YOUTH INDIVIDUAL
SPORTS MINDSET (YOUMIND)
YouMind is a small-scale partnership project with the main aim to raise
awareness about the importance of mental health in sport and to develop
different strategies to prevent mental health issues for young athletes.
The YouMind project kicked off
in Ljubljana, Slovenia on 22nd
of January with an in-person
meeting hosted by EUSA,
gathering all the project partners.
At the meeting the partners
discussed the first steps, as well
as the overview of activities that
will be undertaken to realize the
projects objectives.
The official part of the program
was started with the brief
introduction of the topic of the
YouMind project, explaining
the idea and the development
process.
During the meeting all the
partners agreed on next steps
that will be enforced to meet
the expectations of the project
establishments. Meeting
attendees covered the project’s
background, overarching
objectives, structure, timelines,
and delved into specific tasks
such as communication,
management, research, project
milestones and final evaluation.The objectives of the project
sum up ideas developed jointly
with all the partners which
will be presented in a form of
promotional video and guidelines
sharing the best practices with
athletes and sport organizations.
The project will last two years
and will consist of various
activities, such as workshops,
surveys, and meetings.The partners had the chance
to meet again during online
meetings and in Hungary in July
during European Universities
Games 2024.The meeting was the occation
where the partners reviewed the
activities done so far, as well as
agreed on the future actions andgave their own overviews and
discussed the workshops, survey
and other preparatory steps.Vincenzo Cusati, a mental
coach from CUS Salerno (ITA),
presented his approach to
helping athletes from a mental
perspective. He explained the
differences between sports
coaching and life coaching,
connecting it to personal present
life. He also highlighted the
crucial role of a mental coach
and best practices for building a
trusting relationship with athletes,
such as avoiding judgment and
asking open-ended questions.
He concluded by presenting a list
of 20 questions for preparing the
next workshops. These questions
helped partners brainstorm the
creation of a questionnaire to
better understand athletes’ needs
and expectations, aiming to tailor
online sessions and workshops
accordingly.Within the project, Alessia De
Iulis, representing ENGSO
Youth, led a workshop on the
importance of mental health for
young people. The workshops
were attended by young athletes,
volunteers and participats at the
EUG 2024. She provided key
information on the prevalence
of mental health issues among
young people and discussed
the benefits of sports for
mental health. She also offered
strategies for young people to
promote mental well-being,
emphasizing the importance
of ensuring healthy lives and
promoting well-being within the
grassroots sports sector.MORE INFO:
https://youmind.eusa.eu/EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY SPORTS ASSOCIATION YEAR MAGAZINE 2024-2025^117