Building a shared path: the ENGAGEUROPE Community in Spain meets online

The ENGAGEUROPE Community in Spain recently gathered online for an informal meeting, bringing together nine young people from different regions of the country to strengthen the connections that will accompany them throughout the project. While ENGAGEUROPE has already taken important steps through activities such as the Youth & Democracy Forum in Tirana, this meeting marked the moment when the Spanish group began walking its own shared path within the project.

In a safe and welcoming space, participants exchanged their thoughts on the project and reflected on the themes at its core, including youth participation, democratic processes and EU enlargement. As the conversation unfolded, one idea resonated across the group: ENGAGEUROPE is a journey to be walked collectively. Participants described it as an opportunity to learn from one another, embrace the diversity of experiences within the group and build something that is richer because of those differences.

The conversation also explored spaces for advocacy and collective action, with a particular focus on political advocacy processes at both the local and European levels. These are the issues that the group is now preparing to engage with during the next phase of the project, especially through the upcoming capacity-building sessions in early August, where participants will deepen their understanding of these topics before translating their ideas into concrete initiatives across the different territories.

The meeting also provided an opportunity to present the ENGAGEUROPE consortium and the different stages of the project, while giving participants space to ask questions, contribute ideas and begin shaping their own involvement in the months ahead.

We were also pleased to be joined by Jara Jiménez Pérez and Mauro Ruiz Ibiza, two members of the Spanish Community who had the opportunity to participate in the Youth & Democracy Forum in Tirana, the first in-person event of ENGAGEUROPE, held last June in the Albanian capital. Their participation provided an important link between this community meeting and the project’s wider journey.

By the end of the meeting, participants described leaving with a sense of hope, motivation and enthusiasm for what lies ahead. More than discussing activities and timelines, the session helped lay the foundations for a community built on trust, dialogue and a shared commitment to shaping the project together.

At Youropía, we are grateful to all the young people who took part in this meeting and for their commitment to ENGAGEUROPE as a whole. We believe that these more personal and informal encounters are essential for creating the foundations of a strong community. By fostering interpersonal relationships, mutual trust and a spirit of co-coordination, they lay the groundwork for a journey that young people will not simply follow, but actively shape together throughout the project.

Disclaimer 

The project “Mobilising Citizens for the Future of European Democracy through Data-driven Advocacy, Engagement, and Mobility” (ENGAGEUROPE, Project No. 101253265) is led by the Center Science and Innovation for Development (SCiDEV), Albania, and implemented in partnership with University of Shkodra “Luigj Gurakuqi” (Albania), Youropía Cultural Association (Spain), Center for Comparative and International Studies – CCIS (Albania), Association of Youth with Disabilities of Montenegro – AYDM (Montenegro), Balkan Center for Constructive Policies – SOLUTION (North Macedonia), Youth Initiative for Human Rights – YIHR Croatia, Youth Educational Forum – YEF (North Macedonia), and Youth Initiative for Human Rights – Serbia.