This month has been filled with learning, collaboration, and meaningful conversations across Europe and beyond. From spending time with local leaders and communities in Benin to exploring how sport can support youth development, leadership, and community wellbeing, we were reminded that sustainable impact begins with people and strong local relationships.
In Portugal, our team joined partners from across Europe for the PREFERAL Erasmus+ Sport project, working together to advance inclusion, equality, and participation in grassroots sport. Through knowledge exchange and collaboration, we continue to develop practical tools and approaches that help create more inclusive sporting environments for young people.
We also travelled to Thessaloniki, Greece, for a meeting within the WIN-WIN Erasmus+ project, where partners are working together to better support student-athletes in balancing sport and education. As part of the project, NYSA is contributing to the development of educational resources focused on decision-making, helping young athletes build skills that support success both on and off the field.
Closer to home we also continued broader conversations with sport organisations, businesses, and community stakeholders in Gothenburg, Helsingborg and Västerås, exploring future opportunities around dual careers, leadership, innovation, and collaboration.
Every meeting, visit, and conversation this month has reinforced the value of learning from one another and building connections that can strengthen sport and society for the future.
NYSA Sweden
Dela
Shaping a new world for education and sport. The purpose of NYSA Sweden is to enhance the engagement of youth activities in Sweden and other countries.
We aid in developing skillful leaders, establishing safe environments and empowering young people to take ownership of their own sporting potential. Our long-term goals are to strengthen the role that sport plays in shaping the wider society. Through sport we will create and facilitate opportunities for young people to lead humanity towards a brighter tomorrow.
28/05/2026
This week in Benin 🇧🇯, NYSA joined leaders, coaches, and community organisations at the SILÉS 2026 Summit in Porto-Novo, hosted by Sport et Compassion.
The summit brought together leaders from across Benin to explore how sport can support youth development, leadership, community engagement, and long-term social transformation.
Across the sessions, conversations focused on building sustainable approaches to sport leadership, strengthening local capacity, and creating environments where young people can grow both on and beyond the field.
NYSA contributed perspectives around leadership through sport, holistic athlete development, and the role sport can play in supporting belonging, participation, and community impact.
We are grateful to Sport et Compassion for the invitation, partnership, and the important work they continue to lead locally.
with Emma Cotterill, Dr. Corneille Teba, TEBA Dave Jucos, Dr. Steve Connor
And it’s a wrap!🇪🇹
From coaching coaches to sessions with young people to moments of competition, celebration, and conversation, we've loved every part of Addis.
We came to support, but also, to listen.
To understand context.
To work alongside what already exists.
In doing so, we’ve seen again what sport can become in the right environment, a space where young people show up, connect, and begin to see new possibilities for themselves.
New friends.
Memories made.
Work that continues.
We’re both honoured and grateful to be part of it.
21/04/2026
While in Addis 🇪🇹.
We spent time with Onesimus Children Development Association (OCDA) and Hope for Justice, listening, learning, and asking a simple but important question:
What role can sport play in the prevention of human trafficking, and in supporting the recovery of those who have experienced it, within the contexts that organisations like OCDA and Hope for Justice are already working in?
These conversations were grounded in real environments, shaped by the experiences of those already doing the work, and focused on how different approaches can come together in a way that is meaningful and relevant.
Alongside this, we also met with representatives from the Embassy of Sweden, Addis Ababa and British Embassy, Addis Ababa - UK in Ethiopia, exploring how this kind of work can be supported more broadly; not just through delivery on the ground, but through partnerships that help sustain and strengthen it over time.
For us, this is what sport for development looks like.
Working with people.
Building with what already exists.
Creating environments where young people can grow, find direction, and begin to see new possibilities.
We’re grateful for the conversations this week, and for what they may lead to.
16/04/2026
This week, we’re in Addis! 🇪🇹
We’re working with Onesimus Children Development Association (OCDA), an organisation supporting street-connected children in Addis Ababa.
In 2019, UNICEF estimated that there were over 10,000 street-connected children in Addis Ababa.
More recent estimates suggest that the number may be significantly higher; in some cases up to 10–15 times higher.
NYSA and Onesimus are partnering to explore and understand how sport can play a role in meeting real needs on the ground, alongside other forms of support.
Our time there this week will focus on supporting local coaches in how they deliver and structure sessions, working alongside Onesimus within their day-to-day context, and creating spaces where young people can engage through football in ways that are relevant to their reality.
This is part of how NYSA approaches development through sport; working with people, building relationships, and strengthening what already exists.
We’re grateful for the opportunity to be part of this work.
We’ll be sharing more as the week goes on. If you’d like to follow the journey, stay with us.
06/04/2026
Today, we’re celebrating the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace.
Established by the United Nations, this day recognises the role of sport in bringing people together and creating opportunities for growth and inclusion
At NYSA, we believe sport can do more than develop athletes; it can help young people grow, build confidence, and find their direction.
Through our projects, partnerships, and community work, we’re continuing to explore how sport can create meaningful opportunities for young people across different contexts.
From Europe to Ethiopia, this journey is about people, connection, and growth.
If you’d like to work with us or learn more, we’d love to hear from you. You can reach us here:
🔗 https://nysasweden.com/contact-us/
Great days at Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. with the NYSA team. ⚽🐺
An inspiring trip filled with great people, great conversations, and a great football environment. Grateful for the warm welcome and the opportunity to visit such a respected club. Looking forward to more moments like this in the future.
Real development is more than just training sessions.
It’s about feedback, environment, and understanding how to improve.
That’s what we try to bring to young athletes through our work.
And this April, players will also be able to experience it at the NYSA High Performance Camp for U14–U16 players.
⚽ Details in bio.
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