From the 13th to the 14th of September, motivated and interested young individuals from all around the globe attended the FVLA (FISU Volunteer Leader Academy) to learn what opportunities await them and also to hear about past participants experiences.

On top, participants were challenged with some fun and interactive games in order to get to know each other and learn more about the various cultural backgrounds.The leaders academy session also marked the start of the FISU Ambassadors Program, with candidates nominated by national and continental university sports federations set to be assigned to the roles for one year.

Officially marking the start of the FVLA 2024, students were welcomed by FISU President Leonz Eder. He mentioned how this year's FVLA is going to call forth a new season of FISU Student Ambassadors who will learn the necessary skills to become future leaders.

FISU Secretary General/CEO Eric Saintrond delivered important updates on FISU's activities and future plans, emphasizing the organization's focus on student involvement. He highlighted key initiatives such as the FISU World Championships, the recent World Forum in Zagreb, the Young Reporters Program, and the Healthy Campus Program. Saintrond also discussed the potential inclusion of e-sports and para-sports in FISU events, underscoring the vital role FISU Student Ambassadors play in representing the organization globally, urging them to “smell your chances and fight to get them!”. 

The session, moderated by FISU Media Committee Chair Chidibere Ezeani, also featured insights from FISU President Leonz Eder and Vice President Jin Liu, who stressed the importance of student engagement in advancing National and Continental University Sports Federations (NUSFs and CUSFs). They praised the unique energy, optimism, and creativity students bring, asserting that “students are shapers of international perspectives.” In addition, practices were shared to demonstrate how student ambassadors gain valuable real-world skills through their involvement, further growing university sports at all levels. 

FISU Education and Culture Director Lilia Barieva introduced the wide range of sports and educational events offered by FISU, providing tips on how to get involved in upcoming activities such as the International Day of University Sport (IDUS), the FISU Shooting World Championship in India, and the FISU 3×3 Basketball World Cup in China, along with the Torino and Rhine-Ruhr WUG. She also invited speakers to share their personal experiences from participating in key FISU initiatives. 

One such experience was presented by Jackeline Torres Vargas from Costa Rica. Her journey with FISU started with her volunteering at the 2022 FISU Costa Rica World Forum. From there, she also participated at the recent 2024 FISU World Forum in Zagreb, being part of the media team. Moreover, Jackeline explained how, through her work in the World Forums, she gained valuable skills such as leadership and working in teams.

On the topic of leadership, Julie Lebrédonchel shared her experience working as a volunteer manager. For her, interacting with volunteers from different backgrounds is what made her experiences so incredible. 

Furthermore, students got to learn more about each other and their culture through some interactive games and activities in the Culture Program.

This was followed by the FISU Student Committee Members, who not only explained what their specific goals were but also how they managed to actually achieve them. The committee pointed out the importance of communication, information, and integration of FISU student ambassadors. Lastly, participants were challenged with a quiz about FISU.

As part of the FISU FVLA program, EUSA Student Committee Chair Ms Klea Taipllari, partcipated as a nomminee on behalf of the European University Sports Association (EUSA). Here is her reflection of the event:

A Journey of Growth and Inspiration

"Completing the FISU Volunteer Leaders Academy (FVLA) 2024 was one of a kind experience which truly added on to my role as a student representative to EUSA . 

The Academy is like a platform for the youth from all over the world where they can gather in, share experiences, and get the particular areas that are more linked with volunteerism in the university sports to be worked on. 

The event took place on September 13 with a very brief but super impacting ceremony that then directly followed the session What’s up FISU, which was an extensive look at FISU's newest projects and their objectives. It was so inspiring to see how FISU is making the world of sports future-proof by giving young individuals the center stage, as it was highlighted so in the section on the interaction of students with NUSF and CUSF. This conversation added more ideas of how to manage the students within the national and the continental university sports federations.

The first day came to an end with a session on FISU Events and Opportunities, amongst the things discussed, it was the most important. The day gave us an overall picture of the variety of functions FISU carries out and the different ways we, as volunteers and as young leaders, can join in and support them. A short cultural program at the end of the day was the perfect way for people to interact informally with a lot of the community feel that FISU does so nicely.

On September 14 we had a look back at Day 1, followed by a volunteer management session, a very important session. This was the most illuminating part of the overall program. Successful training concerning volunteers is key to the triumph of any event, and the discourse provided me with practical techniques that I will be able to implement in my duties in EUSA and the Albanian University Sports Federation.

One of the other topics that we discussed was about Servant Leadership in the Age of AI. It connects the classical leadership virtues with the cutting edge technology gains. We examined AI’s possibilities of empowerment of leadership through volunteer-driven initiatives, while still maintaining a focus on human connection and service to others.

The program was capped off with a preview of the FISU Student Ambassadors Program, a initiative that I am keen on pursuing. The message of FISU Student Ambassadors regarding university athletics and volunteerism aligns closely with my personal mission of fostering greater student involvement in sports leadership.

Speaking on the whole experience made me feel a strong sense of gratitude for the lessons learned and relationships created. FVLA 2024 helped me strengthen my beliefs in the power of sports as a uniting force and the necessity of volunteerism for positive change. I’m looking forward to taking these insights to EUSA and using them in upcoming projects, applying them for the development of university sports in Europe and more."

After the closing ceremony, in which the new season of FISU Student Ambassadors was announced, the 2024 FVLA officially ended. 

We at EUSA are excited to see what this new season of FISU Student Ambassadors has to offer! 

For more information, please see https://www.fisu.net/education/educational-programmes/fisu-volunteer-leaders-academy