Many young people have clear ideas about a better future. However, they often lack the resources and knowledge to make their voices heard where decisions about their needs and concerns are actually made. This is exactly where Youth Voices Rising comes in.
Nine partner organisations from six European countries are jointly developing and testing practical methods of advocacy work. Our goal: to equip youth workers with innovative methods for promoting participation, and to empower young people to represent their interests effectively – regardless of their background, their parents’ income or their previous success in the formal education system. By doing so, we empower young people to act as experts on their own behalf, strengthen the field of participatory youth work and also promote democracy in Europe.
The activities of Youth Voices Rising do not stand alone: they are embedded in Generation Europe – The Academy, our large network of youth work organisations and support programme for European cooperation.
Youth Voices Rising News
Youth Voices Delegates
Youth Voices Rising supports young people and youth work professionals in bringing their experiences and views to the table in discussions about youth work and the interests of young people in Europe. As experts in our own right, we have so far made young voices and grassroots perspectives heard at the following events. Our Calendar of Influence:
- Roundtable Young Voices for Youth Work (4 November 2025 | European Policy Centre, Brussels, Belgium)
- Conference Democracy in Action – Youth Work Matters! (3–5 December 2025 | European Youth Centre Strasbourg, France)
- Annual Conference Focus on Professionals (4–5 February 2026 | Gustav Stresemann Institute, Bonn, Germany)
- Symposium Youth Poverty – Potential and Challenges of European and International Youth Work (26 February 2026 | IJAB & JUGEND für Europa, Bonn, Germany)
- Expert Meeting Lobbying for Youth Work – What’s Next? (3–4 March 2026 | JUGEND für Europa, Bonn, Germany)
- Coffee Talk on the European Youth Work Agenda (6 March 2026 | Online meeting with key actors in the national EYWA processes)
- 4th European Academy on Youth Work (5–8 May 2026 | Kranjska Gora, Slovenia)
- Information and Networking Day on International Student Exchange and European and International Youth Work (5 May 2026 | Düsseldorf, Germany)
- Online Lecture Series Youth Work. Spaces for Youth and Democracy in Europe (12 May 2026 | Catholic University of Applied Sciences NRW / DJI / Koblenz University of Applied Sciences / Cologne University of Applied Sciences, Germany)
- Expert Meeting on International Youth Work (18 May 2026, Fritz-Henßler-Haus Dortmund, Germany)
Milestone 2: Media Strategy and Quality Control Manual
We are happy to give anyone who is also planning projects a glimpse into the engine room of Youth Voices Rising.
Milestone 4: Second Project Meeting
10-13 December 2025: At the European Youth Education Centre (EJBW) in Weimar, Germany, the partner organisations evaluated their comprehensive Needs Analysis and planned how to put the findings directly into youth work practice.
Milestone 5: International Lobbying Training
14-18 January 2026: How can pressing issues be turned into a compelling campaign? At the International Lobbying Training in Thessaloniki, young activists and youth workers from nine European countries worked together on precisely this.
Milestone 6: Multiplier Training for Local Lobbyists
14-19 February 2026: Empowering young people to make their voices heard by local decision-makers is a skill that needs to be learned. That’s why we held our Multiplier Training for Local Lobbyists in Bad Liebenzell, Germany.
Our Next Steps:
Milestone 8: Local Lobbying Trainings
Milestone 9: Social Media Advocacy Trainings
The Consortium
Youth Voices Rising brings together youth work organisations from six European countries:
Coordination: Internationales Bildungs- und Begegnungswerk e.V. (Dortmund, Germany) | Project Partners: Jugendakademie Walberberg (Bornheim, Germany) | Stiftung Europäische Jugendbildungs- und Jugendbegegnungsstätte Weimar (Weimar, Germany) | Internationales Forum Burg Liebenzell e.V. (Bad Liebenzell, Germany) | Associazione Interculturale NUR (Cagliari, Italy) | YouthCoop – Cooperativa para o Desenvolvimento e Cidadania CRL (Agualva-Cacém, Portugal) | Szubjektív Értékek Alapítvány (Budapest, Hungary) | KIRKO S.E. (Thessaloniki, Greece) | Irenia, Jocs de Pau (La Nou de Berguedà, Spain)
The other organisations in the 2021-2025 programme phase of the Generation Europe – The Academy network accompany and support the project as associated partners.
The cooperation partnership Youth Voices Rising is co-funded by the European Union. The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union, the European Commission or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union, the European Commission nor the EACEA can be held responsible for them.
Generation Europe – The Academy is a programme run by the International Association for Education and Exchange (IBB e.V.), funded by: