Empowering youth for digital safety

 15 to 21 september  

Mollina, Spain

The University on Youth and Development (UYD) has been organised by the North South Centre of the Council of Europe for more than twenty years.  It is the most long-standing Summer University. It represents an international hub for meetings, youth advocacy and exchange of good practices. The event gathers, for one week, hundreds of young people, youth workers, decision makers, experts from the field and institutional representatives, providing them all with a space to meet, debate, build their capacities and cooperate on youth policy issues.
The UYD is designed as a space for experiencing intercultural dialogue while debating the most pressing issues of the global youth movement.

2025 Theme

Each University is organised around a cross-cutting theme that represents the common thread linking all the activities. In line with the North-South Centre's Medium-Term Strategy 2024-2027 and the Council of Europe's priorities for cooperation with the Southern Mediterranean, the themes of the Universities are areas of common interest between the regions and between young people, in line with international standards and legal frameworks. In 2025, the UYD theme is: "Empowering youth for digital safety".

Concept note

The joint Programme

The Joint Programme connects all the people involved in all the UYD partners' activities, giving everyone the opportunity to network, share and reflect different perspectives on the annual theme “Empowering youth for digital safety”.

It consists of a series of plenary sessions of different natures: from informal and playful evening activities to more formal debates to explore the annual theme with representatives and experts. It also includes musical moments and interactions with the local community.

The Joint Programme is designed by the Joint Pedagogical Team of the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe together with the Partners and is implemented through non-formal education methods, following the Global Education guidelines.

the partnership

The 24th UYD is organised with the support of Spanish Institute of Youth (INJUVE) and Euro-Latin American Youth Centre (CEULAJ).

Altogether 8 parallel activities take place in the framework of this UYD’s edition, that expects to gather around 250 young people, youth workers, and experts from the field together with institutional representatives, from different world regions and notably from Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Participants have the opportunity to exchange, debate, build their capacities and cooperate on youth related issues having as a reference the standards of the Council of Europe and other international organisations.

The activities and organisations listed below have been chosen to operate within the UYD. They are collaborating to ensure the success of the event and contribute to the advancement of the youth sector.

HEY training of tutors - human rights education for youth

North-South Centre of the Council of Europe

The North-South Centre of the Council of Europe hosts 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 activity gathers 20 participants (18-30) from Europe, Africa and the Middle East who successfully finished at least one of the HEY online courses.

MIL4ELECTIONS: media and information literacy for youth in elections

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

The UNDP delivers MIL4Elections, equipping young leaders with tools to counter disinformation, hate speech, and AI-related risks in electoral contexts. 

The training brings together 22 participants (aged 18-30) from around 14 different countries across Europe. Participants are active members of a Local Youth Council or similar municipal youth structure, with experience in coordination, facilitation, or leadership roles.

Connected & empowered: advancing gender justice in the digital age

Organising Bureau of European School Student Unions (OBESSU)

OBESSU host Connected & Empowered: Advancing Gender Justice in the Digital Age, focusing on digital well-being, safeguarding, and feminist leadership.

The activity gathers 25 participants (aged 15-20) from Europe selected among the
international officers of the OBESSU member organisations.

Euromed young researchers forum

European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed)

The Euromed Young Researchers Forum, convened by the IEMed,  gathers 30 young researchers (aged 18-35) coming from across the Euro-Mediterranean region to address the unique challenges faced by young researchers in the digital era.

Dialogue in the digital era, youth as peacebuilders, multipliers, and storytellers

The International Dialogue Centre (KAICIID)

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 training gathers 22 participants (aged 18-35) who are members of KAICIID’s supported platforms such as KAICIID Fellows Alumni, iDove network and networks graduates, plus KAICIID’s flagship fellowship programme, alumni graduates from regional programmes, including
practitioners from diverse regions of Africa, Arab Region, Europe and Southeast Asia.

AU-EU youth action lab - cooperation grants kick-off meeting

European Youth Forum (YFJ)

The European Youth Forum delivers the AU-EU Youth Action Lab, focusing on campaigning, project implementation, and intercultural dialogue, while linking grantees with youth decision-makers.

20 participants (aged 18-35) coming from youth-led organisations across different African and European countries take part in this activity. They are grantees of the AU-EU Youth Action Lab programme and will follow relevant training sessions for the implementation of their project at the UYD.

Training course “Local youth councils for quality local democracies”

DYPALL Network

The DYPALL Network leads 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.

The training will bring together 22 participants (aged 18-30) from around 14 different countries across Europe. Participants should be active members of a Local Youth Council or similar municipal youth structure, with experience in coordination, facilitation, or leadership roles.

Sands of impact evaluation meeting and campaign launch: assessing the ripple effects of digital empowerment

YEU International

YEU International engages 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.

The activity gathers 27 youth workers, youth leaders and youth trainers (aged 18-30) from Europe that have already worked in or shown interest in working for YEU international education activities including training courses, youth exchanges, seminars, conventions.


 

ilegend III

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. The UYD is organised by the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe, in partnership with a number of youth-led and youth-oriented organisations who have the possibility to run their own activities (trainings, seminars, board meetings, etc.) within a dynamic and participatory context which encourages networking, cooperation and peer-to-peer education.