Municipalities and communities are a central place for community life and experiencing Europe firsthand. Many have already explicitly embraced this and European values, cultivate international contacts (e.g., through town twinning), and frequently experience how even “the local” is affected by European influences and developments on many levels. Whether large or small town, village, or rural district, making Europe and European exchange a part of everyday life for young people, youth organisations, and social institutions is possible – with financial and substantive support.
Both EU programs – Erasmus+ Youth and the European Solidarity Corps, as well as the Swiss equivalent of Movetia, offer support and points of contact, both financially and politically (the process for implementing the European Agenda for Youth Work).
Under the motto “Growing Together: Europe as a Resource for Municipal Youth Work,” JUGEND für Europa, Movetia, and OeAD invited municipalities and local authorities to a workshop. And from November 24-26, 2025, twenty-five representatives from municipalities and local authorities in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland met in Munich to (re)discover Europe as a resource for their local youth work.
The aim of this workshop was to:
• provide municipalities with an introduction to sustainable European youth work,
• demonstrate the use of the two EU programs and further advisory, information, networking, and training opportunities offered by the National Agencies,
• introduce them to the European Youth Work Agenda (EYWA) process,
• make the process accessible to municipalities and break down Europe at the local level, and
• discuss and learn about core competencies for advocacy in youth work.
The municipalities were able to learn about the funding opportunities offered by European youth programs and gain an initial insight into the European Youth Work Agenda. In the workshop, participants collaborated to develop strategies for municipalities to contribute to the EYWA and utilise it as a catalyst for their local youth work. It became clear that most municipalities don’t have to start from scratch, but can already contribute to EYWA through existing activities and projects. The workshop focused on developing concrete project ideas and addressing lobbying needs. For example, one group, in collaboration with a representative from the city of Frankfurt, developed initial approaches for a lobbying strategy to better integrate a European dimension and European awareness, including European projects, across all departments of the city administration. Participants used the event for an intensive exchange of experiences regarding the challenges of municipal youth work and for networking, during which initial, very concrete project ideas were developed.
You can see the call and agenda of the event (on German), organised by national agencies from Germany, Switzerland, and Austria – Jugend fur Europa, Movetia, OEAD, in partnership with Europe Goes Local.
Additional info and contact:
Claudius Siebel – siebel@jfemail.de