Five intensive days of work and a strong signal for European civil society: At the Project Planning Conference in Hattingen, dedicated youth workers from eleven European countries set the course for the next three-year programme phase of Generation Europe – The Academy. Their common goal: to enable youth participation on an equal footing – especially now, in times of multiple crises and social conflicts.
From Monday to Friday, project managers from 40 youth organisations across eleven European countries came together in the southern Ruhr region. Together with the team from the coordination office at IBB e.V., they prepared the future work in the Generation Europe network, focusing on content, pedagogy, and organisation. Their shared motivation is to offer young people real opportunities for participation, both locally and within the framework of international project partnerships and youth encounters. And they want to do this regardless of where the young activists come from, how much their parents earn, or how successful they have been so far in the formal education system.
A Network for European Cohesion
To make this far-reaching empowerment possible, a strong network is needed. To make the diversity in the room visible, the participants used a method to visualise their experiences, topics, and skills right at the beginning of the conference. Long-standing network partners also took the opportunity to share memories and stories from the early years, while new members were able to talk about their expectations.
The presentation of the concrete programme structure for the years 2026 to 2028 showed how important it is to connect these proven structures with fresh ideas. The network’s work is designed for the long term and rests on three closely connected pillars: The foundation is the “GenE Youth Cooperation” pillar with fixed trilateral project partnerships. Here, three organisations from three European countries join forces for a full three years. Local engagement is combined with international youth encounters so that youth groups can support each other across all borders. In the “GenE Next Steps” pillar, network partners organise opportunities for experienced young people over the age of 18 to stay involved. The “GenE Advocacy” pillar focuses on lobbying for better conditions for youth work in Europe and other issues that the young people in the network care about.
Fresh Impulses for the Network
For the 2026 to 2028 programme phase, the network has undergone some restructuring. This was necessary because some organisations had to leave due to the often difficult conditions in youth work. We are very happy to welcome dedicated new partner organisations who will work with us on this ambitious programme. Examples of these new network partners are Freizeitwerk Welper from Hattingen in Germany, Pärnu Huub from Estonia, House on the Hill from Chernivtsi in Ukraine, Terzo Millennio from Castri di Lecce in Italy, and the Jugendbegegnungsstätte am Tower from Oberschleißheim in Bavaria. In addition, one organisation is returning to the network after a break: ROOTS & ROUTES Cologne, welcome back!
Values as a Pedagogical Compass
The foundation for this cooperation is a new Mission Statement for the next three years, which everyone present solemnly signed during the conference. In working groups, the youth workers also discussed best practices on how to translate the core idea of the statement – that democracy must be lived and learned every day through equal participation opportunities – into everyday youth work.
Focus on Peer Education: The Mentors
To achieve this goal, pedagogical planning was a huge priority during the conference. In addition to the established youth leader trainings and other educational opportunities, there is a crucial new feature in the new programme phase: the Mentors.
Mentors are young people aged 18 and older who have already gained experience in international youth projects and civil society engagement. Within the network, they will act as peer educators to support the work of local youth groups and international encounters. In this way, they help the participants to turn their own ideas into reality. This consistent promotion of peer-to-peer learning is designed to strengthen young people sustainably and encourage them to take on responsibility themselves.
Global Visions, Local Roots
Another key topic of the conference week was the essential connection between local youth work and European cooperation. Because if young people are to see themselves as effective shapers of society, real change must start where their lives are centred: in their own neighbourhood or city. Only when youth work is deeply rooted in the local community can it have its full impact. Because the realities and conditions for local youth engagement vary greatly in different countries and regions, the exchange on how to do this important work even under difficult conditions played a major role.
The advocacy project Youth Voices Rising shows how powerful it can be when local experiences are brought together and multiplied in a European network. This project acts as a bridge from the old to the new programme phase. At the conference, the project partners responsible for organising this initiative updated the entire network on the progress. They highlighted specific opportunities for local youth groups to get involved and presented the planned training sessions on local lobbying and using social media for targeted advocacy campaigns.
The Core: Concrete Project Planning
The absolute heart of the conference week was the practical planning of upcoming projects. In their respective trilateral partnerships – fixed groups of three organisations from three different countries – the youth workers worked intensively on the details for this year’s international youth encounters. Here, they translated the big concept of youth participation into concrete timelines, methods, and logistics. This planning work was complemented by practical sessions on new digital management tools, the toolbox on the Generation Europe website, and strategies for local press and public relations.
By all of this, the network is starting the next three years with a strong foundation and enormous motivation. A big thank you to everyone involved! Here’s to an exciting and impactful three years of cooperation!
