REPORT FROM THE STUDY SESSION “CLIMBING THE LADDER – CAPACITING YOUTH LEADERS TO FACILITATE YOUTH PARTICIPATION IN THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESSES AT A LOCAL LEVEL” Study session “Climbing the ladder – Capacitating youth leaders to facilitate youth participation in the decision-making process at the local level” was organised by DYPALL Network and the Assembly of European Regions (AER), in cooperation with the Youth Department of the Council of Europe. The activity took place in the European Youth Centre in Strasbourg (France) between 24th – 29th April 2022, and it brought together 25 youth leaders from 22 different countries. The aim of the study session was to provide a learning space to engage and equip youth delegates, youth workers, representatives of local youth councils, and similar participation structures with practical knowledge and skills to foster meaningful youth participation at the local level all around Europe. During this study session, participants were able to share the opportunities and threats of the COVID-19 pandemic in the youth-participation field and examine existing good practices and tools for fostering their participation at the local level. Today we share the Report from the study session “Climbing the ladder – Capacitating youth leaders to facilitate youth participation in the decision-making process at the local level” which gives the reader a general overview of the session developments and helps to understand the conclusions and experiences shared by participants. The report presents the different parts of the session such as: motivation, objectives, programme, the profile of participants learning process shaped by the expectations of the participants theories and methodologies applied, such as RMSOS’ model COVID related, analysis of the key roles in the youth field, the ladder of youth participation, and the advocacy cycle specific activities in order to develop outreach strategy, networking, and possible follow-up opportunities conclusive evaluation with the insight of the participants and the outcomes of the session.