Transfer of knowledge and experiences proves highly beneficial at School Project meeting in Bucharest

Many members of the European Volleyball family came together earlier this week in Bucharest, Romania, for the Final Conference of the Play Volleyball – Grow With It 2.0 (PVGW2.0) project, and a School Project Managers meeting. 

This gathering provided a platform for Jimmy Czimek and Tonya Blickhäuser from the German Sport University Cologne (DSHS) to share and discuss the educational material (videos and exercises handbook) produced over the past three years as part of the PVGW2.0 project. This was followed by a presentation of the Safeguarding Guidelines – also developed in conjunction with the same programme – aimed at raising awareness among School Project managers about the importance of providing a safe environment for all involved in Volleyball at the grassroots level. 

Friday morning’s session focussed on best practices from countries currently involved in the delivery of the CEV School Project. Slovenia and Montenegro were selected to present their respective initiatives. Their presentations were followed by a roundtable discussion covering several key topics, such as navigating project challenges, identifying ideas to further develop the project and strategies to inspire participation and improve the retention of boys in Volleyball.

Afterwards, the CEV Development Department introduced the new CEV Solidarity Fund as well as other initiatives, such as the upcoming 4th edition of the Volleyball Management Programme run in cooperation with LUNEX. The presentation highlighted how these initiatives can benefit National Federations and their respective Volleyball communities, and provided guidance on how to apply for participation.

Ana Oblak, CEV School Project Manager for the Volleyball Federation of Slovenia said: “This kind of meeting is truly necessary and beneficial for the development of the project itself and for every country involved in its delivery and implementation. Through discussions with colleagues from other National Federations, we can gather many new ideas and identify solutions to the challenges we face.”

George Stephanides, who holds the same role at the Cyprus Volleyball Federation, commented:  “It was a very productive meeting. All the topics discussed over these two days have already been forwarded to our National Federation for further consideration. This meeting will open a new chapter for the CEV School Project in Cyprus.”

Finally, Christoph Wimberger, who has been in charge of the PVGW2.0 project at the Austrian Volleyball Federation concluded: “Bringing together all National Federations implementing the project is a great idea, as it allows us to see how others approach it. The handbook will be a very useful compass for teachers and coaches working at the grassroots level. It is truly interesting to learn how different countries address challenges and issues, and to discover new perspectives.”