On 14 and 15 April 2026, the European Youth Foundation carried out a field visit to the first activity of the long-term youth cooperation project “Democracy re:boot - engage, defend, innovate!” organised by International Young Naturefriends in 2026. Through a series of three international trainings, the project aims to empower young people to engage in democratic processes and defend democratic values through innovative youth work approaches.

The first activity, a five-day international training titled “Democracy Lab: Exploring threats, initiating change”, brought together 18 participants active in youth and political organisations from 12 countries to explore key democratic values and principles, as well as current challenges related to democratic decline and extremism. To multiply the results of the training, participants will design a social media campaign to promote democracy and active civic engagement. The activity also serves as a foundation for the upcoming phases of the project, which will culminate in the development of online workshops and a democracy game promoting democratic values and youth participation.

The IYNF project is supported by the EYF through a grant to a long-term youth co-operation project.