ONLINE PARTNERSHIP BUILDING ACTIVITY “BOOSTING PARTICIPATION IN ERASMUS+ PROGRAMME (2021-2027)

Online Partnership Building Activity “Boosting participation in Erasmus+ Programme (2021-2027)” was organised by DYPALL Network on 19th-20th April 2021.

The activity brought together 45 youth workers, youth leaders and local representatives from 25 countries, both from inside and outside of the Network, to build strong and sustainable partnerships centred on youth participation in decision-making processes at the local level in the framework of the new Erasmus+ Programme 2021-2027.

The first day of the activity was kicked off by Sean Ellul, a member of the Council of Europe’s Advisory Council on Youth, who highlighted to us the importance of democratic participation of young people and their capacity for analysis, critical thinking and advocacy when facing the threats connected to misinformation and digital innovation. The first sessions of the PBA were dedicated to learning about Erasmus+ funding opportunities, networking and sharing existing concepts of projects from the area of youth participation. The second day allowed participants to build quality consortia and brainstorm on ideas, which resulted in developing several solid project concepts for future KA2 Partnership for Cooperation projects, to be applied under the upcoming Erasmus+ deadlines.

The great diversity of participants in terms of geographical balance (25 Programme and Partner countries), area of expertise (youth participation, human rights, media literacy, peace-building, EU, advocacy, gamification, among others) and organisational structure of their organisations (youth councils, youth organisations, NGOs, national and local authorities, universities), gathered under an umbrella of interest in youth participation at the local level, was definitely the highlight and a great success of this activity.

Opening the meeting to participants from partner countries (regions 1-4) allowed an interesting exchange of experiences and perspectives on youth participation in different national contexts beyond the usual bubble of the European Union. Erasmus+ is created to build and foster European Education Area. The broader, the better.

Although the PBA met a great representation of the members of DYPALL Network, we hope to meet them very soon in much warmer and more direct conditions during the in-person Partnership Building Activity in Portimão.