In 2026, 43 organisations were awarded structural grants. Together, these organisations represent more than 1,000 member organisations across the 46 member states of the Council of Europe. The total amount of awarded structural grants for 2026 is 950 250 euro. The grants are awarded for use in 2026, and are renewable for 2027.

When applying, these organisations demonstrated their commitment to all four youth sector priorities of the Council of Europe:

• Revitalising pluralistic democracy
• Young people’s access to rights
• Living together in peaceful and inclusive societies
• Youth work

In addition, the organisations have committed to the Council of Europe’s transversal priorities: accessibility, gender mainstreaming, and a youth perspective.

The list of the awarded grants:

Structural grants 2026-2027

Structural grants provide operational support to youth organisations or networks that have cooperated with the European Youth Foundation (EYF) or the European Youth Centres of the Council of Europe. These lump sum grants are designed to cover general administrative costs—including office expenses, staff, organisation of statutory meetings, equipment, and other essential operations—ensuring these international youth organisations and networks can continue their vital work effectively.

In 2026, a total of 48 projects were awarded across Europe, with a combined funding amount of €1,801,224.34 (€1,143,834.51 for long-term youth co-operation projects, € 557,389.83 for one-off youth co-operation activities and €100,000 for European Youth Forum). These projects tackle key issues such as climate justice, intersectional feminism, mental health, rural inclusion, democracy, environmental protection, leadership development, minority rights, etc. Activities range from international conferences and simulation games to online campaigns and innovative training programs.

One-off youth co-operation activities focuses primarily on the organisation of an international meeting of young people, for example a youth camp, seminar, conference, training course or study visit; while long-term youth co-operation projects includes a combination of international meetings and other activities, such as campaigns, advocacy projects, production of educational and other resources, research, support for local activities or regional initiatives.

 

APPROVED PROJECTS

 One-off youth co-operation activities

"Voices of resilience: student activism for a global future", implemented by Organising Bureau of European School Student Unions (OBESSU) 

Amount: €16,112 Venue: Košice, Slovak Republic and Lviv, Ukraine

This proposal aims to support Ukrainian students, build capacity of OBESSU member organisations and promote student activism in times of war. The IA comprises a training in Slovakia and a follow-up study visit in Lviv, Ukraine, for 25 young people (12 Ukrainian). During the training participants will use trauma-informed methodology developed by the CoE to develop skills around digital activism and campaigning during wartime, mental health, EU institutions and their role in rebuilding Ukraine. They will develop a Resource Pack (good practices of inclusion of refugees in educational system of OBESSU member countries, testimonials from Ukrainian students and conclusions from the sessions of the international activity), which is expected to be used by participants in the multiplication of the project.

 

"Empowering young professionals to end homelessness in Europe", implemented by Fédération Européenne des Associations Nationales Travaillant avec les Sans-Abri - Jeunes (FEANTSA Youth) 

Amount: €22,664.4 Venue: Braga, Portugal

The project will gather 25 young professionals working in the homeless sector across Europe in a training course to raise awareness about the European, youth and human rights dimensions necessary to tackle homelessness. After the international meeting, participants are expected to have better knowledge about the European dimension of homelessness and its link with human rights, as well as to be more empowered as young professionals in the work to end homelessness in Europe. Follow-up actions include drafting an action plan on how to further promote the voices of young professionals in the homeless sector in Europe.

 

"ReGeneration week 2026", implemented by The ReGeneration 2030 Foundation (ReGen) 

Amount: €24,325 Venue: Mariehamn, Finland

The project is a youth-organised residential 6-day camp for 140 youth taking environmental action in the Nordic and Baltic Sea Region. Young people will gather to share knowledge, skills and strategies to enhance a just sustainable transition in the region through democratic action, from activistic methods like democratic protests to community building to direct political advocacy. Along with workshops, the camp also contains elements of direct democracy, through the form of a youth plenary session, where the participants create and vote on a position document or other form of declaration.

 

"Peace through participation: nordic baltic eastern european cooperation conference", implemented by Finnish National Youth Council and Youth Sector (FYCS) 

Amount: €6,000 Venue: Helsinki, Finland

The project is a 4-day conference for representatives from 11 different National Youth Councils from Northern and Eastern Europe with the cause to culminate a joint statement on youth participation and peacebuilding between the youth sectors of their countries. The conference aims to share best practices and find common solutions to challenges relating to strengthening democratic participation and capacity for peacebuilding among young people and is a new and unprecedented forum.

 

"Lead on – a leadership course for young disability rights activists", implemented by European Network on Independent Living Youth Network (ENIL Youth Network) 

Amount: €16,650 Venue: Istanbul, Türkiye

This project is a five-day course for 14 young people with disabilities (accompanied by 6 personal assistants) to become multipliers and leaders in disability and human rights movements. Participants of the leadership course will be encouraged to develop an action plan, containing concrete activities and project ideas for the ENIL Youth Network, as part of their skill-development. A training manual for the ENIL Youth Network Board, Youth Network members and other youth organisations will be published after the training.

 

"Boosting youth democratic governance through participatory budgeting BUDGETIFY", implemented by Information and Education Development Network (INEDNET) 

Amount: €24,993 Venue: Yerevan or Tsaghkadzor, Armenia and Austria

This is a 7-day capacity-building training course on participatory budgeting and youth participation in local governance, designed to empower 21 young leaders from different European countries to become active drivers of participatory democracy in their communities. The envisioned outputs include participants' action plans, a resource pack with Participatory budgeting methodologies and awareness-raising strategies, as well as the implementation local projects.

 

"Young advocates of hope and solidarity", implemented by International Volunteering Organisation Women Education and Development (V.I.D.E.S.) 

Amount: €17,224.66 Venue: Sevilla, Spain

This is a four-day international seminar for young people from the VIDES International network experiencing social disadvantage, on youth access to rights. They will discuss, identify common trends and similarities in the difficulties they experience, come up with actions for the most pressing issues, and work together for the creation of the next 4-year organisation’s strategy, as well as get engaged with its follow-up and monitoring. 

 

"Regional pride academy", implemented by Youth Initiative for Human Rights - Serbia (YIHR - Serbia) 

Amount: €16,666 Venue: Belgrade, Serbia

The Pride Academy equips 24 young LGBTQI+ people and allies to organise safely, speak up confidently, and co-create practical tools for inclusive civic action. The project consists of three parts: five online groundwork labs, a 4-day regional pride academy, and country-level mini-campaigns to promote a co-designed pride volunteer playbook. Outcomes entail a multilingual playbook, a facilitators’ pack for the five labs and the 4-day academy, 8 country mini-campaigns, and 8 national promotional events (one per country).

 

"Training center of excellence 2026: non-formal education for human rights and inclusive healthcare", implemented by European Medical Students' Association (EMSA EUROPE) 

Amount: €9,622 Venue: Istanbul, Türkiye

This is a six-day training course to equip 24 medical students from across Europe with skills in non-formal education. The event consists of two parallel trainings: training new trainers and pillar-based training on Medical Ethics and Human Rights (MEHR) with some joint sessions on essential skills for all participants—such as non-formal education methods, advocacy, and trainer development. Outputs entail local actions, at least one workshop delivered per participant and drafting a peer educator accreditation pilot proposal.

 

"Roma youth policy influencers", implemented by ternYpe International Roma Youth Network 

Amount: €25,000 Venue: Berlin, Germany

The organisation, through its project seeks to strengthen the capacity of Roma youth advocates across Europe to monitor, influence, and advocate for inclusive policies over a six-day international training for 20 Roma youth activists. The project outcomes consist of a podcast series, a social media campaign, a collective advocacy paper and a draft framework for a Roma Youth Consultative Body on a European level, serving as the foundation for lobbying for institutional recognition of Roma youth participation but also for national policy and research influences.

 

"Challenging far-right extremism: awareness and rights for minority youth", implemented by European Free Alliance Youth (EFAY) 

Amount: €16,666 Venue: Sabadell, Spain and Klagenfurt, Austria

The project includes a 4-day international seminar bringing together minority and stateless nation youth from across Europe to explore and challenge the rise of far-right extremism. The activity will create a safe, youth-led space to share experiences of discrimination, build a shared understanding of how far-right hostility affects young people in different contexts, and develop collective tools to respond to exclusion and hate speech, notably also elements for an EFAY strategy what includes this topic. 

 

"Empowering youth in the digital age", implemented by European Fellowship of Christian Youth (EF) 

Amount: €24,999.25 Venue: Kirkham, United Kingdom

The proposal aims to equip 40 youth workers and young leaders with the competences needed to critically use social media and digital tools for youth participation, community engagement and responsible leadership. Participants will learn film making skills, useful for branding their organisation, have sessions on media literacy, disinformation and AI, and plan follow-up activities in their own settings (workshops on media literacy or digital competences, social media strategies for their organisations). Outputs will include a "European digital literacy toolkit", participant's local actions and at least 5 co-created videos during the training.

 

"Libertas bootcamp 2026", implemented by LYMEC European Liberal Youth 

Amount: €13,699.8 Venue: Brussels, Belgium

This project tackles the issue of freedom of expression, rights to privacy and identity formation through media narratives by organising a four-day training/bootcamp in Brussels for 12 young authors contributing to Libertas, the European Liberal Youth’s online magazine. The activity aims to empower them to produce credible, fact-based, and persuasive content while reinforcing their role as informed, responsible, and impactful communicators in the public sphere. One month after the training/bootcamp, a webinar will be organised with participants and trainers to evaluate the impact of the activity, and to discuss possible support for organising local activities (if relevant), a survey will be conducted two months after the activity to analyse the metrics engagement of the media pieces produced by participants. Outputs of the project are expected to be blog posts or articles containing personal narratives and rights-based expression of participants, an educational guide capturing best practices in liberal writing and media literacy and possibly follow-up workshops. 

 

"Connecting cultures for mental health", implemented by International Young Catholic Students International Movement of Catholic Students (JECI MIEC) 

Amount: €25,000 Venue: El Atazar, Spain

Within this project a Summer Camp for young people from Europe and Latin America will be organised to exchange perspectives on mental health, stigma, privilege, and inclusion, and to reflect on similarities and differences in how mental illness is perceived and addressed across cultures. Follow up includes personal and organisational awareness on support systems. The activity will build on the findings from previous study sessions of JECI-MIEC. 

 

"European rural youth forward conference 2026", implemented by Rural Youth Europe (RYE) 

Amount: €25,000 Venue: Infiesto, Spain

The project aims to organise a four-day European Rural Youth Forward Conference in 2026, bringing together 50 rural youth leaders and policy-makers to discuss inclusive and participatory rural policy-making. During the conference, a roadmap for enhancing youth participation in decision-making will be developed and disseminated and followed by an advocacy campaign and social media outputs.

 

"Communications forum 2026", implemented by World Organisation of the Scout Movement (WOSM)

Amount: €25,000 Venue: Gdansk, Poland

This project aims to gather 60 participants from two target groups (youth workers representing communication specialists from Member Organisations; and young volunteers who are contribution to national day-to-day communication) for a five-day training forum. The forum will prepare young volunteer participants for the international WOSM Jamboree event taking place in 2027 in Poland (hosting more than 100 organisations and a few thousand participants). And at the same time, the youth workers/specialists in communication will benefit from training on crisis communication (with focus on developing strategies for crisis communication, stakeholder management, etc). The project will create the following outputs: a template for developing a crisis communication plan, a guide on responsible crisis communication and misinformation management, an online platform for collaboration and tool sharing, session materials to be used for cascading effect. 

 

"Unmasking industry influence: empowering youth for sustainable health", implemented by International Youth Health Organization (YHO) 

Amount: €24,847.35 Venue: Timișoara, Romania

The project is a 5-day training course for youth leaders and youth workers on the right to live in a sustainable society and in a healthy environment, focusing on nutrition and physical activity aspects of health for young people. The goal is to “unmask industry tactics and narratives in shaping health and sustainability policies” and “negatively impact public health, as well as “understand behavioral approaches to health promotion and prevention”. The main output of this training will be a game which will be developed by participants to be utilised in the local actions and campaigns to be implemented as follow up to the training.

 

"Women, leadership, politics – YEPP Camp", implemented by Youth of the European People’s Party (YEPP) 

Amount: €25,000 Venue: Madrid, Spain

The project aims to promote women leadership, empowerment and involvement in politics through a 4-day summer/leadership camp. 30 participants will take part in workshops (on writing resolutions), panel discussions (MEPs and elected officials), debates and study visits in Madrid, Spain. Expected outputs: the resolutions produced by participants to be presented at the organisation's general council and voted upon, a consolidated report containing the resolutions as well as achievements of the follow-up activities, and a follow-up workshop. After the camp, participants will organise focus groups in their countries to present the findings of the camp at local level. 

 

"Together 4 peace: a practical training on conflict resolution and peacebuilding for youth workers", implemented by Armenian Progressive Youth (APY) 

Amount: €23,414 Venue: Yerevan, Armenia

The project includes a seven-day training course for 35 youth workers from 7 countries on skills and tools on conflict analysis, non-violent communication, mediation techniques, intercultural dialogue, and best practices in youth work for peacebuilding. The main outputs of this project will be local action plans by participants. The application mentions also a training manual, a resource pack, short educational videos and an online platform for future exchanges among partners but there is no dedicated time for them in the programme of the training.

 

"Resilient voices: youth work in times of change", implemented by Erasmus Student Network (ESN) 

Amount: €25,000 Venue: Ochoz u Brna, Czechia

The project is a capacity building activity that brings together 40 young people across Europe for a 7-day Training of Trainers on the topic of delivering “youth work in contexts of rising social tension, political polarisation, and shrinking civic space”. The training will assist youth workers to identify threats to civic spaces, facilitate dialogue in polarised environments, respond constructively to conflicting narratives in their communities and support young people affected by these dynamics. Based on the application, the international activity will be followed by training sessions delivered by participants to the five regional event of ESN that take place annually.

 

"Elevate youth through youth leadership and inclusion", implemented by European Non Governmental Sports Organisation Youth (ENGSO YOUTH) 

Amount: €24,186 Venue: Dubrovnik, Croatia

The project aims to strengthen the leadership skills of 30 youth leaders from various European countries active in youth and sports organisations. It seeks to equip them with the skills, confidence and tools needed to effectively advocate for youth inclusion and participation in decision-making processes. The initiative includes a four-day international activity, followed by locally implemented advocacy campaigns.

 

"Ethos not pathos: enhancing young refugees' and asylum seekers' well-being, inclusion and resilience", implemented by United for Intercultural Action European Network against Nationalism Racism Fascism and in Support of Migrants and Refugees (UNITED) 

Amount: €20,319.63 Venue: Nicosia, Cyprus

The aim of the project is to combat racism, discrimination, social exclusion of refugees in supporting mental health and community building services for refugees and asylum seekers (children and adolescents). This will be done through a five-day training for 20 participants from 7 countries (youth workers, students in psychology, social studies, education, etc) to increase their capacities in providing mental health and psychosocial support, including psychological first aid to refugees and asylum seekers. The training will then empower participants to produce an information brochure (with information at national level) on national asylum systems, type of support and services available to refugees. The participants  will use the information brochure to organise 5 to 7 local actions. 

 

"Building bridges - youth dialogue for peace and human rights in Europe", implemented by Don Bosco Youth Net IVZW (DBYN) 

Amount: €17,080.74 Venue: Benediktbeuern, Germany

The project is a 5-day training course for 21 youth workers on human rights, peace education, and conflict escalation and prevention, aiming to help them apply this knowledge in their youth centres and communities. During the course, a draft recommendation for a Youth Charter for Peace as well as a training manual will be drafted and shared with the whole network and beyond.

 

"Artificial intelligence in youth work: learn about AI – work with AI",  implemented by European Minority Youth Network (EMYN) 

Amount: €15,390 Venue: Riga, Latvia

The project aims to hold a 7-days long training course for 23 youth workers and activists to increase their competences and to enable them to use the artificial intelligence (AI) tools in the youth work.

 

"Empower to participate" training course, implemented by European Educational Exchanges Youth for Understanding (EEE YFU) 

Amount: €25,000 Venue: Eberswalde, Germany

The overall aim of the project is to promote active citizenship, discovering different participatory models of civic engagement and democratic participation of young people. This will be done by organising a one-month long e-learning course for 20 participants to train them on youth participation models, forms of engagement and how to deliver educational activities on active citizenship through NFE methods, followed by the practical application (“in-person training”) of these skills at a large-scale event (400 participants) and finally with follow-up local actions.

 

"Activating volunteer momentum", implemented by World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts Europe Office (WAGGGS) 

Amount: €25,000 Venue: London, United Kingdom

The project aims to strengthen the leadership skills, advocacy capacity, and resilience of young volunteers engaged in youth work across Europe over a 4-day international training course. The event will bring together around 20 young participants and 4 team members to foster cross-border collaboration and knowledge-sharing among youth leaders.

 

"Fighting antifeminism and queerphobia – building youth resistance across borders", implemented by International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY)

Amount: €22,530 Venue: Vienna, Austria

The project aims to combat anti-feminist, anti-queer and anti-rights movements in Europe. A 4-day training will be organised for 22 young participants, who will contribute to creating a brochure on "Mapping anti-rights movements" and organise local actions after the training.

 

  Long-term youth co-operation projects

"Transforming environmental conflicts: youth for dialogue and rights", implemented by Youth and Environment Europe (YEE) 

Amount: €53,545.55

The project aims to equip young people with skills in non-violent communication and advocacy through constructive dialogue to tackle the conflicts relevant to the cause of environmental protection (external conflicts, such as wars, pollution, as well as those internal to the environmental movement). The first activity is an international gathering of 25 young people associated to YEE member organisations from 10 countries, during which they will develop skills and advocacy plans, together with a joint declaration. The next activity consists of 10 local actions implemented by the participants in their communities. The third activity is a retreat of 3 days to reflect on the experience and consolidate their learning. The proposal uses the toolkit 12 of the EU- CoE youth partnership as a conceptual framework for the intervention logic. 

 

"ACTIVATE – advocacy, campaigning, and training for inclusive youth participation", implemented by VOICIFY - European Forum for Youth with Lived Migration Experiences 

Amount: €49,310

The project aims to empower young representatives of YREMASUD-led organisations (standing for Young Refugees, Exiled, Migrants, Asylum Seekers and UnDocumented) in advocacy and leadership, and support them in transferring these skills within their organisations and communities while strengthening their network at European level. It targets YREMASUD young people between 16 and 35 years old who have migration experiences, coming from non-EU countries and living in EU member states and democratically represent self-led organisations in the EU. The first activity is a series of 5 online training sessions, offered to 20 representatives of organisations to develop their capacities in advocacy and campaigning. In the second activity, the same participants will meet in Brussels to attend a training in person covering Community Organising, Stakeholder Management, EU Migration Policy, Facilitation and Multiplying, and Mental Health and Advocacy. Finally the last activity is focused on local trainings in participants’ communities, adapting tools to their contexts.

 

"Counteracting the anti-gender movement and its narratives", implemented by International Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer and Intersex Youth and Student Organisation (IGLYO) 

Amount: €60,000

This project, led by and designed for young LGBTQI activists across CoE countries, aims to strengthen the LGBTQI youth movement’s capacity to recognise, resist, and counteract the growing anti-gender movement in Europe. In response to members’ expressed needs for accessible tools, advocacy skills, and stronger visibility, the project will build knowledge, amplify lived experiences, particularly of youth with intersecting identities, and influence European-level policy. The plan consists of three phases: the first activity is an International Conference to develop shared understanding and initial policy ideas; the second activity is a 2-day EU and CoE Advocacy Study Visit to translate these ideas into concrete policy recommendations; finally, the third activity is a youth-led communications campaign to publicise key messages through videos, podcast, and social media and is ongoing throughout the long-term project. The main outputs will include strengthened activist skills, new evidence on the impact of anti-gender discourse, and policy recommendations for European decision-makers, while the long-term outcomes include increased resilience, visibility, and influence of LGBTQI youth across Europe.

 

"We are IN for FEMinism", implemented by Federation of Young European Greens (FYEG) 

Amount: €60,000

This project aims to strengthen the capacity of 35 young activists to apply intersectional feminism as a guiding principle in their activism and organisational strategies. The proposal includes an international meeting for a 6-day event in Czechia (with preparatory online sessions) exploring feminism, intersectionality, and linked struggles to build participants’ analytical and practical skills for future initiatives; and a second activity of local actions over 5 months where participants apply learning from the previous meeting through workshops, campaigns, or projects, fostering inclusive practices and intersectional leadership within their communities. Expected outputs: handbook on Intersectional Feminism by Young Greens, campaign, short video.

 

"Strengthening international voluntary service (IVS): certification of volunteer skills and advocacy for recognition (C-IVS skills)", implemented by Coordinating Committee for International Voluntary Service (CCIVS) 

Amount: €60,000

The proposal addresses the lack of formal recognition of competencies gained through the international voluntary service (IVS) by shifting the focus from technical validation to recognising IVS competences as a fundamental youth right. The long-term project includes: Activity 1: an online kick-off campaign for 30 participants, highlighting competencies gained through IVS and linked to the International Year of Volunteering 2026; Activity 2: a certification development workshop for 12 participants to review existing recognition tools and design a prototype certification system; Activity 3 (international gathering): an international certification lab for 21 participants to test the draft framework and prototype with young people and youth workers. Expected outputs: competence framework, tested certification prototype, and practical toolkit.

 

"Create peace: youth artivism for climate justice", implemented by Service Civil International SCI 

Amount: €60,000

The overall aim of the long-term project is to combine peace education, climate justice and artivism in reviving and innovating the workcamp model of SCI. The first activity is an international meeting of 24 participants for 6 days on critical understanding of intersectional climate justice and antimilitarism, including how militarism contributes to climate collapse and reflection on updated workcamp models; the second activity is organised through the summer months by testing various models and methodologies of workcamps (at least 10 initiatives); and the third activity is another international gathering of 7 days for 24 young people aimed at deepening participants’ skills in artivism, storytelling, and theatre, enabling them to transform eco-anxiety into action and communicate climate justice through public interventions. Outputs will include audiovisual material (collective action performance, short documentary film, Zine articles by participants). A research component is embedded in the A2, as the organisation is looking at analysing climate emission impacts of the workcamps.

 

"Changing narratives - national youth campaigns against hate speech", implemented by Stichting No Hate Speech Network (NHSN) 

Amount: €59,900

This project aims to strengthen the network members to renew national actions and international cooperation structures against hate speech, a fundamental objective of NHSN. The long-term project builds on the work that NHSN is doing with the CoE, either through study sessions and a currently ongoing EYF-funded project, or through the participation in the No Hate Speech Week in 2024 and 2025, by adding the development and operationalisation of a new strategic plan for the network for 2026-2030. The 1st phase will be a conference for 35 participants become ambassadors and multipliers of the No Hate Speech Network and plan local projects. The 2nd phase will be the implementation of the local projects in at least 12 countries, followed by the 3rd phase which will be an on-site training in Brussels to share the results of their pilot projects, evaluate them together, connect with European stakeholders and create a collection of best practices in an action plan.

 

"YouthEmpowered: investing in a generation of leaders", implemented by World Organisation of the Scout Movement (WOSM) 

Amount: €57,300

The project sets out to empower young people within the WOSM network by creating youth-led, inclusive spaces where they can exchange experiences, reflect on challenges, and co-create solutions on societal and organisational issues, particularly in the fields of peace, human rights, and youth dialogue. The first international activity is the youth empowerment flagship event of the European Scout Region for the age section 18-24,  peer-led by participants from the previous editions of the event, and this year will focus on peace education. The second international gathering is a training of trainers that brings 5 participants from the Agora together with 10 other facilitators identified from the flagship event to upskill and prepare the facilitators to deliver high quality sessions and ensure they feel adequately prepared and confident to take on the role. The third activity is an annual event created in collaboration with the European Region of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) and brings together approximate 200 participants from different roles from national level of the WOSM member organisations.

 

"PoEM - palette of emotions: supporting young people’s emotional wellbeing through art", implemented by Youth for Exchange and Understanding YEU 

Amount: €60,000

The project tackles the need for mental health and emotional wellbeing of young people and resilience through equipping youth workers and volunteers with skills to carry out artistic activities with young people. The Activity 1 is a training for 20 youth workers from 10 countries on visual arts, creative writing, drama and music and integrating digital tools in their work. Then, in Activity 2, the same participants and 20 more come together to co-create pilot artistic interventions. Finally, in Activity 3, 30 participants from the previous activities meet again to evaluate and kick off a transnational campaign. In between phases, participants are expected to carry artistic activities.

 

"Students as changemakers: strengthening representation and narrative power", implemented by Forum of European Muslim Youth and Student Organisations (FEMYSO) 

Amount: €56,776

The project tackles the exclusion of Muslim students from decision-making processes affecting their education and student experience, such as exclusion from university governance structures, national education policy development, and European-level discussions on youth and student rights. The main aim is to empower student organisations—especially those representing minorities—to engage in decision-making and influence policies affecting their education and experience. The first activity is a training course on advocacy, negotiation and lobbying. The second activity is an international gathering of young people on using media to amplify youth voices, equipping them to counter discrimination and to lead student campaign. 

 

"Green youth for diversity of life – exploring the interplay of climate crisis, biodiversity, and human rights", implemented by Cooperation and Development Network for Eastern Europe (CDN) 

Amount: €60,000

The project tackles the interplay between biodiversity, climate crisis, and human rights, by empowering green youth organisations in Eastern Europe in the areas of education, policymaking, and advocacy related to protection of biodiversity and human rights. The proposal has 2 phases: a first training course for 35 young multipliers on the topics mentioned above, followed by the implementation of local actions in at least 7 countries on these topics. 

 

"Rule of law education (ROLE)", implemented by The European Law Students' Association (ELSA) 

Amount: €60,000

The project tackles the need for education about the rule of law among young people. It includes an initial training for 35 law students on human rights education (Activity 1), followed by 10 local/national initiatives in different countries to raise awareness on the rule of law among young people. 

 

"Europe on track 12: young climate defenders in action", implemented by Association des Etats Generaux des Etudiants de l'Europe (AEGEE)

Amount: €60,000

The project tackles the need for the active involvement of young individuals in European socio-political processes at local, regional and European levels, in issues relating to climate action. The proposal includes an initial training for 6 young people to act as ambassadors in the project on the topic of climate action and civic youth participation as well as non-formal education methods. Then, these participants conduct 20 local educational activities across Europe and reaching 500 young people from diverse backgrounds in discussions, capturing their opinions. Following this first phase, in Activity 2, 20 young people join a youth conference to deepen their knowledge on the topic of environmental sustainability, climate action and policy/advocacy. At the end of it, they will create policy recommendations to be disseminated to selected European decision-makers and other youth organisations and create a follow-up action in their communities. Following this, 3 regional advocacy meetings will emerge where 12 young people will have the opportunity to discuss with decision makers and municipalities and present the project’s outcomes. 

 

"Empowering young christian voices: spaces, participation, and advocacy", implemented by Ecumenical Youth Council in Europe (EYCE) 

Amount: €60,000

The main focus is empowering young Christians in Europe by establishing independent spaces for participation, advocacy, and dialogue on pressing societal and theological questions. The proposal includes mapping of spaces and models for youth participants through small visits to diverse European regions and church contexts to collect firsthand data on effective youth participation practices (Activity 1). As a second activity, a seminar will be organised to analyse insights gathered from the regional study visits, creating a comprehensive mapping of participation contexts and best practices, forming the basis for the Ecumenical Youth Participation Guide (Activity 2). Activity 3 is a training course on for participants to gain practical advocacy and organisational skills to develop stronger participation, collaboratively developing and finalizing the Ecumenical Youth Participation Guide. Activity 4 brings the models and the guide back to local contexts with different local and regional trainings. Finally, the last Activity is a series of webinars to expand outreach and ongoing dialogue about participation of young Christians, involving wider youth networks in the project's learnings and achievements.

 

"Mind matters: student-led action for mental health in schools", implemented by Organising Bureau of European School Student Unions (OBESSU) 

Amount: €40,346.3

The project tackles the declining mental health of young people and the lack of this topic in the school curriculum. The proposal includes a first international activity to train peer actors and advocates for mental health in schools and local communities, including in school student unions. After this, there will be 2 activities, A2 and A3 which are regional meetings for exchange of practices and policies and for developing demands and priorities at all levels with the aim to integrate inclusive mental health services in schools and education on mental health in the school curricula. In A4, the proposal includes grants for cross-border cooperation, capacity building and awareness raising campaigns on the main topic. 

 

"Youth in 4D: discover, defend and drive democracy", implemented by World Student Christian Federation in Europe (WSCF-E) 

Amount: €60,000

The project tackles the need to engage young people in democracy, specifically by empowering them to engage critically, explore the intersections of democracy with Christian values, and take active roles in democratic advocacy within their communities. The long-term project includes a kick-off meeting and 4 regional events for young people to discuss the perceived state of democracy in their contexts (activity 1). In the second Activity, 20 participants will  explore the relationship between democracy and Christian values and prepare local democracy-focused actions that they will carry out in Activity 3. These might include advocacy campaigns, public debates, non-formal education workshops, or interfaith dialogue - all designed to empower young people as democratic actors. The last phase of the project consolidates its impact by evaluating the outcomes of the local actions and documenting the actions implemented by participants. 

 

"Beyond the algorithm: rural youth, leadership, AI, and critical thinking in a digital society", implemented by Rural Youth Europe (RYE) 

Amount: €60,000

The project tackles the challenges posed by digitalization and artificial intelligence (AI) to the situation of rural youth, especially to their participation in democratic processes and civic life. The aim is to empower rural youth with critical thinking skills to navigate the challenges and opportunities of AI and digitalization in a rapidly evolving digital society while fostering rural leadership in this context. The proposal includes 3 international activities, A1 to set the foundations of understanding AI and its challenges in a rapidly digitalizing world. The A2 Summer Rural Forum will focus on equipping rural youth with leadership skills to navigate AI-driven challenges. An outcome of this forum will be the creation of Info Pills—short, digestible, and visually engaging educational materials shared on social media and online platforms. The final activity is a seminar bringing together youth leaders and youth workers to develop a critical thinking game that can be used by youth organisations in rural areas to engage young people in questioning AI-driven content and digital narratives. 

 

"Democracy re:boot – engage, defend, innovate!", implemented by International Young Naturefriends IYNF 

Amount: €60,000

The project tackles the issues of anti-democratic tendencies, misinformation, disengagement and tensions in the society. The aim of the proposal is to empower young people to engage in democratic processes, defend democracy and reimagine civic engagement through gamification. The proposal includes 3 international meetings, A1 - the Democracy Lab is a seminar to explore the topic of democracy. A2 “Democracy Hacks: Shaping strategies and solutions” will offer space to participants to practice media literacy skills and to critically assess misleading narratives, and develop their own online workshops on democracy. A3 “Democracy XP: Rule the game, not the people” will offer participants space to develop democracy games. After each activity, some outputs and multiplier actions are foreseen: a social media campaign after A1, a day on democracy with different online workshops after A2, and dissemination of the game after A3. 

 

"Subjects matter: autonomous leaders for impactful and sustainable civil society spaces", implemented by Alliance Europeenne des YMCA (YMCA EUROPE)

Amount: €60,000

The proposal tackles the need for leadership and sustainability of civil society interventions. The first activity is a 5-day international training on leadership and social projects for 25 young people from 15 countries. This is followed by a phase of local actions, in which participants receive small funds to carry out socially relevant and inclusion projects. The third activity is an international one, gathering the same 25 participants to learn about sustainability of civil society and strengthening social impact, both at project level and in the governance of organisations. The output of the proposal is a toolkit about the main topics. 

 

"Minorities at danger, time for youth activism!", implemented by International Federation of Liberal Youth (IFLRY) 

Amount: €44,830

The overall aim is to empower young people to counter discrimination and exclusion of minorities by exploring the root causes, consequences, and solutions for minority rights violations in Europe. The first international activity includes 15 participants and will tackle the rise of xenophobia, particularly targeting refugees and Roma youth. Participants will learn how to challenge discriminatory narratives locally and regionally. The second international activity includes 15 participants and will focus on the anti-rights movement and how to combat the spread of anti-democratic, anti-equality and anti-human rights rhetoric and on how to prevent young people from being drawn into such ideologies. Participants will explore counterstrategies rooted in pluralism, inclusion, and human rights. The third and last international activity will bring together 12 participants of the previous activities and 8 new ones to reflect on the lessons learned, share local follow-up actions, and build lasting collaboration networks across borders and issue a joint youth statement.

 

"Climate and democracy mainstreaming - ClimDM", implemented by Young European Federalists (JEF) 

Amount: €59,126.66

The project tackles climate action and young people’s democratic engagement in climate issues. Activity 1 is a training for 25 young people to develop skills for climate action. Activity 2 is an international activity in the form of a simulation of the green deal format. Activity 3 is a set of 10 local actions by the participants of the first 2 activities and other JEF section. The final activity is a two day conference to close the project, take stock of the results and launch a manifesto that all the participants worked on in different project phases.