Young sports leaders meet in Barcelona for ENGSO Youth’s Human Rights Education through Sport Programme.
Youth sport leaders from across Europe gathered in Barcelona, Spain, from 22 to 27 October 2025, for ENGSO Youth International Activity “Equipped to Empower: A Blueprint for Human Rights Education through Sport”. Funded by the Council of Europe through the European Youth Foundation, and hosted by ENGSO Youth member UFEC (Sports Federation Union of Catalonia), the international activity explored how sport can promote human rights and lead social change.
The programme focused on empowering young people by equipping them with the knowledge and tools to promote human rights values through sport. Its central goal was to develop a strategic framework for Human Rights Education (HRE) through sport. The event also marked the first official gathering of the Young Delegates 2025–2027 cohort, who met with members of the ENGSO Youth Alumni Club.
The opening session provided an introduction to the programme, allowing participants to get to know one another, understand the tasks ahead, and explore the fundamentals of human rights education in sport. The participants also had the opportunity to learn about the work of the Council of Europe (CoE) and its Youth Department, with a particular emphasis on the Revised European Charter on the Participation of Young People in Local and Regional Life and the Recommendation CM/Rec(2016)7 on young people’s access to rights.
In conjunction with the European Sport Platform, the second day addressed youth participation, inclusion, sustainability, and digitalisation in sport from a human rights–based approach. During the event, ENGSO Youth Managing Director, Tiago Guilherme, emphasised the importance of involving young people in sport governance as a right young people are entitled to and a driver for meaningful change.
Later that day, the programme examined the question “How can technology support young people in continuing to practise sport?”, through a workshop on digitalisation in youth sport, in collaboration with Peaksters, showcasing how digital innovation can foster youth engagement, empower participation, and shape the future of sport grounded in human rights principles and sport values.
The following day began with a field visit at Juan Antonio Samaranch Olympic and Sports Museum, where participants had a deeper look into olympic values and how they correlate with Human Rights. The last two days were dedicated to applying the learnings from the first sessions into developing a strategy template for Human Rights Education through Sport, accompanied by an action plan and a monitoring and evaluation framework for upcoming workshops.
The International Activity “Equipped to Empower: A Blueprint for Human Rights Education through Sport” concluded with participants presenting their final action plans and strategies for implementing Human Rights Education through Sport workshops across Europe — demonstrating the creativity, leadership, and commitment of a new generation ready to champion human rights through the power of sport.
