Empowering Ourselves to Empower Youths
(EUPA 2017)

The project, Empower Ourselves to Empower Youths, was carried out under the Erasmus+ KA2 – Cooperation for Innovations and the Exchange of Good Practices Strategic Partnership for youth funding programme.

For the past 2 years, the Malta Judo Federation organised 2 youth exchanges thanks to EU Funds. Judo for Peace in 2014 and Change 4 life through sports in 2016. In 2017 we will be organising Judo - Volunteering and Inclusion which will be held in April during the Autism month. These exchanges also helped us, as an organisation to grow and learn more the needs of others.

During these exchanges, leader from all over Europe showed interest in a project that develops tools to improve the skills of persons who work directly with youth, to engage more effectively with disadvantaged youths and contribute to their development through sports.Sports promotes the well-being of the individual and plays an important social role. It is not only an opportunity for quality leisure time, but it also enables character building of young people by transmitting key values. Sports is now widely recognised as an effective instrument of inclusion, social progress and peaceful conflict resolution.

So 6 countries from over Europe (Malta, Belgium, Italy, Estonia, Denmark and Germany) with the help of MUESAC and EUPA applied for a key action 2 project - Strategic partnership for youth with the title - Empowering ourselves to Empower youths, the aim of this project is to record the best practices and successful stories and build guidelines on engaging disadvantaged youths through sports.

The full guidelines published and printed after this very successful project may be viewed here.