40 youth organisations
11 countries
12 project partnerships
Generation Europe – The Academy is an international network of youth work organisations and a funding programme for European cooperation. We want social participation for all. Young people raise their voices and take action: in their local communities and across all boundaries. Together, we are contributing to an active and inclusive European citizenship.
We are getting involved
Act Local – Connect European – Think Global! Within our network, young people work together, regardless of their origin, their parents’ income or their previous success in the formal education system. Currently, 40 youth organisations from eleven European countries are involved.
News from the Network
What we do
The young people of our network form local groups and connect at international youth encounters. Together, we create opportunities for participation on local and European level. In each of our project partnerships, youth from three countries work together. They support one another in taking action.
Read more: HomeEuropean cooperation needs to take place at all levels. That’s why we are also organising an international network of youth work professionals, providing trainings and discussion spaces. All this is made possible by a funding programme of the International Association for Education and Exchange (IBB e.V.), which also coordinates the overall programme.
Making Methods Accessible
We are continuing to develop methods and expertise in participatory youth work with international and diverse target groups. And we are making our experiences accessible.
Our network has already produced a range of booklets, handouts, collections of methods, documentation and online tools. We are happy to share them and invite everyone active in the fields of youth work and civic education to make use of them!
Campaigning for a Long-Term Strategy
In times of tightening budgets and many other challenges, youth work across Europe is under pressure. However, sustainable and adequately funded youth work structures are not only important for young people. They are also of crucial importance for European society as a whole: to promote and safeguard participation, social justice and democracy. Here are two projects through which we are working to improve the overall conditions for youth work in Europe:
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 are actually made. This is exactly where Youth Voices Rising comes in. Our goal is to equip youth workers with innovative approaches to promoting participation and to empower young people to represent their interests effectively. To the project page.
Where do we really stand when it comes to the spaces in which young people organise participation and democracy? What needs to change to secure European youth work in the long term? The policy paper “Young Voices for Youth Work” is the result of a collaborative process: young people from nine European countries have come together to formulate their vision for sustainable, well-funded and inclusive youth work in Europe.
Newsletter
There’s a lot happening in the field of international youth work. Stay up to date with our newsletter. Subscribe now!
Why We Are Active
In times of multiple crises, democratic values are under attack. Authoritarian mindsets with supposedly simple solutions are gaining ground, while social inequality is increasing and international cooperation is becoming more difficult. But equal opportunities and participation are not a luxury – it is our duty to ensure them.
Read more: HomeYoung people play a crucial role in shaping our common future. They often have very specific ideas and demands about what needs to change. However, this can only transform into collective action if access barriers are removed and spaces for organising are opened up. Generation Europe – The Academy creates foundations for this: by combining international experience, local engagement and opportunities to learn from each other, we provide an answer to the challenges facing both young people and our societies today.
So far, young people with international family histories, refugee experiences, interrupted educational biographies and those from rural areas have been significantly underrepresented in international projects and formats of civic education. We are actively addressing this imbalance.
Documentary: Generation Ukraine
As part of Generation Europe – The Academy, a remarkable film project was created: Generation Ukraine takes an intimate look at the lives of young people in Ukraine in times of war. Their story is told by Katia Henrikh, a youth worker from Chernivtsi who left the country immediately after the Russian invasion began. Nine months later she returned to make this film together with the Kyiv-based production company Minimal Movie. Trailer and more info on the film.
Frequently Asked Questions
In terms of the number of participating organisations, some methods and the multiple levels of cooperation, Generation Europe – The Academy is unique. However, the programme is built on the experience from previous projects: IBB has already strengthened and supported European youth cooperation with the programmes ewoca³ (three funding periods, 2009-2017), Pimp my Europe (2017-2018) and Generation Europe – Young Democracy in Action (2018-2020), and the first programme phase of Generation Europe – The Academy (2021–2025). Visit the websites of the predecessors to see how committed the young people involved worked on their common vision of Europe.
From the very beginning, we have shared our experiences with the Community of Practice. Generation Europe – The Academy is part of a process that has now been running for more than 17 years, designed to strengthen European youth work. This long-term approach opens up development opportunities for both the young people and the youth organisations involved. That’s why we are working hard to ensure that this type of youth cooperation has a future beyond the current funding phase.
In 2026, Generation Europe – The Academy entered a new three-year funding phase. This enables each of the project partnerships to organise an international youth encounter every year until 2028. By the end of this period, each participating youth organisation will have hosted one encounter. The training programme for youth leaders and additional mentorship trainings for experienced young participants will also be funded during this period.
If you are a young person interested in international encounters and local activities, please contact one of the participating local youth organisations. As Generation Europe – The Academy is a decentralised network, participation in youth encounters and other parts of the programme is only possible through the local project partners.
Unfortunately, at the moment additional European youth organisations are not able to join the network. With the current project partners, the budget for this funding period is already bound. Within the scope of our capacities, we are, however, very much interested in contacts to further members of the Community of Practice – especially for our advocacy work.
If you have any questions about the network or the funding programme, please feel free to email generationeurope@ibb-d.de. You can find a list of all contacts here. If you are a journalist or media representative and have an enquiry, you can find all the relevant information here.
Thank You!
All this amazing work would not be possible without the more than 600 young people from 14 European countries who, in addition to school, work and other obligations, invest their free time to network across Europe and make a difference in their communities. It would also not be possible without the professionals from the participating youth institutions who are involved far beyond usual work schedules. And most certainly, all this would never be possible without the support of our funders, whose continued commitment ensures that we can carry on. Learn more about our Funders.
About the IBB
The International Association for Education and Exchange (IBB e.V.) is an institutionally and politically independent non-profit organisation. We enable socially engaged actors to collaborate across national borders.
Read more: HomeTo involve more people, we develop seminars, trainings, and projects for young people as well as adults. With our activities, we offer opportunities for personal encounters, engagement with history and networking for more sustainability and social justice. IBB sees itself as part of a European civil society that strives for change within its countries as well as across borders.
Founded in 1986, during a crucial stage during the Cold War, the IBB began with peace and reconciliation work in Eastern Europe. Borders that seemed impassable at the time – such as the Berlin Wall – have fallen. Unfortunately, others are being built. In a changing world with new and old conflicts, we develop perspectives for cooperation and understanding, in order to promote active citizenship and strengthen peaceful living together.
As long as there are boundaries between countries, cultures, age groups, and within the minds of people, there is still work for us to do. We stand for dialogue and non-violent strategies for social change. We believe that international education and exchange can contribute to a culture of tolerance and mutual understanding. We continue to engage in European networks that have grown between NGOs, religious communities, economics, and politics, working towards a strong civil society and a more humane future.