The kick-off meeting of the project “European Sport Safeguarding Education and Promotion Action” (ESSEPA) was held in Ljubljana on 26 January 2026, organised by the European University Sports Association (EUSA). The project is co-funded by the European Commission and brings together ten partner organisations from nine European countries, with the aim of enhancing safeguarding and safety in university sport through the development of an online educational and certification platform.

One of the project partners is the University of Zagreb, with active involvement from the Department of Psychology at the Faculty of Croatian Studies. The Faculty is represented in the project by Associate Professor Zrinka Greblo Jurakić, PhD, and Ida Dukić, mag. psych.

All ten partner organisations participated in the introductory meeting, providing an opportunity to become acquainted, exchange professional expertise, and share previous experiences in the field. During the meeting, Ida Dukić delivered a presentation on the University of Zagreb and the Faculty of Croatian Studies, as well as on activities and projects previously implemented in the area of sport, with particular emphasis on athlete safeguarding.

In addition to jointly planning the project phases and expected outcomes, the partners also attended a thematic seminar on safeguarding in sport. The seminar included presentations on research related to youth mental health, as well as examples of good practices drawn from earlier projects addressing similar topics.

More information about the project and the kick-off meeting is available at the following link.