical Education and Sports of Ukraine, National Technical University “Dnipro Polytechnic”, State Biotechnology University, Ukrainian Catholic University, All-Ukrainian Korfball Association, NGO “Stella” and NGO “Development and Initiative”.
More than 165 participants from different parts of Ukraine took part in the event: representatives of youth and sports organizations, educational institutions, youth councils, associations, federations; and other organizations working in the field of youth and sports. The event was moderated by Svitlana SHYTIKOVA, coordinator of the National Erasmus+ office in Ukraine.
Participants were addressed by: Andriy CHESNOKOV, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine; Oleksandr SANCHENKO, Co-Chairman, Council on Youth Affairs under the President of Ukraine; Philippe VAN DEPOL, Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, European Commission; Luis ALVÉS, Head, Erasmus+ National Agency in Portugal; Andrii PAVLOVYCH, Head, SALTO Resource Center for the countries of Eastern Europe and the Caucasus.
Congratulating the participants of the webinar on behalf of the Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine Vadym GUTZAIT, his deputy for European integration Andriy CHESNOKOV highlighted reached agreement with the European Commission on the possibility for Ukrainian organizations to initiate projects to increase capacity in the fields of youth and sports within the framework of the Erasmus+ this fall and receive grants in the amount of up to 300 000 euros respectively. Andrii CHESNOKOV noted that the active participation of Ukrainian organizations in these calls will not only be an opportunity to obtain additional funding and support existing programs and initiatives in the youth and sports fields, but will also demonstrate to the EU the interest of Ukrainian society in deepening participation in relevant programs and initiatives of the European Union.
Oleksandr SANCHENKO, Co-Chairman of the Council on Youth Affairs under the President of Ukraine, emphasized the importance of Erasmus+ projects in the field of youth, which is a key tool for supporting and modernizing youth policy in Ukraine.
Philippe VAN-DEPOEL, Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sports and Culture, European Commission, spoke about the constant support of the EU, in particular in the fields of youth and sports. The speaker emphasized the fruitful cooperation with the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine on the way to opening new calls for Ukraine on the development of the capacity of youth and sports already this year.
Luis ALVES, Head, National Erasmus+ Agency in Portugal, expressed fruitful cooperation with the National Erasmus+ office in Ukraine and readiness to support the expansion of cooperation with European youth and sports organizations for successful participation in new Erasmus+ calls.
Andriy PAVLOVYCH, Head, SALTO Resource Center for the countries of Eastern Europe and the Caucasus, emphasized the readiness to support and expand the boundaries of cooperation of Ukrainian organizations that are interested in participating in youth and sports calls together with European colleagues and potential partners.
During the first session of the event, Nataliya KOVALENKO, Executive Director, National Olympic Committee of Ukraine, and Oleksandr BRYKULSKY, Vice President, Sports Committee of Ukraine, presented the current challenges during martial law in Ukraine. The priorities of the EU Erasmus+ Program in the field of youth and sports were highlighted by Svitlana SHYTIKOVA, Coordinator, National Erasmus+ office in Ukraine, emphasizing the importance of getting to know the EU Youth Strategy 2019-2027 (EU Youth Strategy) and the European dimension in the field of sports (EU Sport policies).
During the second session of the webinar, Iryna NOVAK, Manager, Information Center Erasmus+ Youth and the European Solidarity Corps, Kateryna ZHDANOVA, Manager, National Erasmus+ Office in Ukraine, and Andriy PAVLOVYCH, Manager, SALTO Resource Center for the countries of Eastern Europe and the Caucasus, presented all actions open for Ukraine in youth and sport for 2023-2024. Speakers presented in detail the opportunities and key features for youth mobility and youth workers, youth and sports cooperation projects, and opportunities for volunteer projects within the European Solidarity Corps.
The third part of the event was dedicated to working in groups and presenting the experience of Ukrainian organizations in the implementation of Erasmus+ projects in the field of youth and sports. Participants were given the opportunity to join different rooms according to their interests with the participation of speakers and learn about the experience of youth mobility projects, cooperation projects in the fields of youth and sports, as well as the European Solidarity Corps. Speakers of this part of the webinar were: Yuriy VOLOSHYN, GO “Stella”, Maria KOTSYURBA, “Development and Initiative”, Kateryna PRYAZHNIKOVA, National Technical University “Dniprovsk Polytechnic”, Serhiy ZUBKOV, State Biotechnology University, Olena BORTNICHUK, Ukrainian Catholic University, Nataliya KOVALENKO , National Olympic Committee of Ukraine, Oleksandr BRYKULSKY, Sports Committee of Ukraine, Oleg BILYK, All-Ukrainian Korfball Association, Iryna NOVAK, manager, Erasmus+ Youth Information Center and the European Solidarity Corps.
At the end of the event, speakers and participants summarized the event, agreed on further steps for preparation and successful participation in the contests of the EU Erasmus+ Program in the fields of youth and sports for 2023-2024.