Kick-off meeting for the ESSEPA project
On Monday, 26 January 2026, all ten partner organisations of the ESSEPA project (European Sport Safeguarding Education and Promotion Action) gathered in Ljubljana for the first in-person meeting.
ESSEPA is a project co-funded by the European Union that aims to strengthen safeguarding in university sport through the development of an innovative online education and certification platform.
The kick-off meeting was hosted by EUSA at the Rectorate of the University of Ljubljana. Throughout the day, partners had the opportunity to get to know each other’s activities, share expertise from their respective fields, and jointly plan the next steps for the project’s two-year duration.
The consortium brings together a wide range of stakeholders, led by EUSA Institute, and includes the University of Zagreb, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University of Hamburg, the European Fair Play Movement, CUS Salerno, Dspot, the Albanian University Sport Federation, the Portuguese University Sport Federation, and the University Sport Association of Liechtenstein.
The project is designed to address growing concerns around athlete welfare, safety, and protection by developing an innovative and accessible online education and certification platform. This platform will combine research findings, policy recommendations, and practical tools to support organisations, coaches, and stakeholders in creating safer and more inclusive sport environments.
The kick-off meeting served as an important starting point for collaboration. Partners presented their organisations, shared their expertise, and outlined their roles within the project. This exchange established a clear understanding of the consortium’s strengths and ensured alignment on objectives, structure, and expected outcomes.
Following discussions on the project’s structure, participants were invited to take part in a thematic seminar on safeguarding, aimed at initiating reflection and providing a broader context. Professor David Gosar from the University of Ljubljana presented recent research findings on youth mental health, drawing on studies conducted in recent years.
This was followed by a presentation from Andreja Leskovsek McQuarrie of the Slovenian Olympic Committee, who shared key results from the BESST project (“Building European Safe Sport Together”), also funded by the European Commission. These insights will allow the ESSEPA consortium to build on existing expertise and further develop its approach to safeguarding.
Finally, Mojca Doupona from the University of Ljubljana presented the outcomes of the VOICE project, in which EUSA was a partner, focusing on combating sexual violence in European sport through the voices of those affected. The seminar concluded with contibution by Mojca Rupert, from the Department of Extracurricular Activities at the University of Ljubljana, who also briefly introduced the institution.
The final session of the meeting focused on discussing work plans, responsibilities, and deliverables, ensuring a shared understanding of the scope and outlines of the project moving forward.
ESSEPA project is Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.