Alongside the programme’s established physical formats, the digitalization of Respect Your Talent has taken centre stage in the ambitions of the European Handball Federation (EHF) & TWIN in 2022. This digitalization is manifested in the form of two new activities: the Respect Your Talent App, and the so-called “Ambassador Sessions”.
The Ambassador Sessions are digital workshops where up to 25 young players have the unique chance to meet the Respect Your Talent Ambassadors. The live-online-format encourages youngsters to share, to speak out, and to ask their questions. Supported by a topical expert, the group can discuss and reflect upon most relevant challenges in the off-court life of professional handball players.
Session kick off
After a successful Summer Tour through Europe, in which more than 200 young handball players attended (physical) Respect Your Talent workshops, the first Ambassador Session took place last week. Dedicated to the topic of press conferences, and moderated by TWIN Founder & CEO Wolfgang Stockinger, the workshop featured Spanish handballer Nerea Pena, media expert Simona Margetic, and participants from Faroe Islands, North Macedonia, Estonia, Finland, Poland, and the Netherlands.
“Press conferences are part of the job as a professional handball player. Working on improving your media skills will therefore directly feed back into your career development.”
Nerea Pena, Spain
The next Ambassador Session will be held on 8 December and is taking on a crucial Mental Fitness topic. The former Slovenian handballer Vid Kavtičnik and sport psychologist Bojana Jelicic will share their expertise on how to best deal with pressure.
App next
The Respect Your Talent App will provide Europe’s handball talents with training sessions in the areas of Dual Career, Mental Fitness, Media, Anti-Doping and Sports Law. A a digital space for self-development, the App assists young players to boost their knowledge, and acquire practical skills to promote their holistic athlete development. A team of internationally recognized experts has created 28 tailored micro-learning units to help aspiring players deal with daily challenges in sport, education, and private spheres of life. The consortium features Hans Holdhaus (Anti-Doping), Bojana Jelicic (Mental Fitness), Andreas Joklik (Sports Law), Thomas Schöneich, Simona Margetic (Media), as well as the TWIN experts Wolfgang Stockinger, Stephanie Kurfürst, and Ruan Schlebusch (Dual Career).
The Respect Your Talent App will be launched in summer 2023.
