European Youth Week Kick-off Event 2026
The week began with a kickoff event on the 24th April at the European Parliament in Brussels, where over 1,000 young participants gathered for a day of discussions, workshops, and exchanges. Among them were ENGSO Youth delegates Otto Chilton, Lasma Locmele, and Anca Oprea, alongside Policy & Project Manager Chloe Jordan, who all actively contributed to conversations on youth engagement and policy.
The opening plenary set the tone for the day, bringing together decision-makers and young leaders to exchange ideas and inspire action. From there, participants joined a wide range of workshops tackling some of the most pressing issues facing young people today.
Key highlights from the Young Delegates were:
- Lasma attended a workshop on “Youth Across Borders: From Ideas to Impact in Territorial Cooperation” and shared practical ways young people can collaborate across countries, and introduced the idea of using sport as a tool for cooperation and cross-border unification. Additionally, she attended a session titled “Youth and the European Commission: We challenge you to challenge us,” which encouraged open dialogue between youth and institutions, stressed the importance of mutual accountability, and empowered young people to actively shape European policies.
- Anca focused on workshops centred on inclusion, education, and understanding EU systems. In a session on ESC and Erasmus+, participants with disabilities shared personal experiences, stressing that true inclusion comes from removing systemic barriers rather than adapting to them. As Anca is part of the social inclusion working group, she looks forward to sharing the findings and seeing how they can develop the group’s work.
- Otto’s sessions revolved around solidarity, volunteering, and Europe’s global responsibilities. A major focus was the European Solidarity Corps (ESC) and its future integration with Erasmus+, alongside reflections on inclusion and accessibility. Discussions explored the meaning of solidarity through shared volunteering experiences abroad and raised concerns about barriers to participation, findings that were useful for the ongoing work ENGSO Youth is doing in this space. Both Chloe and Otto then took part in a session focused on empowering young people to contribute to Europe’s green and climate-neutral transition, and reflected on the outcomes from the Move4Nature Project and the ongoing Sustainable Goals through Sport Project.
In addition to the workshops above, Chloe took part in a roundtable discussion on meaningful youth participation with the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) to share the role sport can play in this topic. During the discussion, she drew on findings from the Eurobarometer Youth & Democracy 2024, highlighting that sports clubs are by far the preferred space for young people’s participation, with 33% of respondents identifying them as their main avenue for engagement; continuing a trend that has remained the highest since 2001. This insight reinforces the importance of sport as a key entry point for civic engagement and highlights its potential to strengthen youth participation in governance and policy. Chloe connected these findings to the EUYOUSPORT project, underscoring how sport can be strategically used to engage more young people in democratic processes.
ENGSO Youth were also present in the session on the EU Youth Strategy and explored priorities for the post-2027 framework. In this session, the launch of the new public consultation process for the EU Youth Strategy post-2027 was shared. ENGSO Youth will contribute to this consultation making sure youth sport sector has a real say in it, thus advocating for grassroots sport in relation to youth participation and physical and mental well-being.
The European Youth Week 2026 demonstrated the value of creating spaces where young people can connect, share experiences, and influence decision-making. By fostering dialogue between institutions and youth, the event highlighted a clear message: young people are not just participants in Europe’s future, they are active partners in shaping it.