Stichting yEUth is happy to present the outcomes of the international training project Give Young People a Voice, hosted in Marianka pri Bratislave, Slovakia, from 6 to 10 September 2026. Coordinated under the Erasmus+ accreditation of Organizația Umanitară CONCORDIA from Romania and hosted by ADEL Slovakia, the mobility brought together youth workers from Romania, Poland, Slovakia, and the Netherlands. As the Dutch sending organisation, Stichting yEUth supported local professionals in joining this exchange to strengthen practical youth consultation and community participation methods.

The training sessions began on the second day with introductory networking activities focused on the core framework of listening, consulting, and acting. Participants examined the difference between hearing and active listening in a dedicated workshop, testing practical exercises to build safe environments where young people feel confident speaking up. Later that afternoon, an intercultural city activity in Bratislava allowed international groups to complete field tasks and observe local communication styles, ending with a group reflection and an intercultural evening where teams shared food, music, and traditions.

On the third day, the working sessions focused on Robert Hart’s Ladder of Participation, giving participants a clear tool to evaluate their own projects and define genuine youth engagement. The group also practiced the Case Clinic methodology, working in teams of three to analyze real professional casework through deep listening without immediately giving unsolicited advice. An afternoon outdoor walk and talk field exercise in the local area gave attendees space to observe local settings from a youth participation perspective before anchoring their findings into practical conclusions.

The final training day centered on concrete tools, starting with stations where participants compared various consultation methods and instruments. Youth workers then practiced grouping consultation results into visual maps of youth priorities and reflected on core competencies for their professional roles. Before closing the mobility, each participant drafted an action plan to apply these consultation methods with young people back home, followed by a final evaluation and the distribution of Youthpass certificates. This productive week provided our Dutch participants with clear, tested tools to support youth participation in their daily work.