On October 22-23, 2025, an international master class was held in Aalst (Belgium) as part of the “Development of Team Spirit for the Implementation and Incorporation of EU Values in Ukraine (TEAM-EU-UA)” project, co-funded by the European Union.
The event was held in a hybrid format and became an important stage for the exchange of experience between European and Ukrainian partners of the project from Kyiv, Chernivtsi, and Sumy.
The participants were welcomed by Gorica Bilak, Sports Director of the European School Sport Federation (ESSF), who shared the practices of organizing the European Week of Sport and examples of implementing European values through sport and education. Her speech was a real inspiration for partners from different regions of Europe and Ukraine.
Project coordinator Yaroslav Galan, head of the NGO “YOUTH. SCIENCE. SPORT. HEALTHY MOVEMENT OF UKRAINE,” emphasized the importance of integrating European experience into the Ukrainian education and sports system, developing team spirit, inclusion, and forming a new culture of cooperation.
All partners of the TEAM-EU-UA project joined the event, including representatives from Warsaw, Chernivtsi, Kyiv, and Sumy, who presented their own examples of working with children, teachers, and young people.
In Sumy, the first part of the master class took place at the Botanical Garden of Sumy State Pedagogical University named after A. S. Makarenko. There, students took part in classes dedicated to the formation of ecological thinking through game methods. Associate Professor Svitlana Hvozdetska, Professor Yulia Bondarenko, and Associate Professor Zhanna Chernyakova demonstrated the methodology for conducting the game “Dolphins in a Trap.”
Anton Vlasenko, Deputy Director of the Institute of Physical Culture, also held a master class on park volleyball, which was attended by Elena Petrova, silver medalist in biathlon at the Nagano Olympics, and Vladislav Maslov, Honored Coach of Ukraine in pankration.
In the second part of the event, Professor Oleksandr Tomenko presented the university's best practices for fostering environmental awareness in the educational process, including educational games for schoolchildren developed as part of the Erasmus+ TEAM-EU-UA project.
Oskar Rosa, representative of the INSTYTUT ROZWOJU SPORTU I EDUKACJI (Poland), welcomed the participants and emphasized the importance of international cooperation in the development of youth, sport, and education.
In total, more than 40 representatives from different regions took part in the master class. All participants received ESSF certificates and gained new skills to organize the European Week of Sport 2026 in Ukraine.
This event became a practical platform for exchanging experiences and demonstrating how cooperation with European partners helps to increase the potential of Ukrainian educational and sports institutions, strengthening the values of unity, respect, and development.
