EUROKiK

This is "EUROKiK"

With EUROKiK, we are bringing the fascination of EURO 2024 into Germany’s classrooms.
We use the enthusiasm for soccer and the European Championship as motivation, learning content and an object of cultural education.
Over 150 elementary school and 4,000 children will be part of the project in the 2023 / 2024 school year.
Exciting events, an exciting challenge and great prizes await the participating children.

The EUROKiK draw

As part of the EUROKiK draw, a European country was drawn for the more than 150 participating schools nationwide.
The draw took place on December 5, 2024 at the German Football Museum in Dortmund.
The tickets were drawn by prominent supporters of the project: In addition to children’s book author Joachim Masannek, the participants included Roman Weidenfeller (former professional footballer and ambassador of the host city Dortmund for EURO 2024), Bernhard Gutowski (Managing Director of the EURO 2024 Football and Culture Foundation) and TV presenter Sven Voss.

The EUROKiK Challenge

The participating groups then dealt with “their” country as part of the EUROKiK Challenge.
Together with their teachers, the school classes created an artistic and cultural contribution with a country-specific and football-related theme.
The characteristics of the country were presented as part of a creative country presentation and submitted digitally.
There were no limits to creativity: from pictures and posters, to songs and texts, to plays or dances, all artistic forms of presentation were allowed to impress the jury.
This jury selected the best entry for each of the 24 countries.
The winner of the EUROKiK Challenge was chosen from these 24 entries in a public vote.

The EUROKiK exchange games

Experience European (soccer) cultures up close: That was the aim of the EUROKiK exchange games.
Over 150 children taking part in EUROKiK traveled with their classes to partner schools in the Netherlands, France and the Czech Republic.
There they not only had the opportunity to experience the cultures of the respective countries, but also to put their soccer skills to the test in matches against and with the partner schools.
The days were rounded off with joint intercultural buffets, visits to stadiums and places of interest and joint workshops.

The EUROKiK Festival

Playing on the pitch of a big soccer stadium for once: This dream came true for around 300 participants in the EUROKiK project.
3 weeks before the start of the European Football Championship 2024, the children, who traveled to Bochum from all over Germany, were in for a special event.
They competed on behalf of “their” European countries in a soccer tournament and presented the respective countries at the festival’s cultural stations.

Our jury and our ambassadors

Joachim Masannek (author and director of "Die Wilden Kerle"; EUROKiK jury member)

"In a world where xenophobia is on the rise and borders are emerging again even in Europe, I think it's great that children are learning to understand, respect and perhaps even love the cultures of other countries through soccer."

Kristin Demann (professional soccer player and former national team player; EUROKiK jury member)

"I think it's a great idea to view EURO 2024 not just as a major sporting event, but to create a link to education and culture. That's why I'm happy to be a member of the jury and am already very excited to see how the students will engage with their countries."

Robin Koch (professional soccer player and national player; EUROKiK ambassador)

"In my career so far, I have often been able to experience the unifying power of soccer in different cultures. Soccer stands for important values such as fair play, cooperation and tolerance. Living these values not only on the pitch, but also in society, is particularly important at this time and is also very important to me. That's why I'm very happy to support the EUROKiK project as an ambassador, as this is precisely the focus here in the classrooms of 150 elementary school."

Karoline Wacker (FIFA referee and EUROKiK jury member)

"Football moves many children and is also an important part of our society. I am therefore very much looking forward to the contributions from the classes. At the same time, I would also like to thank all the teachers and supporters who have contributed to the success of this fantastic competition."

Alon Meyer (President of Maccabi Germany and EUROKiK jury member)

"The 2024 European Championships here in Germany promise to be a colorful and diverse sports festival. Our schools are also colorful and diverse - thanks to you! I am therefore looking forward to your creative project ideas and wish you above all fun, but also a lot of "Mazel" to become one of the EUROKiK award winners!"

Matthias Mühlen (Head of Sustainability / CSR VfL Bochum)

"EUROKiK is a great format that uses the emotional uniqueness of soccer to promote such important topics as cultural education. We are delighted to welcome the 24 winning schools to the big EUROKiK festival at the Vonovia Ruhrstadion."

These are our supporters

LitCam gGmbH implemented EUROKiK with the support of the Stiftung Fußball & Kultur EURO 2024 gGmbH and the German government following a decision by the German Bundestag.
We receive further financial support from the Evonik Foundation.
VfL Bochum 1848, Materna Information & Communications SE and Rheinfels Quelle support the EUROKiK festival.