“Leadership & Organisational Development in Local Youth Councils” International Training Course in Braga, Portugal

From 22nd to 27th September 2026, the first International Training Course within the ECE-LYCE project was held in Braga, Portugal. The course brought together active members and support staff of Local Youth Councils (LYCs) from 11 countries, aiming to equip them with the leadership and organisational capacities needed to strengthen their councils. 

Through interactive sessions, group work, simulations, case studies, reflection activities and peer learning, participants had the opportunity to explore group dynamics within the specific context of Local Youth Councils, develop facilitation skills and practical conflict management strategies, map tools for knowledge transfer and institutional memory, and learn how to design, execute and monitor long-term strategic goals, while exploring leadership and organisational development, sustainable planning and local implementation, and strengthening their capacity to build stable, inclusive and effective Local Youth Councils that are aligned with local governance frameworks.

Participants analysed real challenges faced by LYCs, exchanged practices across different local realities, and co-created practical recommendations and internal action plans to help them apply what they learned within their own municipalities and strengthen participation structures at local and European levels.

The training is part of the “Engage, Connect and Empower – Local Youth Councils in Europe” (ECE-LYCE) project, coordinated by DYPALL Network in collaboration with Delta (Hrvatska), Klaipėda Youth Organisations Association (Litva), National Youth Council of Serbia [KOMS] (Serbia), the Danish Network of Local Youth Councils (Denmark), the Finnish Association of Youth Councils (Finland) and Romanian Youth Movement for Democracy (Romania). The project is co-funded by the European Union through the Erasmus+ Programme – KA3, European Youth Together.