Active youth in happy Europe (AMUSE) is a youth non-profit non-governmental organisation that aims following:
- Promoting healthy life style and development of skills needed for it and encouraging youth to regular physical activity through promoting the idea of “sport for all”
- Improving opportunities for quality leisure (free) time of youth
- Encouraging young people to tolerance and coexistence through non-formal education, intercultural dialogue and the life according to the values and principles of European citizenship.
In order to achieve our mission with our target groups of youngsters of different backgrounds (mainly those of fewer opportunities but mainstream, as well), we use following approaches and methodologies in our work, with the main focus of promoting social inclusion, diversity, as well as social and leisure activities:
- non-formal education and inclusion youth work
- youth sport work with using the methodology of “sport for all” in youth work
- intercultural and inter-religious dialogue and acceptance (also through promotion of non-violent communication and conflict management)
Our members and founders have been active with different youth work areas including social inclusion/exclusion and sports and have extensive experiences in organising and leading volunteer projects, facilitating workshops in high schools, initiating different projects for quality leisure time of youth and promoting intercultural dialogue and acceptance on international level, but also in local communities where they come from with different ethnical and cultural minorities and marginalised groups. We have been actively organising events and workshops that bring together mainstream youth and those facing various challenges, including young people with disabilities. Our primary focus has been on fostering positive social interactions and promoting a culture of acceptance as well as inclusion. We have contributed to the implementation of several projects of empowerment of youngsters to promote diversity and social inclusion in social and leisure activities, on local, national and South East European region level. Main partners of ours in these activities have been several local sport clubs (basketball, football, handball, tennis, martial arts, fitness, etc.), primary and high schools, as well as local public institutions and several business companies active on local, national and SEE regional level.
We’ve collaborated extensively to promote the inclusion of young women and those facing fewer opportunities in sports with our partners. We organise large-scale youth sport work events, supported by local partners like schools, basketball clubs, local fitness centre and youth centre. Our work is deeply rooted in the values of diversity and inclusion, reflecting our multicultural community with over 15 national and ethnic groups. We have experience in developing relevant educational tools and publications, as well as online courses and platforms.
AMUSE was a partner and also applicant and organiser of projects on European level, with partners from EU and Western Balkan countries.
We have coordinated and hosted following partnership-building activities / activities of mobility of youth workers within the Youth in Action and Erasmus+ programmes, as well as Capacity building projects for youth within the Western Balkans Window:
- “Intercultural acceptance through sports for all”, 2012
- “Youth Sports Workers in action”, 2013
- “Youth in healthy action!”, 2013
- “Coordinating large-scale youth sport work events for inclusion”, 2015
- “Strategic partnerships and activities for promotion of youth sport work during the European Week of Sport”, 2015
- “Youth sport work increases inclusion and acceptance of diversity in Europe”, 2016
- “Youth sport work for intercultural learning and acceptance of diversity”, 2018
- “Creativity in youth sport work for reconciliation and acceptance of diversity”, 2019
- “Youth SPORT work with different abilities’ youngsters”, 2020
AMUSE has also been involved in several strategic partnership / cooperation partnership projects:
- “Overcoming the limiting realities creatively: Sport methodology in youth work for inclusion”, 2019
- “Prevention of cyberbullying and peer violence among youth”, 2021
- “Prevention of youth radicalisation through education and empowerment of youth workers”, 2022