The Euro-Latin American Youth Centre (CEULAJ) facilities in Mollina (Spain) are ready to welcome 250 participants from all over the world to the 24^th edition of the University on Youth and Development (UYD). Organised by the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe , together with seven partner organisations, this year’s programme places technology and human rights at the centre of the agenda, under the theme Empowering Youth in Digital Safety.

From tomorrow, and throughout the week, participants will engage in a series of simultaneous training courses and workshops addressing the challenges and opportunities of digitalisation, media literacy, the fight against hate speech online, and the promotion of equal and inclusive citizenship.

Digital transformation, media literacy, and information integrity are keystone themes of this year’s edition, while intercultural dialogue is a cross-cutting dimension of the UYD

• The North-South Centre of the Council of Europe will host the second Human Rights Education for Youth Training of Tutors, equipping former HEY online course participants to adapt and deliver the programme within their own constituencies. This will ensure a cascade of national courses tailored to regional and local realities, thereby multiplying the programme’s impact.
• The UNDP will deliver MIL4Elections, equipping young leaders with tools to counter disinformation, hate speech, and AI-related risks in electoral contexts.
• OBESSU will host Connected & Empowered: Advancing Gender Justice in the Digital Age, focusing on digital well-being, safeguarding, and feminist leadership.
• The Euromed Young Researchers Forum, convened by the IEMed, will address the unique challenges faced by young researchers in the digital era.
• The KAICIID Dialogue Centre has placed it at the core of its course Dialogue in the Digital Era, Youth as Peacebuilders, Multipliers, and Storytellers, training  participants in interreligious and intercultural dialogue, identity, stereotypes, and strategies to counter online hate speech.
• The European Youth Forum will deliver the AU-EU Youth Action Lab, focusing on campaigning, project implementation, and intercultural dialogue, while linking grantees with youth decision-makers.
• The DYPALL Network will lead Local Youth Councils for Quality Participation in the Digital Sphere, designed to empower youth leaders to become skilled trainers, facilitators, and multipliers of inclusive practices.
• YEU International will engage a group of youth workers in Sands of Impact Evaluation Meeting and Campaign Launch: Assessing the Ripple Effects of Digital Empowerment, guiding participants to assess campaign results, draft policy recommendations on digital citizenship, and define advocacy strategies.

Now in its 24^th edition, the University on Youth and Development reaffirms its role as a unique platform where young leaders, institutions, and organisations come together to strengthen democratic participation, foster intercultural dialogue, and advance digital empowerment across Europe and beyond.

The UYD is an international youth event part of the iLEGEND III joint programme, co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe.