UVMIS project, supported by Erasmus+ and partnered by ENGSO, officially kicks off
Led by Erasmus University Rotterdam (NL) and alongside ENGSO, the UVMIS partnership also includes CEV- The Centre for European Volunteering, Koninklijke Nederlandse Hockey Bond, IGNITX, NR Sports Volunteering Solutions, French Federation Sport and Leisure Profession, CSV Trentino and Vytautas Magnus University.
UVMIS – Upskilling Volunteer Managers in Sport project seeks to identify ways to enhance the quality of volunteer management in sport organisations and events. This is to be achieved through the creation of ‘‘post-experience’’ learning and training materials for individuals who represent different organisational contexts in sports and have current or prior experience managing sport volunteers.
These materials will be developed within the course of the project with the aim of creating clear pathways for validation of learning outcomes for volunteer management in sport through courses provided by informal and formal education. For example, sport management courses within Universities could integrate the UVMIS to upskill sport volunteer managers and enable them to obtain official certification for the competences they have developed.
180 sports volunteer managers will participate in road test events where they will have the opportunity to provide feedback on the materials, and 18 sports volunteer managers will participate in the pilot training to test the materials. It is hoped that UVMIS will enhance awareness around the importance of quality sport volunteer management professionals to improve sport volunteer engagement, retention, skill development and sustainability in the sports sector.
During the online kick-off meeting, Project leaders Ivo Geers and Professor Lucas Meijs from Erasmus University Rotterdam introduced the project objectives and priorities and partners engaged in ice-breaking activities and meaningful discussions as to the ways they could drive the project forward in their specific national and cultural contexts to ensure maximum impact and reach. ENGSO was represented by its Secretary General, Sara Massini and UVMIS Project Coordinator, Niki Koutrou.
The project partners had also the opportunity to meet again on 13-14 February 2025 for a research meeting in Cologne, hosted by NR Sports Volunteering Solutions. Apart from a general overview of the project, the next steps in the project’s lifecycle were discussed, including sharing insights for developing inclusive and appropriate training and qualification standards and focus groups with each organisation’s members and stakeholders who have experience managing volunteers in sport to identify the training needs of volunteer managers, challenges in managing volunteers and best practices in sport volunteer management.
ENGSO will be hosting online focus groups in March (14, 20, 21). If you are interested in participating in any of these events to share your views and experiences about volunteer management in sport in your country, organisation or at different events, please get in touch with Niki Koutrou at [email protected].
To find out more about the project, please visit its website: www.europeanvolunteercentre.org/uvmis