On the 22nd of March, the partners of the Erasmus+ project Future volunteers - Key to success is Generation Z (K2S-GenZ) met in person for the project closing event in Budapest, Hungary organized by MEFS (Hungarian University Sports Federation).

The event was hosted by the Ferenc Hepp Hall of the Hungarian University of Physical Education and Sports Science, in which more than 60 people from 19 universities and 3 sports organizations took part.

Participants that were attending were Hungarian university institutional sports coordinators, EFOTT 2023 and EUC 2023/EUG 2024 (European Universities Games) organizers, representatives of the Student Government and EUSA representative.
The main focus was on the significant events that are important for university sports in Hungary of the year 2023-2024, preparations for the EUC 2023/EUG 2024 which is going to be organized in Debrecen-Misolc and the ERASMUS+ (Future volunteers - Key to success in GenZ) project.

The meeting started with a welcoming speech and presentation from the Secretary General of the Hungarian University Sports Federation ( MEFS), Mr. Péter Juhász who thanked all the participants for attending the project K2S-GenZ final event and all the help from the partners; EUSA, MEFS, and MEAFC. He presented the agenda for the day and expressed his excitement about the upcoming championships ,especially the three European Universities Championships in badminton, water polo and 3x3 basketball that will be hosted by Miskolc and Debrecen.

Furthermore, he introduced the EFOTT Sports Universe and MEFOB FESTIVAL 2023 (Hungarian University-College National Championships) sports event not only from the point of view of the volunteers but also from the organizations’ view. These events help to promote university sports and provide an organizing experience for the Hungarian partners before the European Universities Games.

After the warm welcoming, Ms Éva Antal, the Project Manager of the Sports Club of Miskolc University (MEAFC) talked about the importance of volunteer management and shared her experience about how to manage successfully the helping hand of the volunteers’ in domestic and international sports events.
Moreover, she presented the findings and the outcomes of the K2S-GenZ ERASMUS+ project, which were about how to attract more volunteers, build a good relationship with them, and use visual tools. Generation Z is more visual and easier to reach through digital and social media platforms as well as the relevance of establishing a reward system for them to feel appreciated.

 During the presentation, the Guideline document was presented as the main result of the project, which summarizes the questions that contribute to the success of strategic planning, as well as the practical tasks that may arise during implementation in the order of the volunteers' life path. In the K2S-GenZ project which started on the 1st of April in 2022 and ended on the 31st of March in 2023, 10 Hungarian volunteers and 3 foreign volunteers took part. 

The next presenter was Mr. György Kovács, The Deputy Secretary General of the Hungarian University Sports Federation ( MEFS), who discussed the Preparations for the European Universities Games 2024 that is going to be held in Debrecen-Miskolc. He underlined the importance and assistance of the EUSA Institute during the Games and stated high hopes for the event’s success , as well as to support the recruitment of volunteers by informing the students about the possibilities.

The last presentation was by the National Conference of Student Governments representative, Mr Ákos Balogh, on “How to "festivalize" and make an event attractive to Generation Z”. Generation Z is the one that worries the most about fitting in. Hence, event planners should strive to make their events as inclusive as they can if they wish to draw young people and to most effective way is to use social media platforms. Gen Z values engagement greatly and values fully interactive events. 

The event ended with an informal discussion and exchange of experiences with speakers and guests, where the promotional video designed during the K2S – GenZ project was also presented.

The cooperation partnership project involves three organizations from two countries - the Sports Club of Miskolc University (MEAFC) and Hungarian University Sports Federation (HUSF/MEFS) from Hungary and the EUSA Institute from Slovenia. The project is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.