International training sessions organised as part of Youth Voices Rising prepare young people to speak out for themselves. At the same time, they are equipped to empower their peers back home to advocate for their own concerns and demands.
In the following, our project partner Irenia, Jocs de Pau (La Nou de Berguedà, Spain) reports on how the project has specifically supported local young people in raising their voices at a formal parliamentary hearing in the Catalan Parliament. They addressed the topic of racism and discrimination in the education system. Many thanks to everyone involved!
In early 2026, Irenia sent four young people to the International Lobbying Training in Greece and to the Multiplier Training for Local Lobbyists in Germany. These seminars aimed to strengthen their knowledge and equip them with new skills and tools in lobbying and advocacy, enabling them to help organise local lobbying training sessions in Spain later this year.
After several preparation meetings, two local training seminars finally took place in October. The first was held over the weekend of 3-4 October near Berga, around 200 km from Barcelona. It brought together young people starting a new three-year Generation Europe project (2026–2028) and some participants from the previous Generation Europe programme phase (2021–2025). This created a valuable opportunity to foster continuity between the two generations and explore lobbying and advocacy from the dual perspectives of newcomers and more experienced participants.
One key takeaway emerged: young people must be equipped with the tools, knowledge and opportunities to influence the decisions and structures that shape their lives from the very beginning of their involvement in a project for change. Lobbying and advocacy should therefore be integrated into the project cycle from day one.
Building on this approach, the second training session took place in Barcelona on Saturday, 10 October. It brought together additional participants from the previous Generation Europe programme phase and young people who had responded to our open call, further broadening participation and creating new opportunities for engagement.
In total, 24 people took part in the two local training courses. The main outcome was a comprehensive understanding of:
- what a project is: a way to turn an idea into action through clear objectives and with the intention of generating impact,
- the importance of working with key actors (stakeholders), who have the power to influence and change rules and laws,
- which tools can be used to build alliances with stakeholders, such as stakeholder mappings and sociograms (a graphical representation of interpersonal relationships within a group),
- how to identify, plan and implement the right strategy to achieve change.
Following Youth Voices Rising’s methodological recommendation to organise a lobbying campaign following the training seminars, we took the next step on 14 October by going to the Parliament of Catalonia for a compareixença, which is a formal parliamentary hearing with MPs from all political parties. Two young people took the floor, whilst the others showed their support and attended the session from the public gallery.
This was a significant opportunity to present our project that is organised in the framework of Generation Europe – The Academy. But above all, the aim was to raise the concerns of racialised young people in Catalonia regarding racism and discrimination in schools, and put forward concrete recommendations to address these issues within the Catalan education system.
The bottom line: Young people are claiming their space, making their voices heard and engaging directly with the institutions responsible for shaping public policies. Transforming the realities around us definitely requires building alliances with relevant stakeholders. We cannot – and must never – walk alone! In the context of Generation Europe – The Academy, our work will continue at local, European and international levels, sharing experiences, strengthening alliances and turning young people’s concerns into collective action.
The cooperation partnership Youth Voices Rising is co-funded by the European Union. The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the EACEA can be held responsible for them.