Author: Maria Souza

November 27th, 2025

The Municipality of Aalborg, in collaboration with the YoPA project in Denmark, has officially released the building permit needed to move forward with the implementation of the planned YoPA actions in the youth clubs.

With all preparations now completed, the team is ready to break ground and begin the first phase of development. This milestone marks a significant step in bringing the YoPA intervention to life and evidencing how co-creation with youth and stakeholders engagement can lead to impactful outcomes that enhance communities’ wellbeing and opportunities to stay active.

More updates will follow as construction begins!

November 26th, 2025

The YoPA team in Soweto has proudly concluded both the intervention and control group programmes with an exciting outdoor field trip, where participants enjoyed a refreshing and energetic hiking experience.

The groups—composed of youth aged 12 to 18—completed their hikes at different times, with the intervention group taking to the trails at the end of August 2025, followed by the control group at the end of October. Both hikes offered participants a chance to connect with nature, strengthen peer bonds, and celebrate their journey in the project.

This milestone marks the second last session of the YoPA programme in Soweto, and the successful completion of the hikes reflects the positive engagement, commitment, and overall success of the project in the community.

November 26th, 2025

An advocacy visit was made to the Osun State Ministry of Education in Nigeria to provide updates on the project’s progress, key achievements, and upcoming implementation phase.

The YoPA team from Redeemer’s University and VARCE met with senior officials from the Ministry, including the Director of Public Schools, the Adolescent and Wellness Officer, and the Deputy Director of Science, Mathematics, and Technology.

The meeting served as an important platform to strengthen collaboration with policymakers and to emphasise their crucial roles in implementing and sustaining the interventions in Osun State.

November 26th, 2025

The intervention phase of the YoPA project in Nigeria officially began on October 6, 2025, with students from the intervention site and the control site. A hundred and ten adolescents (between 11 and 18 years old) were selected from each site, from both the junior secondary school and the senior secondary school.

A successful introductory session was held for students at both sites. The session provided a warm and engaging atmosphere where students were introduced to the project’s goals, structure, and expectations. It also offered an important opportunity to build rapport, clarify roles, and spark enthusiasm among the teenagers. To ensure ethical participation, consent forms were distributed for parents and guardians, reinforcing the project’s commitment to voluntary and informed involvement.

The students’ energy, curiosity, and openness during the session were truly remarkable—highlighting their excitement for the journey ahead and their confidence in the positive impact the YoPA project aims to create.

November 18th, 2025

On November 14th and 15th, Lusófona University in Lisbon hosted the 4th edition of the International Conference on Sports and Education (ICSE), where the YoPA project was strongly represented.

PhD students Maria Fernanda Souza and Nuno Dias delivered two oral presentations.
Fernanda presented her YoPA study (now in its final stage), focused on identifying barriers and facilitators during the first co-creation phase. Nuno shared the progress of the Portuguese YoPA spin-off, highlighting achievements to date and the upcoming steps.

The audience response was highly positive.

Supervisors and YoPA consortium members, Professors António Palmeira and Marlene Silva also contributed to the event through panel moderation and poster evaluation, further strengthening YoPA’s presence.

Another important step in disseminating the YoPA approach within the international research community and beyond!