Stories that Matter: Active Youth
- Eskisehir, Turkey 22-30 May 2024
About the Project
The Erasmus+ Youth Exchange "Stories that Matter: Active Youth" was developed together with partner organisations from North Macedonia, Serbia, Germany, Turkey, Spain, and Croatia with a shared purpose — to meet the real needs of young people and encourage them to become actively involved in the decision-making processes that shape the societies around them.
At the heart of the project lies a firm belief that developing youth participation skills is a crucial aspect of building democratic societies. Young people must be equipped with the competencies to engage in discussions and decision-making on issues that directly concern them — from youth unemployment and discrimination to social exclusion and growing divisions within society.
By bringing together young people from six European countries, the exchange created an international space for learning, dialogue, and empowerment — supporting participants in taking their place as active and informed citizens.
The "Stories that Matter: Active Youth" project aimed to:
- Increase participants’ competencies in the field of youth participation — building knowledge of its significance, developing the skills required for active engagement, and fostering a proactive attitude toward decision-making processes.
- Investigate diverse forms of youth participation in participating countries, including youth organisations, youth clubs, and youth parliaments.
- Examine the concept of youth participation in the context of building democratic and inclusive societies, ensuring that every group has the right to participate in decision-making regardless of ethnicity, social status, or background.
- Support the exchange of good practices and experiences across participating countries in order to encourage greater youth involvement.
- Encourage and empower participants to take initiative and actively engage in civic life.
- Create a series of three short videos on youth participation to promote the topic in participating communities during follow-up events, combining project footage with personal testimonials from exchange participants.
- Disseminate information about the Erasmus+ Programme 2021–2027 and inspire young participants to take advantage of the opportunities it offers.
- Share information on youth participation through social media to reach and engage young people from participating communities online.
Project Activities
The youth exchange was structured around several key activities:
- Workshops on Youth Participation — Participants deepened their understanding of what youth participation means, why it matters, and how it can be practiced in different contexts and countries.
- Exploration of Participation Forms — Young people explored and compared various structures for youth engagement across the six partner countries, including youth organisations, clubs, and parliaments.
- Dialogue on Democratic and Inclusive Societies — Through facilitated sessions, participants examined how inclusive decision-making processes can be built and how young people can actively contribute to them regardless of their background.
- Exchange of Good Practices — Participants shared experiences and successful approaches from their home countries, inspiring one another to replicate and adapt effective models locally.
- Short Video Production — As a key project output, participants collaborated to create a series of three short videos designed to promote youth participation in their home communities during follow-up events.
- Social Media Campaign — Digital platforms were used to spread awareness about youth participation and engage a broader audience of young people beyond the exchange itself.
Expected Results and Impact
Through the youth exchange, participants and their communities gained:
- Stronger knowledge, skills, and attitudes related to active citizenship and meaningful youth participation.
- Broader awareness of the diverse forms of youth participation can take across Europe and how they can be applied locally.
- Practical tools and inspiration to engage in civic life, advocacy, and community decision-making.
- A series of three short videos serving as lasting educational resources for youth participation promotion in all partner communities.
- Increased awareness of the Erasmus+ programme and the opportunities it offers to young people across Europe.
- A wider reach through social media, engaging young people who were not directly part of the exchange.