Partners

Coordinator of the project YOUTH. SCIENCE. SPORT. HEALTHY MOVEMENT OF UKRAINE is a Ukrainian non-governmental organization that aims to popularize physical activity and various sports. It promotes the principles of a healthy lifestyle, focuses on the formation of national and patriotic values, organizes various charitable, recreational, and scientific events for children, and engages Ukrainian youth in volunteering. The NGO tries to engage children in an active lifestyle, acquire healthy habits, engage in various sports, improve their physical and psychological condition, and benefit Ukrainian society and the sports community. Another goal of the NGO is to create and expand a network of partners both in Ukraine and abroad.

Today, the NGO operates in the Chernivtsi region and conducts various activities for vulnerable categories of Ukrainian children (displaced children and children with special educational needs), potentially providing all kinds of support to children and creating an appropriate educational and psychological environment for their social and psychological adaptation to the new Ukrainian realities in wartime. The organization has signed a Memoranda of Cooperation with the Department of Social Policy and the Department of Education of the Chernivtsi City Council, united territorial communities, and other NGOs in Ukraine.

EUROPEAN SCHOOL SPORTS FEDERATION (Brussels, Belgium). Established in March 2020 and headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, the European School Sports Federation (ESSF) plays a key role in promoting sporting competition and sports education among European youth. The ESSF is not just about organizing sporting events; its mission extends to using sport as a means of education, emphasizing the importance of learning through sport. This approach contributes not only to the physical development but also to the educational and social growth of school-age children. One of the key objectives of the ESSF is to promote the values of the European Union through sport.

By integrating these values into its programs and activities, ESSF helps to instil a sense of unity, teamwork, respect, and cultural understanding among young athletes from different European countries. This aspect of the ESSF’s mission emphasizes the role of sport in bridging cultural and social divides, thereby strengthening the fabric of European unity. In addition, the Federation places a strong emphasis on combining sport with entertainment, making physical activity enjoyable and interesting for children. This strategy is crucial to getting more young people involved in sports, thereby fostering a lifelong love of physical activity and healthy lifestyles. The Federation organizes a variety of sports competitions and developmental games, primarily aimed at participants under the age of 18. These events cover a wide range of sports, including team sports such as basketball, volleyball, and futsal, as well as individual and combat sports. Recognized by the International School Sports Federation (ISF), the ESSF has considerable authority and influence in the field of school sports. The Federation has a broad membership spanning 25 European countries, demonstrating its wide reach and influence on the continent. This diverse membership facilitates a rich cultural exchange and cooperation between young athletes from different European countries.

INSTYTUT ROZWOJU SPORTU I EDUKACJI (WARSAW, Poland). The Institute for the Development of Sport and Education (IRSIE) has been operating since 2011, focusing mainly on education, physical education and culture. Its activities are based on cooperation with non-governmental and higher education organizations, associations, clubs, schools, and universities.

The Foundation is a member of the European Traditional Sports and Games Association (ETSGA)/European Association of Games and Traditional Sports (AEJeST), the International Sports and Culture Association (ISCA), and the World Ethnosport Confederation (WEC). The Foundation cooperates with various universities and organizations in Ukraine and the EU. The Foundation publishes the magazine “Sport and Recreation”. The Foundation’s members are involved in many aspects of culture, sports, tourism, and recreation. Among us, there are people who are experts in sports psychology, communication and media in sports, recreation and sports activities, marketing and management in sports, tangible and intangible heritage, culture, monument restoration, heritage management, and traditional sports. We also have experience working with children, adults, and people with disabilities. The Foundation’s members have project experience. The Foundation has implemented projects with national funds, the Norwegian Foundation, and the Erasmus Plus (Sport) program.

Ukrainian federation of school sports (Kyiv, Ukraine). Ukrainian Federation of School Sports (UFS) The Ukrainian Federation of School Sports (UFS) is a non-profit, non-governmental public organization aimed at developing physical culture and sports, established in 1994. It has been the sole authorized representative of Ukraine and an associate member of the International School Sports Federation since 1996 and the European School Sports Federation since 2022. It has exclusive rights to represent Ukraine in the ISF and ESSF, to organize and conduct national and international events among schoolchildren in Ukraine, to ensure the preparation and participation of Ukrainian schoolchildren in the World Gymnasiums and other international events of the ISF and ESSF. Since 2017, the Federation has been working closely with the Committee on Physical Education and Sports of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine. During this time, we have jointly organized about 400 sports and sport and mass events for students at the national and international level in Ukraine, as well as prepared and participated in 30 international events abroad.

Together with the Committee on Physical Education and Sports of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and sports federations, we ensure the development of school sports in Ukraine by: involving students in physical activity and sports training during extracurricular time; holding and involving students in national sports events and sports competitions; ensuring student participation in international sports events and sports competitions; holding international sports events and sports competitions in Ukraine; initiating new national and international sports events and modern forms of engaging schoolchildren and youth in physical activity. The goal is to spread educational values through sports, to find new effective forms of involving youth in physical activity along with the usual sports competitions. In particular, the USF launched such events in Ukraine as “Cool Games”, “Challenge Fest”, “E-sports Games”, “Combat Games”, “Beach Games”. Two of them – “Cool Games” (introduction of innovative approaches to physical education lessons) and “E-sports Games” (combination of physical and virtual activity) are included in the ISF program along with classical sports.

SUMY STATE PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY NAMED AFTER A.S. MAKARENKO (Sumy, Ukraine) has had experience working with vulnerable groups. The Department of Theory and Methods of Physical Education implements bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in Secondary Education (Physical Education) in full-time and part-time forms of education, provides retraining and advanced training for teachers, as well as PhD programs in Physical Education and Sports. The team of teachers is working on the scientific topic “Theoretical and methodological foundations of general and professional physical education” and has been holding an annual international scientific and practical conference “Modern problems of physical education and sports of different population groups” for 23 years. The faculty includes 2 Doctors of Sciences, 3 Professors, 7 Candidates of Sciences, and Associate Professors. 4 have the title of “Honored Coach of Ukraine in various sports”, 3 – “Honored Worker of Physical Culture and Sports of Ukraine”. The faculty has published 69 articles in publications indexed in the international databases Scopus and Web of Science and 21 scientific monographs. Cooperation within the consortium will foster team spirit, integrate EU experience and best practices into Ukrainian society, and deepen capacity building as a result of the project.