Partners of the Erasmus+ project Work for a cause, serve for sport (W4C) on volunteering and inclusion in sport met for the final 5th transnational project meeting and multiplier sport event in Zagreb, Croatia, that took place on 2-3 of December.

The main goal of this project is to educate and equip volunteers for participating in the organization of national and international sporting events also to equip volunteers for assisting people with disabilities in sporting events thus fostering social inclusion, equal opportunities in sport.

On 2nd of December, the final project meeting gathered representatives of all partner countries and started with presentations of implemented results in each partner’s country.

EUSA Institute as one of the partners presented the implemented results and activities that have been organised through this project, such as the promotions and workshops during a youth beach volleyball event in Novo mesto, presentation of the project at the volunteering conference at the European Universities Games in Lodz, the seminar on volunteering held in Ljubljana, as well as various promotional activities done on different occasions.

The meeting has continued with a productive discussion about any difficulties that the project partners have come across in the implementation process, as well as exchanging multiple examples of good practices..
Presentation of Sport Volunteers Guidelines was also done, having representatives of the Association for the Development of Voluntary Work Novo Mesto (DRPDNM) giving the present participants a short recap.

On 3rd of December, the partners met shortly, to discuss the preparation of the final narrative and financial report, as well as the activation and final preparation around the international Sports Volunteer Application, continuing to attend the Multiplier Sport event, organised at Rudeš elementary school sports hall.

At the occasion of the Multiplier Sport Event, representative of the City of Zagreb, Ms Andrea Pinter presented the project and the results, pointing out the importance of volunteers in organising sports events and any other events, inviting all the present people to celebrate and value the work that volunteers do.

In continuation, the project partners and other guests had the chance to enjoy basketball tournament, demonstration of sitting volleyball, done by the Kinesiology students’, Demonstration of sports activities of elderly people and a Competition in 3-point shooting, also involving the spectators.

As this project has come to its conclusion, we can say that the main objectives, such as strengthening the capacity of volunteers to participate in sport events/competitions, while increasing the number of volunteers educated to support sports events/competitions for persons with and without disabilities, promoting volunteering in a specifically sporting context, the opportunity to facilitate accessibility of volunteer services for organizers of sport events by developing an international Sports Volunteer Application and strengthening the capacity of organizers of sports events for recruitment of volunteers and on volunteer management, has been completed with good results and with good experience.
The project is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union, with the City of Zagreb (CRO) coordinating it, supported by partners the Municipality of Almussafes (ESP), Society for the Development of Voluntary Work Novo Mesto (SLO), Institute for Social Innovation and Cohesion (GRE), GEA - Social Cooperative Society (ITA) and the EUSA Institute (SLO). For more information, please see www.eusportvolunteers.com.