Lisbon is Calling: Empowering Young People of all Backgrounds

Coming 16 and 17 of April 2026, the capital of Portugal, Lisbon, will welcome members of the SPIN network for their General Assembly meeting followed by the European network conference “Inclusion and Empowerment of Young People with Diverse Background in Sport”. This final event of the Erasmus+ project SPIN Youth is addressing challenges and new approaches in a transforming context, where initiatives and programmes promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion are increasingly contested. 

Hosted by the project partner Portuguese Football Players Union (SJPF), a member of FIFPRO – World Players Union, the Campus do Jogador will welcome national and international guests with a focus on young adults for a conference to examine ways of fully including Young People with Diverse Backgrounds (YPWDB) at all levels of sport, both as volunteers and in non-playing roles.

Moderated by the former Manchester City, Benfica and Portuguese national team player, Matilde Fidalgo, recently retired and working as advisor of the players union for female football, this conference intends to debate transformations across the EU and on a global level, concerning meaningful programmes to involve and empower diverse youth. What are the news forms of youth involvement and co-creation of policies affecting youth? How can sports stakeholders support and empower youth to promote equality, diversity and inclusion initiatives in their specific contexts? What are the key takeaways of the SPIN Youth project?  

The conference addresses a wide range of target groups, such experts and opinion leaders, policy makers, sports managers and coaches, athletes and sportive institutions.

The so-called Youth Coordinators selected for the SPIN Youth project as key agents of change will have a key role, presenting the results of their work and experiences during their participation in the project.

Please find the provisional conference programme here.

European SPIN Youth Initiative

The project “Empower Diverse Youth – Build-up Youth Participation and Inclusion in Sport Organizations” (SPIN Youth) aims to increase the sport participation of young people from diverse backgrounds – in particular young refugees and migrants – and to create inclusive, non-discriminatory sport environments that actively promote diversity and equality, for more information go to https://sportinclusion.net/spin-youth-project/

Registration

If you have interest to attend in person or to follow the conference online, please complete the registration here: https://forms.gle/2siCYgxMxJGs4S9K6

Participation in the conference is free of charge; however, registration is required.

Any questions reach out the SJPF staff through the e-mail: educacao@sjogadores.pt