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. This project specific objectives are:
- strengthening the capacity of volunteers to participate in sport events/competitions, therefore, increasing the number of volunteers educated to support sports events/competitions for persons with and without disabilities
- promoting volunteering in a specifically sporting context
- faciliate accessibility of volunteer services for organizers of sport events by developing an international Sports Volunteer Application
- strengthening capacitiy of organizers of sports events for recruitment of volunteers and on volunteer management

The expected results of the project are: 
- Report on the best practices of existing volunteer programs in sports developed by various sports and volunteer organizations in Europe; 
- Developed Educational Modules for Sports Volunteers;
- Developed guidelines for future activities to promote volunteering in sport; 
- Developed volunteer database Sport Volunteer Application
- 250 trained volunteers (50 per project country); 
- 50 sports event organizers educated on volunteer management;
- increased awareness of decision makers and relevant stakeholders about the importance of educated volunteers in sport.

The City of Zagreb is project coordinator, and project partners are 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). Total project value is: 366.715,00 €.

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About Us

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City of Zagreb (Croatia)

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Institute for Social Innovation and Cohesion Fifty-Fifty (Greece)

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GEA – Social Cooperative Society (Italy)

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Municipality of Almussafes (Spain)

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Society for the Development of Voluntary Work Novo Mesto (Slovenia)

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EUSA Institute (Slovenia)

5th Transnational Project Meeting & MSE in Zagreb, Croatia
2-3 December 2022
Here we are, the project is coming to its end, next 31st of December 2022.
Two years, the first with pandemic, the second one full of practical activities and in person meetings.
All partners met in Zagreb for the 5th TPM for two days dedicated to the project and its results.
The first day we were invited to the City of Zagreb Office for Education: all partners presented their results and then we discussed about the implementation of the activities highlighting strengths and weaknesses.
The second day we were invited to the Elementary School “Rudeš” for the second part of our meeting and then we took part to the Multiplier Sport Event organized by the City of Zagreb.
Official speeches, presentation of the project, tournaments, sitting and Paralympic Volley, sport activities for the elders, winner announcement and collective photos: all the ingredients for a successful and inclusive sport event.
Sport, volunteerism, inclusion: through W4CS4S we have approached these very crucial topics. Best practices, Educational Modules, MSE and workshops, to translate theory into practice. 
We still have a long way to go to inclusion, but educating volunteers and sport event organizers in organizing inclusive sport events seems one of the best way to reach the goal.



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5th Transnational Project Meeting & Multiplier sport event in Zagreb, Croatia

WP4 - Workshop CSO Pedro
07 December 2022
GEA Coop Sociale organized the 3rd workshop, this one was dedicated entirely to sport volunteers. It was hosted at the Social Centre Pedro of Padua in the occasion of the St. Mary celebration, GEA was invited to contribute to the debate “Sport and body”, organized by San Precario Sport Club.
San Precario presented the book “I am” written by Filipo Tomasi, a collection of pictures and witnesses of professional gymnasts and the relation with their body.
 Following on this subject Gea presented module 2 of the Sport Volunteer Educational Modules: “Active engagement of people with disabilities”. Sport and body is a wide subject and can be considered from different perspectives. We focussed on the “different body” as it can be perceived and easily stereotyped. Bodies missing limbs, women's bodies with hairy legs, bodies with different colours, bodies too trained and too muscled…
After the presentation of the module we started a very interesting and enriching debate where the people of the audience shared their experiences on body: exclusion, labelling, racism because of different bodies and different choices applied on bodies, far from the present mainstream.
At the end one big question aroused: what can we do? How can we promote inclusion on sport environments and events? Who could be the right counterpart to share these topics with? Volunteers, sport event organizers, athletes, sport associations, public institutions. All of them are part of the process.
We hope words will be followed by facts, this is the right time for a change.


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WP4 - Workshop CSO Pedro

European University Sports Association (EUSA), EUSA Institute and Association for Development of Voluntary Work in Novo Mesto (DRPDNM) organised a seminar on volunteering in sport, held on 23 of November, in the City Hall of Municipality of Ljubljana.

The event was organised within the framework of the international volunteer project Work for a Cause - Serve for Sport (W4C), co-financed by the European Union programme Erasmus+.

The seminar was opened for active participation of representatives of organizations and individuals working in the field of volunteering and sport; as well as for young people experienced in volunteering in sport. The event was intended for everyone who is interested in the topic and wants to learn more about the activities and volunteer opportunities.

**Participants in the seminar of volunteering in sport**

Moderated by EUSA Communications Officer Ms Hristina Hristova, the seminar started with a welcoming speech of Mr Dejan Crnek, Deputy Mayor of the City of Ljubljana, who highlighted the importance and the diversity that volunteering offers, stating that the city of Ljubljana is promoting and supporting volunteering in sport, for a long period of time.

Following the opening words of the Deputy Mayor, Mr Matjaz Pečovnik Secretary General of EUSA, thanked the municipality of Ljubljana for the great and long collaboration and support that EUSA receives throughout the years, while highlighting the importance of volunteering for EUSA and for all sports events that EUSA organises.

Mr Matjaz Pecovnik with Mr Dejan Crnek

First of the guest speakers, sharing the experience related to volunteering in sport, was Mr Andrej Pisl, EUSA Communications and Project Manager, who spoke about the types of volunteering opportunities EUSA has, why volunteering is so important for the organisation, while highlighting the important steps that are done and needed to be done in the future to promote and empower volunteering in sport, even more.

Mr Andrej Pisl, volunteering in university sport

Next to speak about the project Work for cause - serve for sport, was Ms Tjasa Kozjan, Project Manager at the Association for Development of Voluntary Work in Novo Mesto. Ms Kozjan shared details about the project itself, the activities done in the frame of the project, the outcomes, goals and future foreseen results.

Ms Tjasa Kozjan, Work for cause - serve for sport

Presenting in detail, the organisational plan for the European Youth Olympic Festival, that will take place in Maribor from 22-29 of July, 2023, was Ms Katja Zizek, responsible for coordinaton of the volunteers. She shared details about this volunteering opportunity, inviting all interested to take part in it.

Ms Katja Zizek, EYO Festival

Mr Ivo Tomc, shared his recent working experience as coordinator and mentor of the volunteers engaged in the EHF European Handball Women’s Championship 2022, that partly took place in Slovenia,. He pointed out varous organizational and technical aspects of the work with volunteers, participating in such a big international sport event.

Mr Ivo Tomc, volunteering on international sport events

As part of the guest speakers was also Ms Tjasa Slatic, sharing her personal, extensive experience as volunteer in multiple national and international sports event in Slovenia and abroad. Ms Slatic stated that volunteering is much more than a short-term work, it’s a source of many friendships, knowledge, experience and future opportunities.

Ms Tjasa Slatic, personal volunteering in sport experience The seminar was wrapped up with Q&A session, discussing possible future collaborations and actions of support and promotion

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Seminar on volunteering in sport in Ljubljana

On 3rd December 2022 the City of Zagreb will host the Multiplier Sport Event in the Elementary School “Rudeš”, Jablanska Street 51. The event is part of the project Work for a Cause, Serve for Sport, co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union. The Multiplier Sport Event includes a basketball tournament, a demonstration of sports for disabled persons – sitting volleyball, as well as the final project conference on volunteering.

During the final project conference on volunteering there will be a presentation of project results from &quot;Work for a Cause, Serve for Sport&quot; and the developed mobile application &quot;Sport volunteers&quot; as
well as the manual &quot;Guideline Sport Volunteers&quot;. The conference will be attended by sport event participants, visitors and volunteers, as well as project partners from the Municipality of Almussafes (ESP), Institute for Social Innovation and Cohesion (GRE), GEA - Social Cooperative Society (ITA), Society for the Development of Voluntary Work Novo Mesto (SLO), the EUSA Institute (SLO) and the City of Zagreb (HR) who is the project&#39;s coordinator.

We are proud to invite you to join this sports event and to celebrate with us the successful completion of this highly valuable project.

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Multiplier Sport Event

The athletic arena of the Mladost Sports Park in Zagreb on 16th October hosted the 2nd International Para Athletic Meeting Zagreb Open 2022, which was attended by 110 para athletes from 8 European countries, including Croatia&#39;s top para athletes. Croatian para athletes set a total of 11 state records - 4 in the women&#39;s category, 7 in the men&#39;s category.

The Zagreb Open is the first and currently also the only international sports event of this kind in Croatia. This year it gathered participants from numerous countries as it enables them to achieve
norms relevant for the qualification for the World Para Athletics Championships that will be held in Paris in 2023, and for the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris.

Finally, the Para Athletic Meeting was organized perfectly - thanks go to people involved in organization, as well as participants and spectators. We are particularly proud of and grateful for the
valuable active engagement of our numerous sports volunteers. Most of them have recently participated in the workshop for volunteers – organized by our project Work for a Cause, Serve for Sport in June.

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International Para Athletic Championships Zagreb Open 2022

Partners of the Erasmus+ project Work for a Cause, Serve for Sport (W4C-S4S) met online on October 25, reviewing project materials and resources, and focusing on the preparation for the project final conference on volunteering, which will be held in Croatian capital on December 3, 2022.

Within the project, the partners in Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, Spain, and Greece in the first phase reviewed the legal and practical situation and practices on volunteering. In the second, education material, with guidelines for organizations and volunteers have been prepared. Special attention was also given to events for people with disabilities.

Apart from the educational aspect, partners also facilitated in promotion of volunteering and enabled practical activities and opportunities to the volunteers in the field of sport. The project’s legacy will also be an application through which the event organizers and interested volunteers will be able to get in contact and apply.

W4C-S4S is coordinated by the City of Zagreb (CRO), partnering with the Municipality of Almussafes (ESP), Institute for Social Innovation and Cohesion (GRE), GEA - Social Cooperative Society (ITA), Society for the Development of Voluntary Work Novo Mesto (SLO) and the EUSA Institute (SLO). The two-year project is concluding end of 2022, and is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.

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W4C-S4S partners meet before the final volunteering conference

This weekend on 1 st October 2022 the Zagreb Marathon took place for the 30 th time. The race managed to gather 4000 runners from all age categories and 25 countries of the world, which makes this one of the more important sports events of the City of Zagreb. Both start and finish line of the marathon were located at Zagreb City’s main square Trg Bana Josipa Jelačića, whereas the race entailed a Garmin 10 K, a half marathon, a marathon, a relay and a kids race that opened the event.

The whole sports event was organized flawlessly and many thanks go to countless people making it happen as well as all racers and spectators for their contribution. Particularly valuable was the active engagement of around 60 sports volunteers, many of whom had previously actively participated in the workshops for volunteers – a fact that fills us with pride and great gratitude.

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Multiplier Sport Event’s volunteers at the Zagreb Marathon

On July 3 2022, in the frame of the W4CS4S project, GEA Cooperativa Sociale organized a Multiplier Sport Event (MSE) in cooperation with the Sherwood Festival of Padua and the Polisportiva San Precario.

**The Festival and the Sport Association**

The Sherwood Festival is a completely independent music and cultural festival that has been held in Padua since the early 1990s, in the historic location of the North of the Euganeo Stadium. The best artists from the national and international scene perform on its two stages, with a focus on the independent scene. But the festival is not just music. In-depth meetings dedicated to social and political issues, book presentations and sports events make this place, which is born and lives for one month a year in a car park, a special place. The festival is possible thanks to the commitment, passion and the collective collaboration of hundreds of activists from the Social Spaces of the North-East, cultural, sporting and social volunteer associations, and the dozens of people who each year answer the call to participate in the success of the festival. Polisportiva San Precario was founded in 2007 with the dream of imagining a sport for all in our territories. It is a bet, a challenge aimed at overturning the official horizon of sport, where the only imperative (as in life) is to win by any means.
They say: *"We believe it is possible to build a different way of experiencing sport. The benchmarks
for playing and winning are respect for the opponent, fairness, and the fight against all
discrimination. It is difficult to fight daily against laws and rules that want to regulate the desire to
have fun, to compete, to feel good about oneself and others. It is certainly difficult, but we want to
try anyway."*;

**The project**

Work for a cause, serve for sport is a 2019 Erasmus+ Sport Collaborative Partnership whose lead partner is the City of Zagreb. The main objective of the project is to strengthen tools and relationships available to volunteers and volunteer organisations. It also promotes participation in the organisation of national and international sport events, with a focus on the issue of inclusiveness of people with disabilities in sport events, promoting inclusion and equal opportunities in sport.

[https://www.eusportvolunteers.com/](https://www.eusportvolunteers.com/)

**The Multiplier Sport Event**

Focus of the event were the following topics:
- How to include para-sports disciplines in a structural manner within the grassroots sports fabric;
- How to push institutional and federal bodies to support increasingly widespread para- sports practice;
- To know, value and spread the para-sport world; to analyse stimuli, perspectives and barriers from the cultural point of view, to that of accessibility to practices and facilities.

At the centre of the evening were the experiences of the sport we love most. The sport that unites and generates value. The sport of all and for all.

**Our guests and speakers**

- **Marco Visentin** Padua Mixed Ability Rugby Facilitator
- **Ricardo Bego** Padua Mixed Ability Rugby Player
- **Davide Brotto** Founder and Sports Director of the CUS Padua Wheelchair Basketball Team
- **Alice Bruni** GEA Coop Sociale, Project Partner

And, we had the video contribution of:
- **Eva Ceccatelli** Paralympic captain of the national sitting volleyball team, who opened a window that is often ajar on Paralympic sport, in particular sitting volleyball, emphasising how even today in the organisation of sporting events these sports are often marginalised and not placed alongside the sports we all know.

A total of 35 people directly participated in the event, not counting indirect participants in the festival.


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MSE Report of GEA

Multiplier event in Novo mesto, Slovenia5 - Awareness raising conference On Sunday, 19th June, DRPDNM with help of EUSA implemented multiplier event in Novo Mesto,Slovenia within which we promoted volunteerism in sport as general goal of the project. We addressed members of sport and civil society organisations, members of volunteer organisations,educational institutions, local and national decision makers, as well as wider public.

Initially an event should take place in Ljubljana but, since The event was implemented in open space, on volleyball court area where young volunteers withhelp of local sport association prepared volleyball competition for some 50 local children and youngsters and their parents which ended up with volley ballgame of national woman volley team.

DRPDNM and EUSA teams have been addressing volunteers and young potential volunteers by talking to them about the importance of volunteering and the competencies and benefits to be gained during such activities. We have also been distributing the promotional materials to the children and youth. There have been also some foreign participants at the event, which means we disseminated goals and results of the project internationally.

Nevertheless, this Sunday has been very sport oriented day in Novo mesto, since the national cycling tour had finished up in Novo mesto which means many local and national people have been engaged in volunteering in the preparation of sports events. As we walked around the town,we have been distributing promotional material to youngsters to address the importance in volunteering especially in preparation of such sports events.

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Multiplier sport event Slovenia

The Municipality of Almussafes organised a Multiplier sport event on June 25, 2022 in which the project ''Work for a cause, serve for sport'' was presented.

The days before the sport event, meetings were held to discuss the importance of volunteering for sport, as well as the importance of a good organisation of sport events. Experts in the field of sport, youth and volunteering of the Municipality of Almussafes and the 50 volunteers who participated in the sporting event on the 25th of June took part in the meeting.

On Saturday 25th the 50 volunteers were involved in the 10K walk around Almussafes in which peoplewith and without disabilities participated.

From this project, Almussafes will continue to work to recognise the work of volunteers, motivate people to train to be sports volunteers, as well as to count on them for all sporting events that are held.

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Multiplier sport event Municipality of Almussafes, Spain

As part of the EU project &quot;Work for a cause, serve for sport&quot; the mobile application Volunteers in
Sport is being developed. This application will connect the base of volunteers, those who want to
volunteer at sports events, competitions and tournaments with companies, organizations and
associations that organize sports events. The mobile application will be used in the project partner
countries: Spain, Italy, Slovenia, Greece and Croatia, and volunteers will be able to work at sports
events in all mentioned countries.

An international meeting of all partners was held in Thessaloniki, Greece, on July 5 and 6, 2022,
where the aforementioned application was presented. The partners were very satisfied with the
presented prototype of the application and, with some upgrades, it is expected that the application
will come to life latest in October 2022. The initial base of volunteers immediately enrolled in the
application are the participants from the educational workshops recently held in Zagreb on the topics
of Sports events - logistic support, Sports assistants for people with disabilities and Volunteer
management.

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Mobile Application

The City of Zagreb, as the lead partner of the project "Work for a cause, serve for sport", organized a Multiplier sport event on June 4 and 5, 2022, as part of which a conference was held to raise awareness on the importance of promoting volunteering for sport. The event also included a round table on the importance and role of volunteers in organizing sports events.
 
The two-day event, held at the Cultural Information Center in Zagreb, was opened by sports journalist Filip Brkić, and the participants were addressed by Andrea Pintar, head of "Work for a reason, serve for sport", Andrej Pisl, representative of the project partner from Slovenia - European University Sport Association and Milan Pavelić, Assistant Head of Sports and Youth in the City Office for Education, Sports and Youth.
 
The end of the conference for all applicants was followed by training of volunteers and organizers in various areas of volunteering in sports. The workshops were attended by a total of 60 volunteers and representatives of the organizers who had the opportunity to listen to three modules on sports volunteering - Sports Events - Logistics Support, Sports Assistants for People with Disabilities and Volunteer Management. Educational modules were presented by experts in the field of sports and volunteering, Tomislav Paripović and Ana Veočić and Ivana Aničić and Maida Arslanagić who participated intensively in their development.
 
On the second day of the Multiplier sport event, a round table was held focusing on organizers of sports events and how thei might improve volunteer management and implementation of volunteer programs. The workshop was attended by representatives of the Ministry, sports associations of clubs and associations, University of Zagreb and volunteers.
 
Some of the conclusions of the round table were the need to promote volunteering in sports, especially in sports for people with disabilities, improve volunteer management and further education of sports organizations, enact a legislative framework for volunteers in sports, further develope sports volunteers and establish a base of volunteer programs at universities.


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Mulitplier Sport Event - City of Zagreb

Last week, the second on-site transnational meeting of the European W4C-S4S sports volunteering project took place in the city of Thessaloniki (Greece). The second largest city in Greece, specifically the Fifty-fifty entity, hosted the partners that are part of this project such as: the City of Zagreb (Croatia), DRPDNM (Slovenia), Municipality of Almussafes (Spain), EUSA (Slovenia) and GEA (Italy).

The meeting place was in the meeting room of the Greek entity Fifty-Fifty. The agenda was distributed to meet on July 6 and 7. After a warm welcome from the partners, the educational modules for volunteers were presented, discussed and modifications were made as deemed appropriate. In addition, there was an exchange of experiences among all the partners about the multiplier sports events held, as well as round tables. Later, the entity GEA (Italy) made a presentation of WP4 Capacity building activities. To conclude, Zagreb presented the mobile application that has been developed for this project. A very intuitive application that will be useful both for entities looking for volunteers, as well as for people who want to volunteer in sporting events.

At the end of the meeting, possible doubts were discussed, as well as the mid-term justification and a reflection on the progress of the project so far.

In addition, the next and last date of the transnational meeting was set for December 2022 in the City of Zagreb. The meeting was attended by representatives of the entities, as well as by volunteers interested in this project. In summary, the meeting was very satisfactory to continue advancing in this Erasmus+ project.

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The 4TPM event for the Erasmus+

You love helping others? You love sports? Then the free workshops for volunteers at sporting
events is just the right thing for you!

City of Zagreb will host the Multiplier Sport Event on 4th and 5th June (KIC - Kulturno
informativni centar, Preradovićeva 5).

The event includes a public presentation of the project Work for a Cause, Serve for Sport,
with special focus on the app “Sport volunteer base”, a tool that will boost involvement of
volunteers in sport events across Europe.

At the heart of the event are hands-on workshops for (prospective) volunteers and sport event
organizers, as well as a round table on „Supporting organizers of sport events in upgrading
volunteer-management and implementation of volunteer-programs“. The roundtable will
benefit from the active participation of top figures from relevant volunteering and sports
institutions, whereas the whole event will be moderated by sports journalist Filip Brkić and
supported by several elite athletes.

We will improve the capacity of (prospective) volunteers to participate in and support
sporting events. The training provides insights on the organisation of sports competitions,
educates about sports assistance for people with disabilities and introduces to volunteer
management.

Food and a gift package are provided for all volunteers include in workshops.

Also all participants and volunteers joining the workshops will be awarded certificates.

Time of the event on June 4, 2022: from 09:00 to 15:30.
Time of the event on June 5, 2022: from 09:15 to 13:00.

Workshop participation is free of charge, but only limited spaces are available (60 in total). 

Learn new skills, make new friendships and become an educated sports volunteer!

Fill in the application true contact form and join in!

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Announcement Multiplier sport event – City of Zagreb

The 3TPM event for the Erasmus+ project on sports volunteering has been held in
Almussafes on the 3rd and 4th of March.

Nine professionals from the partner organisations participating in the Erasmus+ project ‘’W4C-S4S: Work for a cause, serve for sport’’, met in Almussafes to hold the first face-to-face meeting during the development of this project. Some of the partners assisted online to the meeting.

The project is lead by the City of Zagreb (CRO), which counts also with the participation of 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). The two-year project is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.

The meeting agenda was fully packed for both working days. The two-day meeting started with welcome speeches by the host partner city delegation, which was presented by the Mayor of Almusaffes Mr Toni González and the councillor Mrs Davínia Calatayud, followed by the presentations of each partner organization.

The partners were working on three main lines during these two days. Firstly, partners discussed the results of the survey launched in November 2021 Best Practices Report (IO1) and they finalized some of its details. Moreover, partners started to work on the development of the Sport Volunteer Educational Modules established as the Work Package 3 of this project. They will be working on these Modules in the upcoming weeks and it will be presented forthcoming for the general public.
In addition they went through the objectives and tasks that every partner organisation have to follow for the Communication Plan established on the WP6 of the Project and lead by the Municipality of Almussafes (Spain).

The second day was mainly focused on the project management and the future steps of the project. The President of Almussafes’ Tennis Club, Mr Miguel Ribes, presented a good practice related wth the National Wheelchair Tennis Championship, which is held every year at the sports facilities of Almussafes Town Hall.
Participants also had the opportunity to visit the sport centre with a guide tour organised by Almussafes municipal members. Partners could learn also about the city itself.

This Erasmus+ project is intented to train and promote the participation of volunteers through the organisation of national and trasnational sporting events to promote the social inclusion and equal opportunities for those people with dysfunctional capacities.

The intention of every partner organisation is to continue to meet face-to-face in all the different cities where are located partners of this European consortium as well as to provide training for volunteers in sports and make dissemination of their planned activities.





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The 3TPM event for the Erasmus+

Partners of the Erasmus+ project Work for a Cause, Serve for Sport (W4C-S4SPORT) met online on January 21, discussing the project findings so far, and planning ahead.

After launching an international survey on volunteering in November last year, preliminary analysis of the responses is being done, as well as gathering good practice examples of volunteering in sport across the partner countries, and reviewing the legislation and practical arrangements in the field.

Partners are now defining the educational content of the programme, which will be made publicly available.

The main goal of the 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.

The project is lead by the City of Zagreb (CRO), partnering with 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). The two-year project is funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.

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Online meeting with partners of the project W4C-S4SPORT

The City of Zagreb - coordinator of the European project on volunteers in sport "Work for a cause, serve for sport" held a working meeting with representatives of local partners with whom he signed a Cooperation Agreement.
 
The topic of the meeting was international research on volunteering in sport, attended by representatives Sports Association of the City of Zagreb, Zagreb Sports Association of Persons with Disabilities, School Sports Organization of the City of Zagreb, Zagreb University Sports Association, Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Zagreb and Volunteer Center Zagreb.
 
Based on the research, which was launched in all partner countries, a report on best practices of existing volunteer programs in sports developed by various sports and volunteer organizations in Europe will be prepared. The report will be the backbone for the development of educational modules for the purpose of training and educating volunteers to participate in the organization of national and international sports events for people with and without disabilities.
 
In addition to the development of educational modules, during the project, capacity building activities will be held by holding various workshops and round tables, and a manual and guidelines on volunteers for sports will be developed.
 
All trained and educated volunteers will be part of the developed application - Sports Volunteer Base, which will contribute to better and more efficient implementation of sports events and finding and participating volunteers from all over Europe.


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The City of Zagreb held a working meeting with local partners

*Photo: Freepik*

As part of the transnational project Work for a Cause, Serve for Sport (W4C-S4S), an international survey on volunteering has been launched today, symbolically marking a month to go until the International Volunteer Day, celebrated annually on December 5.


The main goal of the W4C 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.

The survey is available in English, as well as in other languages of partner organisations (Italian, Spanish, Greek, Croatian, Slovenian, Valencian), and can be answered by any volunteer and any organisation/institution who is engaged in organising sports events.
 
If you represent an [organisation](https://1ka.arnes.si/w4c-organisations), please fill out the survey here: [https://1ka.arnes.si/w4c-organisations](https://1ka.arnes.si/w4c-organisations)

If you are an individual [volunteer](https://1ka.arnes.si/w4c-volunteers), please fill out this survey: [https://1ka.arnes.si/w4c-volunteers](https://1ka.arnes.si/w4c-volunteers)

The W4C project is coordinated by the City of Zagreb (CRO) and its partners are 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). The two-year project is funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.

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International survey on volunteering launched

Coordinator of transnational project Work for a cause, serve for sport City of Zagreb and partners from
Slovenia, Italy, Spain and Greece met online on October 5, also symbolically marking 2 months to go
until the International Volunteer Day, celebrated annually on December 5.

At the moment, project team prepares the analysis of the current state in partner countries about the
number of volunteers and their roles in the organization of sport events and the needs and conditions
of sport clubs and sports organization in the engagement of volunteers in sports competitions.
The analysis will be used for preparing Best Practice Research Report, a main tool for creating of
Sport Volunteer Educational Modules.

Project is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union with a budget of 354.715,00
€. The project started on January 2020 and will be running until December 2022.

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W4C-S4SPORT partners meet to enhance volunteering in sport

Photo: European Commission

The seventh edition of the European Week of Sport will take place from 23rd-30th September 2021. This year's theme highlights the power of physical activity to bring joy, build resilience and connect generations.

For six years, the European Week of Sport has helped tackle the inactivity crisis by encouraging Europeans to embrace a healthy and active lifestyle.
Launched in 2015, the European Week of Sport was created in response to the worsening inactivity crisis. Despite sport and physical activity substantially contributing to the well-being of European citizens, the level of physical activity is currently stagnating and even declining in some countries.

The Week is for everyone – regardless of age, background or fitness level – and helps individuals, public authorities, the sport movement, civil society organisations and the private sector collaborate in the field of sport.

The European Week of Sport is a European Commission-led initiative that is largely decentralised, taking place across Europe. The Week involves close collaboration with the national coordinators and many different partners who are firmly committed to supporting its goals. The initiative structures a wide range of activities – at the European, national, regional and local levels – around the themes of Education, Workplace, Outdoors, Sport clubs and Fitness centres.
The Week is designed to give people across the world a springboard into being active.



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European Week of Sport 2021

*Photo: Freepik*

The need for more volunteers across all areas of sport event operations requires greater sophistication in the way that volunteers are recruited, managed and retained. Limiting volunteer turnover can spare event organisers and organisations  the effort, time and financial resources required to continually recruit and train staff. Instead, these resources can be invested into the achievement of other organisational objectives. To increase volunteer participation and involvement, it is important to consider:
 
1. Volunteer motivations.
2. Volunteer satisfaction.
 
## Focus on motivations
 
Recruitment and retention of volunteers is more effective when event organisers focus on multiple volunteer motivations. This approach is particularly useful when designing persuasive communications, assigning volunteer tasks and structuring experiences to specific volunteers.
 
For example, to recruit volunteers who are highly motivated by social opportunities and career advancement, event organisers could use volunteer promotional brochures that highlight the people one can meet while volunteering (especially those who could advance the volunteer’s career). To retain these volunteers, event organisers could design training sessions that are conducted in a group setting and team-oriented tasks. 
 
## Focus on volunteer satisfaction
 
Job satisfaction has been linked to decreased turnover and increased commitment to organisations. Therefore, volunteers are more likely to want to return to assist the organisation and volunteer again if the experience has been a satisfying one. With fewer people volunteering and the increased demand for volunteers, retaining motivated and skilled event volunteers is critical. Volunteer co-ordinators must determine how best to satisfy volunteers (i.e. fulfil volunteers’ needs) to retain their services. Furthermore, volunteer satisfaction is not only important for retention purposes, it is also important to recruit volunteers because satisfied volunteers are more likely to recruit other volunteers to assist the organisation (e.g. family and friends).
 
So, what specific features should be included in a volunteer programme to increase the satisfaction experienced by sport event volunteers?
 
Some volunteer programme features have the capacity to satisfy or disappoint volunteers such as whether there is good communication in the organisation, volunteer input is valued by the organisation and volunteers are provided with clear direction.
 
Higher levels of these features can lead to increased satisfaction while lower levels can lead to dissatisfaction. For example, the more volunteers feel like their input is valued by the organisation, the more satisfied they will be. On the other hand, if they do not feel that input is valued by the organisation they will be dissatisfied.
 
Because these elements are potential sources of dissatisfaction, event organisers must pre-plan ways to manage communication processes, recognition schemes and job processes. They should:
 
1. Design effective communication processes (e.g. user-friendly communication tools and methods).
2. Consider the best way to recognise volunteer input and contribution during- and post-event.
3. Examine innovative ways to provide volunteers with clear direction on their roles and job tasks.
 
Other volunteer programme features can only increase satisfaction (they can never lead to dissatisfaction). For example, the more volunteers feel a sense of belonging in the organisation, or feel they learn new skills, the more they will be satisfied. However, if they do not feel a sense of belonging in the organisation or do not feel they have learned new skills, they will feel dissatisfied.

## Designing a sport event volunteer programme
 
A successful Sport Event Volunteer Programme requires a certain amount of tweaking of traditional human resource management approaches (including recruitment, selection, orientation, training, development, performance management, recognition and reward processes) to effectively meet:
1. the needs and interests of sport event volunteers and
2. the strategic and operational contexts of particular sport events.
 
The way that sport event volunteers are managed has a direct bearing on their level of satisfaction. Therefore, event organisers need to devote effort to those aspects of the volunteer experience that will directly impact on volunteer satisfaction and the likelihood of volunteers returning for subsequent events. In summary, the success of most sport events relies on three main areas or the ‘Three Strategies For Success’:
1. Focus on the individual.
2. Communication is  key.
3. Encourage volunteers to engage with leaders of the event.
 
## Three strategies for success
 
*Strategy 1: Focus on the individual*
Attracting and recruiting volunteers and supporting and training them should focus on individual values, motivations and contributions so that volunteers are personally satisfied with their participation and experiences. How can this be done?
 
*Strategy 2: Communication*
Communication is key. Ensure that your communication processes are well-designed.
 
Communication between event organisers and volunteers and between individual volunteers is both important and necessary to run a successful event. Effective communication ensures that everyone has access to important information and services when required. This helps to provide volunteers with clear directions about their role and an understanding of how they fit within the organisation. Communication can fall into three main areas:
- Pre-event.
- During event.
- Post event.
 
*Pre-event communications*
This includes communication between the event organisers and the volunteers about the event, the organisation and the individual’s job role and tasks. 
 
*During-event communications*
Communication between event organisers and volunteers and between individual volunteers or groups of volunteers helps to facilitate control of the event. The more sophisticated the communication methods (e.g. phone, personal visits, internet, pagers, two-way radio), the easier the communication process is. During the event it is also important to invest time in debriefing volunteers on issues associated with their roles and the support provided to them.
 
*Post-event communications*
Post-event functions present an opportunity to conduct debriefing sessions to gather feedback from volunteers regarding event operations and the support provided to them. It is also important to recognise and acknowledge individual volunteer contributions, especially to the achievement of milestones.
 
Interaction between volunteers and the leaders of the organisation is critical. Leaders are an important source of inspiration and motivation for volunteers and are the key to promoting a sense of camaraderie, teamwork and commitment to the event purpose.

 
(Source: [https://www.aspetar.com/journal/viewarticle.aspx?id=30#.YN7BNOgzaM9](https://www.aspetar.com/journal/viewarticle.aspx?id=30#.YN7BNOgzaM9))


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Strategies for increasing volunteer participation and involvement

The new Erasmus programme 2021-2027 has been launched. The programme’s budget is €26.2 billion, compared with €14.7 billion for 2014-2020. This will be complemented by about €2.2 billion from the EU’s external instruments.

With this increased budget, Erasmus+ will be more inclusive, more digital, and more green. It will also include DiscoverEU which offers 18 year-olds the possibility to get a European rail pass to travel, learn from other cultures and meet fellow Europeans.

[Read more about the new features of the programme
](https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/resources/programme-guide)

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Erasmus+ 2021-2027 programme

## Transnational project mettings

- **1st Transnational project meeting** - Zagreb, Croatia, March 2021
The first trasnational meeting wes held online on the platform Teams. After the initial presentation all the project partners, project coordinator – the City Office for Sports and Youth presented the the project aims and objectives, the project activities and envisaged outputs. Also, the content and the methods of the research for Best Practice Research report was disscussed. All participants were asked to fill the eveluation questionnaire and the feedback will be used to improve future joint events.  

- **2nd Transnational project meeting** – Ljubljana, Slovenia, September 2021
We will present analysis of the survey and Best Practices Research Report.

- **3rd Transnational project meeting** – Almussafes, Spain, January 2022
Project team will evaluate the project progress and deliver activities until the moment, analyse the best approach to implementing next project steps and find ways to solve present challenges.

- **4 Transnational project meeting **– Thessaloniki, Greece, April 2022
The expert group in charge of preparation of modules will present Educational Modules for volunteers related to event management, logistics, facility (indoor and outdoor venue) and organization of sport event (for disabled and non-disabled sports).

- **5th Transnational project meeting** -  Zagreb, Croatia, December 2022 
We will organize final conference to present project results. After the local discussions with all stakeholders in the partner countries, we will organize an international meeting for the project management team in order to present the results together and to analyze the future possibilities the consortium have to continue working on the topic. 

## Multiplier sport events

Event's title and type: Awareness raising conference
Start and end date: 1.5.2022. – 30.6.2022.
Venue: Zagreb (Croatia), Thessaloniki (Greece), Padua (Italy), Almussafes (Spain), Ljubljana (Slovenia)
Participating organisations: Sport nad Civil society organisations, Volunteer organisations, Educational institutions (secondary nad tertiary), local and national decision makers, Wide public
Event description: Presenting project activities and objectives to the target groups in order to promote new educational modules for volunteers and organizers of sport events. Targeting all relevant stakeholders – local and national government, CSO's (civil society organizations), health institutions, sport associations. Best Practice Research Report will be presented as well as the New Sport Volunteer Educational Modules. Besides, during the workshops and Multiplier sport events, all participants will be familiarized with new developed Sport Volunteer Application, which will done in form of demonstration of app and its features and advantages.


Transnational meetings and Multiplier sport events

## Best Practice Research Report
The analysis of the current state in partner countries about the number of volunteers and their roles in the organization of sport events (both for disabled and non-disabled sport) will be conducted. Besides, the analysis of the needs and conditions of sports clubs and sports organizations in the engagement of volunteers in sports competitions will be also done. Best Practice Research Report will be used as a main tool for creating of Sport Volunteer Educational Modules.

##Sport Volunteer Educational Modules
Expert group will develop a new educational modules for volunteers and organizers of sport events. This educational modules will allow its implementation for various sports events (both non-disabled and disabled sports), regarding the event organizers preferences. It will enable responsible persons of sport event organizer to educate volunteers regarding the organization needs The expert group members will agree and develop new educational modules that on a later stage will be delivered to the volunteers and sport event organizers in project partner countries. They will also prepare an educational module for organizers of sport events/competitions such as sports organizations (from small clubs to large associations and federations), civil society organizations and local government on Volunteer Management and recruiting of volunteers.
Modules will be consisted of: 

### Module 1: Sport Events – logistics support for the organization of sports competitions
This module will cover a wide range of jobs and activities for volunteers that serve as a tool to help organize the sports competition/events. It is important to emphasize that a model of this kind of logistic support can be used in any sports competition. 

### Module 2: Sport assistants for persons with disabilities
Within this module, we will educate volunteers to become sport assistants for persons with disabilities. 
Module will be focused:
- In-depth overview of the different types of physical and/or and mental disabilities. This will give new volunteers insight into the way persons with disabilities function and how each disability has its own set of unique characteristics.
- It will focus on scenarios of specific situations that can occur during program and appropriate solutions for addressing them.


### Module 3: Volunteer Management - educational module for sport event organizers
Volunteer management is only one part of major sport event management, and the focus tends to be on determining at the outset where volunteers are needed and how many are required, then recruiting, training, and managing those volunteers to ensure the event is a success. Module will be focused on: finding and recruiting volunteers; animations; selection criteria; volunteer education; descriptions of volunteer teams; descriptions of volunteer positions; volunteer involvement; test events; coordination before and during sport event/competition.

## Sport Volunteer Guidelines
The sustainability of the project at policy level will be ensured through guidelines for future activities to promote volunteering in sport. The focus will be on the measures aimed at increasing the level of participation of volunteers in sport events as well as presenting high quality educational materials for volunteers and educational material on Volunteer Managemen for organizers of sport events, which will be of high use for all organizations working with volunteers. This should help decision makers at national, regional and local levels to develop promotion policies and to initiate related efficient international projects in the future, even on a larger. The Guidelines will consist of description of overall project activities, Basic Research report, Sport Volunteers Educational Modules, report on implementation and recommendations for decision makers.



 Best Practices Research Report.pdf

 ENG_Sport Volunteer Educational Modules.pdf

 Sport Volunteer Guidelines .pdf

Intelectual outputs

The City Office for Sports and Youth on the online platform Teams held the first transnational meeting within the project „Work for a cause, serve for sport“, co-financed by the European Union Erasmus+ program, the area of Sports.

After the initial presentation of the countries participating in the project, the project coordinator – the City Office for Sports and Youth presented the main and specific goals and activities that will implemented over the next two years.

Some of the most important project activities will be research on volunteer activities in the field of sports, development of three types of educational modules for training and preparation of a large number of volunteers to participate in sport events, development of guidelines and manuals for volunteering in sports and development of sports volunteer base with all the necessary information about educated volunteers in sports.

The goal of this project is to educate and equip volunteers for participating in 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.

The  project partners are 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).




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The 1st transnational meeting

Become a Sport volunteer!

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Multiplier Sport Event

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