Problem addressed

U-PLAYS addresses the social exclusion of Ukrainian youth displaced by the war, who face barriers to integration due to limited language skills, reduced employability, and restricted access to inclusive community activities.

Innovative solution

U-PLAYS introduces an integrated, user-centered model that combines sport, language learning, and employment training into a single, coordinated pathway for youth integration. By delivering activities simultaneously across countries and actively involving participants in co-design, it ensures relevance, motivation, and measurable impact.

This initiative is born from a successful implementation of the project in the local context in Latvia and will now see its first scalability to a European context.

Key results and benefits

Key activities include (in each country respectively) 50 sports sessions to improve fitness and teamwork, 50 German, Latvian and Slovakian language classes to boost language proficiency, and 50 employment workshops to equip participants with job readiness skills. Implemented by professional trainers and language instructors, the project activities will be held conducted simultaneously in Austria, Latvia and Slovakia. Expected outcomes include improved physical fitness, better language skills, and increased employment prospects for participants. U-PLAYS adopts a user-centered approach, involving participants in planning and execution to meet their needs. The project aims for sustainable impact, creating a scalable model transferable to other EU contexts.

Potential for mainstreaming

The project is highly transferable and scalable, as it builds on proven methodologies, uses standard training formats, and can be easily adapted to different national contexts and target groups. Its holistic approach can be mainstreamed into existing ESF+, youth, sport, and integration policies across the EU.