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The project was born from a simple challenge: across Europe, many teenagers leave sport just when they could benefit from it the most. Princ recognized this trend and designed a solution — a structured mentoring system created for young athletes and led by young athletes. Joudrs, sharing the same club values, joined forces and helped turn the idea into an Erasmus+ project.
Each mentor is a young player who works with one mentee over a six-month cycle. The goal is to build trust, provide guidance, and help teenagers feel connected, confident, and supported within their sports community.
A key element of the project is the mentor training program created by Tihana Županić, a long-time Princ player with 18+ years of experience and a psychology degree from the USA. Her course equips mentors with essential skills — communication, emotional awareness, goal-setting, problem solving, and leadership.
Throughout the 18-month project, Princ, Joudrs and the Sports Association of the City of Zagreb are implementing workshops, digital tools, and continuous evaluation to ensure that the mentoring structure becomes a sustainable part of club culture. The mission is clear: help young athletes stay in softball longer, grow personally, and eventually become the next generation of club leaders.
IMPACT demonstrates how Erasmus+ can elevate grassroots sports, giving clubs the resources to innovate and create meaningful support systems for youth.
All information about the project can be found on the Softball Princ website, and if your club or federation is interested in Erasmus+ projects, feel free to contact us at development@wbsceurope.org.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
