ENGSO Youth Committee meets with National Olympic and Sports Association of Iceland and National Youth Council of Iceland
From December 20 to 22, 2024, the ENGSO Youth Committee gathered in Reykjavik, Iceland, for its final meeting of the year. The gathering provided a valuable opportunity to strengthen ties with ENGSO member, the National Olympic and Sports Association of Iceland, and to meet and engage with the National Youth Council of Iceland.
ENGSO Youth Chair Ugnė Chmeliauskaitė, Vice Chair Erik van Haaren, and members Luca Wernert and Valentin Doupona attended the meeting in person, while Saga Yli-Hannuksela participated online.
Andri Stefansson, the Secretary General of the National Olympic and Sports Association of Iceland, welcomed the Committee to the association’s headquarters in Reykjavik. Discussions centered on the association’s priorities, challenges, and collaborative opportunities with ENGSO and ENGSO Youth. Key topics included youth engagement, volunteerism, and the role of sports in strengthening communities, especially focusing on the regional development in different parts of Iceland.
The visit also featured a meeting with the National Youth Council of Iceland. Bjarki Fjalar Guðjónsson, Director of International Affairs, shared insights into Iceland’s youth structure, the challenges facing young people, and recent developments in the youth sector. The conversation explored the intersection of youth initiatives and the sports sector in Iceland.
Cooperation between Youth and Sport sectors is one of the key priority areas for ENGSO Youth, defined in the 2025-2027 strategy. Meetings with representatives from both sectors are very valuable and give a lot of insights for the future work and role of ENGSO Youth – being a platform to connect and exchange practices in different European countries.
Looking ahead for the ENGSO Youth Committee
The ENGSO Youth Committee has an eventful schedule for 2025. In February, the Committee will gather in Belgrade, Serbia, followed by a joint ENGSO Executive Committee meeting in April in Prague, Czech Republic. The Committee’s two-year mandate will conclude in Oslo, Norway, during the ENGSO General Assembly and Youth Assembly in June.
Before this, the entire ENGSO Youth team will come together in Munich, Germany, from June 5 to 8, 2025, for the second edition of the European Youth & Sport Platform.