Recap
Let’s talk. HOORAY Final Meeting and Conference
On June 5, 2025, partners from the HOORAY project gathered in Munich for the fourth and final transnational partner meeting, hosted at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). The day began with a guided tour of the TUM sports campus, offering partners the chance to explore the impressive facilities and connect informally before the formal sessions began.
The official meeting opened with welcoming remarks from ENGSO Youth Chair Ugne and Project Manager Nadica. The first session focused on the outcomes of the three international webinars held earlier this year. ISCA’s youth officer Nikoleta and project manager Katerina presented the key insights, successes, and areas for improvement for each of the webinars. In the next session, the partner organisation who implemented local events prior to the meeting presented an overview of them. These diverse activities provided valuable grassroots engagement and were considered a vital and effective component of the project for local dissemination.
Partners also had the chance to hear about the MENTOR project presented by Chiara from ISS. The MENTOR project is a European Joint Action initiative aligned with HOORAY’s mission. She emphasized opportunities for collaboration and resource sharing, particularly around evidence-based mental health promotion programs.
In the afternoon, ISCA’s Communications Officer Maria presented an overview of HOORAY’s communications strategy, with a focus on social media outreach and engagement. She also revisited the online Knowledge Hub—an important legacy tool from the project—which partners agreed to continue using and promoting after the project ends.
Before concluding the meeting, partners reflected on the 2.5 years of collaborative work, evaluating achievements, milestones, challenges, and lessons learned. This reflective session reinforced the strong sense of partnership and shared purpose that defined HOORAY’s implementation.
As part of the HOORAY project, one European conference was organised on 6th of June as a final event. The conference marked the end of the project so it showcasted the main highlights from the project lifetime presenting all the deliverables and project achievements. The conference was successfully organised on 6th June in Munich a day after the final partner meeting and in conjunction with the European Youth Sport Platform (EYSP) – ENGSO Youth’s flagship event. The conference brought together young people, sport organizations, and stakeholders from across Europe. The synergy between the two events offered a dynamic and impactful setting to showcase HOORAY’s outcomes, legacy, and future ambitions.
Comprehensive preparations were undertaken for the conference, including the distribution of official invitations, development of detailed agenda, an info pack and collection of signed participant lists. The conference lasted a full day and was attended by over 80 participants.
The day of the conference started with a run/walk action where partners and participants were invited to join and start the day in an active way. The full morning after the physical activity was dedicated to mental health starting with a keynote speech from Erik van Haaren Sport psychologists and the Vice-chair of ENGSO Youth who had the topic of Does sport life look like TV series? – Let’s talk. Mental health in modern (sport) societies.
Erik presented Hooray project outcomes, referred participants to the Knowledge hub (https://engsoyouth.eu/hooray/) for further resources and also kept the key message that we should not be afraid to talk about mental well-being, equip people in the sport sector with better knowledge to recognise, safeguard and work on prevention of any mental health harm for adolescents.
The keynote speech was followed by two interactive workshops:
MAKING PEOPLE MOVE I Campaigning for sports and mental health
Interactive workshop was led by Luca Wernert, ENGSO Youth and German Sport Youth Board member, who highlighted how international project outcomes can be implemented within the national initiatives. For example – MOVE campaign, which was financially supported by the German government.
Mental Health is a team sport. How Inclusive Tandems Support Mental Wellbeing in Youth Sports
Interactive workshop was led by Florian Maußer from Special Olympics Germany, who highlighted the Inclusion aspect of mental well-being and mental health initiatives.
During the conference, HOORAY partners presented the key achievements of the 2.5-year project, including local and international activities focused on youth empowerment, mental health promotion, and the use of sport as a tool for inclusion and wellbeing. Highlights included successful local events across partner countries, innovative online webinars, and the creation of a sustainable Online Knowledge Hub that will continue to serve youth and sport communities beyond the project’s lifetime.
The conference, especially in the interactive workshops featured interactive presentations, open discussions, and opportunities for youth participants from EYSP to engage directly with the HOORAY results. This allowed for valuable knowledge exchange and inspiration, bridging project results with the broader European youth sport agenda.
By aligning with EYSP 2025, the HOORAY final conference amplified its visibility and connected with a wider audience of young changemakers, decision-makers, and practitioners in the field of sport and mental health. The event served not only as a celebration of HOORAY’s impact, but also as a call to action for continued collaboration in promoting mental health and inclusion through grassroots sport initiatives.