Reactive YOUTH partners held up to 30 workshops per country, distributed in dynamic sessions on the Youth Worker’s Toolkit. These activities were led by trained facilitators, including both project partners and external youth workers who had participated in previous trainings. Approximately 99 different participants, mostly young people, took part in these workshops.
The most relevant initiatives led and proposed by young people developed during the workshops are collected in this section under the title ‘Youth Initiatives’ showing the impact of the project on a wider scale.
Youth initiative in Greece – Meeting with the Mayor of the Municipality Syros-Ermoupoli
As an extension of the workshops that took place on that region, a group of students held a meeting with the Mayor of Syros Ermoupolis, Mr Athanasiou. The students were accompanied by the two psychologists and the social worker of the school, while Mrs. Eugenia Kollia, representing the Vardakeios School of Ermoupolis, was also present.
The meeting was held on October 2024 to allow students to present a key issue of concern to young people that emerged during the Experiential Workshops in the framework of the Reactive Youth Programme. The issue was first raised when the children were discussing the possible operation of a Youth Centre in Syros and quickly came up against the issue of transport. They stressed how this makes the daily life of those living outside Ermoupoli more difficult and inhibits the autonomy of young people.
They presented and discussed this issue during a simulation in which they participated during the workshops, and then had the opportunity to experience a real meeting with the Mayor in which they presented this issue again. It is interesting and indicative of both the maturity of the young people, and the value of a project providing them with a platform to express themselves, that the Mayor’s answers were not very different from what was practised during the simulations.
Mr. Athanasiou welcomed the group of students into the City Council meeting room and gave them space and time to express their concerns. He analyzed the reasons why it is difficult to find a solution to the issue and stressed that the South Aegean Region is responsible for this. However, he pledged to organize a meeting with the other stakeholders, the Region and the Bus Company. The action was also published on the website of the Special Vocational High School of Syros .
Youth initiative in Austria – Landjugend Werfenweng, Cinema-Evenings in Werfenweng & Regular Exchange with the Mayor in Oberndorf
Several youth initiatives coming from some of the youth involved on the Reactive YOUth workshops came out, while being after the workshops carried out in cooperation with other young people not attending them.
At the end of 2024, the youth of Werfenweng, with the support of the mayor and the town council, revived the “Landjugend” association, which is aimed at young people aged 15 to 35 living in rural areas. This organization focuses on community engagement, event organisation, and networking with youth from other regions. Currently, it has around 17 members between the ages of 15 and 21 who, while still in the early stages of managing the association, have already started collaborating on local events. Their first involvement was in organising a Christmas celebration, marking the beginning of many future initiatives to strengthen their impact on the community.
At the same time, a project is underway to introduce regular cinema nights in Werfenweng. The town council plans to host monthly screenings at DUADO, a combined library and event space, providing a safe and welcoming environment for young people to gather, share ideas, and spend time together. While DUADO is already appreciated by older generations and children, local youth have been more hesitant to engage with it. This initiative aims to change that by making DUADO a space where all generations, including young people, feel at home.
Meanwhile, in Oberndorf, the local youth center has launched regular meetings with the mayor, scheduled at least twice a year. These gatherings provide a platform for young people to voice their concerns, share ideas, and discuss their aspirations for the community in an open and supportive setting. The first meeting took place at the end of 2024, with the next planned for the first half of 2025. By fostering direct communication between the youth and local leadership, this initiative ensures that young people’s voices are heard and considered in the town’s development.
Through these initiatives, Werfenweng and Oberndorf are taking important steps to empower young people, encourage their active participation, and create stronger, more connected communities.
Youth initiative in Spain – Permanent Dialogue Roundtable & Local Historical Research Project
The Spanish young people involved on Reactive YOUth workshops shared two initiatives that emerged from the ideas proposed during these activities. These initiatives aim to address local challenges, strengthen community bonds, and engage youth in meaningful activities.
The first initiative is the Permanent Dialogue Roundtable, created in collaboration with the youth entity AJS and moderated by PVTT. This initiative is designed to increase awareness of the region, strengthen local roots, address the challenges young people face, find solutions, and foster strong relationships with local administrations. By maintaining ongoing dialogue, it aims to support young people in navigating the issues they encounter while enhancing community engagement.
The second initiative is the Local Historical Research Project, which involved students from IES Candavera and Sierra del Valle. This project contributed to the Interactive Map of the Tiétar Valley developed during Reactive YOUth, providing historical insights and creating a digital platform to showcase the region’s cultural heritage. The project is divided into groups, each coordinated by a young facilitator, encouraging collaboration and active involvement in preserving local history.
Youth initiative in Italy – ‘Sbandieratori dei Rioni di Cori’ & ‘Circo della Farfalla’
On December 2024, two engaging actions coming from the Reactive YOUth workshops were held with local youth, focusing on cultural exchange, community involvement, and addressing generational and social challenges.
The first session featured a collaboration with the folklore association Sbandieratori dei Rioni di Cori – APS. The workshop cantered on the theme of intergenerational learning, with a focus on passing down the passion for folklore to younger generations. To facilitate this, a simple yet engaging questionnaire was developed using the Blooket platform, which adapted the classic “Trivial” game. This allowed participants to reflect on key issues, discuss problems openly, and brainstorm creative solutions for preserving local traditions. Looking ahead, one of the planned activities for 2025 is organizing meetings with local elementary school children, where youth will talk about the importance of travel, tradition preservation, and active community involvement.
The second workshop, took place with youth from the family house Circo della Farfalla. In this session, the traditional “problem/solution tree” activity was adapted to integrate songs and technology. Using easily understood words such as “knowledge,” “meeting,” “young people,” and “boredom,” the youth reflected on their issues and proposed solutions. Given the participants’ low proficiency in Italian, Arabic was used with the support of AI tools to enable them to express their thoughts through song. One of the key ideas that emerged was to organize an afternoon event at the ‘Family house?, bringing together Italian youth and the participants to foster cross-cultural interaction.
These initiatives highlight the creativity and collaboration of youth from different backgrounds, aiming to foster cultural exchange, mutual understanding, and solutions to common challenges in their communities.
Youth initiative in Slovenia – Mobile Youth Centre & Youth Subsidy Scheme
As part of the Reactive Youth project in collaboration with the MaMa Network, two workshops were held in May 2024, focusing on communication, problem-solving, and planning initiatives to improve rural local environments.
The first workshop included activities such as Three-Way Communication, where participants explored different communication methods, and the Issue Tree, which encouraged them to identify problems, analyze causes and consequences, and find solutions. The second workshop focused on planning, with activities like Let’s Plan Together, where participants divided tasks to develop concrete proposals (e.g., a street art festival), and Setting SMART Goals, teaching them to set clear, measurable objectives for their initiatives.
The workshops aimed to foster critical thinking, teamwork, and organizational skills among youth, enabling them to actively participate in their communities. Two key initiatives were developed: the Mobile Youth Centre, which would bring youth programs to remote areas, and the Youth Subsidy Scheme, offering financial support for activities such as home building, event organization, and rural development. The Municipality of Brežice is already launching a grant program for these purposes. The outcomes of the workshops, including the project Toolkit for Youth Workers and Identity Maps (including a map of Brežice), will support these and also further youth involvement in rural areas.
Youth initiative in Portugal – ‘How to Create Initiatives to Promote Rural Development’ Workshop
The proposal for the Youth Space in Arouca emerged from the “How to Create Initiatives to Promote Rural Development” workshop of Reactive YOUth, held in April 2024, organised by Pista Mágica with the support of the Municipality of Arouca. During this workshop, local youth, led by Alexandre Duarte, brainstormed ways to address the challenges facing young people in the area. One of the key ideas that came from the workshop was the creation of a dedicated space for youth activities, which has now been submitted to the 2024 Arouca Participatory Budget for public voting until September 30th.
The proposed Youth Space would be located in the current facilities of the FAJDA (Federation of Youth Associations of the Aveiro District) in the S. Pedro neighborhood of Arouca and Burgo. The space aims to provide young people with opportunities for social entrepreneurship, artistic expression, psychological support, and a collaborative environment for work and study. Additionally, it would offer recreational and leisure activities to foster community engagement.
This initiative addresses a longstanding need for infrastructure that supports youth development in Arouca, something that has been lacking due to limited resources. The project also strengthens the partnership with FAJDA, allowing the proposal to move forward from the ideas generated at the workshop, aiming to create a more active and participatory youth community.