Today, young people have been exposed to many more threats than just a few years ago. They need support, encouragement and the correct tools to fully participate in the democratic life of their communities through their voices and opinions regarding the future of Europe.
SHINE – Shaping the Future of Europe project aims to supply youth organisations and young people in the partner countries with tools, skills and attitudes to guarantee meaningful youth participation and dialogue with policymakers, ensure civic engagement of young people and provide an arena to have their voices heard by the local community, national state and European society.
The overall objective of this proposal is to build the capacity of youth organisations to use innovative tools and practices which foster community engagement of young people in public life. The consortium will achieve the project goals by creating new open resources and NFIL tools.
The partners from Bulgaria, Germany, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania and Montenegro will exchange information and best practices from their countries and develop together educational resources – podcast series, training toolkit for youth workers and a board game on democracy and civic participation for young people. The partners will initiate and conduct capacity-building activities, local and international training, awareness campaigns, multiplier events and a final youth conference.
Project ID No.: Erasmus-YOUTH-2024-CB-101183602
Duration: 01-12-2024 – 30-11-2026
Partners: Foundation for Entrepreneurship, Culture and Education (Coordinator, Bulgaria), KulturLife GGMBH (Germany), Asociatia Europeana de Dezvoltare a Adultilor (Romania), People in Focus (Albania), Udruzenje Gradana Nesto Vise (Bosnia & Herzegovina), Novi Horizont (Montenegro).
The project is funded by the European Commission under the Erasmus+ program.
ACTIVITIES:
Kick-off Meeting and Seminar of Youth Workers
A Kick-off meeting and a Seminar of youth workers were implemented between February 4 and February 6 in the city of Kiel, Germany. The events marked the beginning of the SHINE: Shaping the Future of Europe project, which involves a total of 6 organisations from Bulgaria, Germany, Romania, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro.
The Kick-off meeting and the Seminar of youth workers were hosted by the German partner Kultur Life. The activities brought together a total of 19 participants, youth workers and project coordinators who engaged in a variety of non-formal activities aimed at stimulating debates and discussions about democracy, civic and community engagement of young people, governmental measures and instruments to support NGOs and youth work, as well as, the training needs of young people connected to empowerment and engagement of youth.
During the first day of the seminar the youth workers got to know each other, presented their organisations and created group definitions of what is “democracy”, “community engagement”, “youth engagement in decision-making” and “media literacy”.
The second day started with fun energizers. The sessions allowed participants to engage in meaningful discussions focused on outlining key aspects related to the degree of development of youth work and the tools to involve young people in public life. A non-formal activity called “Making links” provoked youth workers to brainstorm on the key actors in a democratic society and their most important functions. In the afternoon the project coordinators discussed the project’s administrative and financial management and the dissemination strategy.
On the final third day, youth workers discussed the methodology for the delivery of the project products: podcast series, training toolkit for youth workers on civic engagement and board game on democracy and civic participation for young people. All participants received their Youthpass certificates. The Kick-off meeting continued with sessions focused on the monitoring and evaluation process and a summary of each partner’s tasks and responsibilities.
Transnational Project Meeting in Timișoara
On 18–19 October 2025, partners of the Shaping the Future of Europe (SHINE) project gathered at the West University of Timișoara for the second Transnational Project Meeting. The two-day event focused on evaluating progress, planning upcoming activities, and strengthening collaboration among all partner organisations.
Across the two days, partners discussed the completion of the training toolkit, the external evaluation process, and the translation and promotion of the podcast series. A major focus was the collaborative development of the SHINE board game on democracy, where partners tested gameplay, refined rules, and agreed on design and terminology updates. UGNV will share a pre-final version with the consortium.
The meeting also covered planning for the International Training for Youth Workers and the International Academy for Young Leaders, including travel options, participant numbers, and reporting timelines. The meeting concluded with a collective Q&A session and renewed commitment to empowering young people and youth workers across Europe.
SHINE Project is an Erasmus + Project, funded by the European Union.
