From June 29 to July 6, 2025, the city of Zagreb proudly hosted the international Erasmus+ youth exchange “Taekwondo for All: Empowering Young Minds.” The project brought together over 60 young participants from Croatia, Serbia, and North Macedonia, with the aim of promoting social inclusion, empowering youth with fewer opportunities, and encouraging physical activity through Taekwondo.
This project demonstrated how sports — especially martial arts like Taekwondo — can be a powerful tool for inclusion, personal growth, and intercultural connection. The youth involved not only participated but actively shaped the project around their needs, ideas, and lived experiences, creating a safe, supportive, and empowering environment for all.
The project was organized by Taekwondo Club Maksimir in cooperation with its partners AzBuki (Serbia) and the State Secondary School for Education and Rehabilitation “Partenija Zografski” (North Macedonia), and was funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.
Main Results of the Project:
Free Inclusive Exercise Workshops in Zagreb open for public
More than 20 project workshops and training sessions were held, including daily Taekwondo sessions, personal development workshops, team-building activities, and sessions focused on communication, tolerance, and inclusion.
Active participation of youth with disabilities and fewer opportunities, who helped co-create, lead, and facilitate various activities.
Inclusive workshops for the local community were delivered, such as:
Communicating with deaf individuals
Introduction to sign language
Taekwondo for individuals with intellectual and physical disabilities
Rich digital content was produced, including photos, video materials, and Youthpass reflections, to support further promotion of inclusive youth work practices.
All participants received Youthpass certificates recognizing their non-formal learning and development of eight key competences.
Raised awareness in the local community about the importance of accessible and inclusive sports opportunities for all youth.
Experience the project through our multimedia gallery: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/11c8fpfy8cBB0WO_hJ_IeKw9piflY3NPT?usp=drive_link
We thank all participants, partners, and volunteers for their contribution and energy that made this project truly inspiring.
More information about the project:
www.taekwondo-maksimir.hr