E.C.H.O: Amplifying Youth Voices for a Stronger Europe

Main Aim

The main aim of E.C.H.O is to empower young people to become active, informed, and confident contributors to democratic processes. By building their knowledge of the EU Youth Strategy, developing their leadership skills, and supporting youth-led dialogue activities, the project helps amplify youth voices at local, national, and European levels.

Objectives:

1. Increase awareness of the EU Youth Strategy and Youth Goals: Across the nine participating countries, the project helps young people understand the EU Youth Strategy, learn about the 11 Youth Goals, and explore how these goals relate to their daily lives and communities.

2. Strengthen youth participation in democratic life: The project supports young people in organising and leading youth dialogues, public discussions, and community-based activities that encourage active citizenship.

3. Build youth leadership and advocacy skills: Through training, workshops, and international exchanges, participants develop skills in communication, policy dialogue, digital participation, event organisation, and community engagement.

4. Create a long-term European network of engaged young people

E.C.H.O fosters cooperation among youth from eight countries, building connections and opening long-term opportunities for collaboration, activism, and European civic engagement.

Activities:

Project Management and Coordination | January 2026

The project is coordinated through a kick-off meeting in Vienna, Austria, and regular online meetings. During these meetings, partners introduce the project, define roles and responsibilities, agree on timelines, and coordinate the implementation of activities. Continuous communication ensures effective collaboration, monitoring of progress, and alignment between all partner organisations.

Participatory Action Research (PAR)

The project will begin with a participatory research phase involving 108 young people from partner countries. Through surveys and consultations, participants will share their experiences, challenges, and priorities. The findings will help identify key issues related to youth engagement, inclusion, and participation, shaping the overall design of project activities.

Youth Mobility and Exchange Programme

A structured programme of eight international youth exchanges (involving 192 participants in total) will provide young people with hands-on experience in policy dialogue, advocacy, community involvement, leadership development, and intercultural learning.

Training for Dialogue Leaders

Participants will develop competences to organise and facilitate youth dialogue sessions. The training will focus on communication skills, stakeholder engagement, moderation techniques, and methods for collecting and presenting youth perspectives for policy recommendations.

National Youth Dialogues and Community Events

Each partner will organise structured youth dialogue sessions and community-based activities in their country. These activities will address key topics such as mental health, gender equality, sustainability, participation, and civic engagement. At least 18 youth dialogues will take place across the consortium.

E.C.H.O Digital Hub

A central online platform will be developed with at least 600 active users, providing access to toolkits, guides, interactive learning materials, youth dialogue templates, videos, best practices, and policy recommendations. The platform will ensure long-term accessibility of project results.

Dissemination and Multiplier Activities

Dissemination activities will be carried out throughout the project to share results with a wider audience. These will include events, campaigns, workshops, and collaboration with youth workers, organisations, institutions, and stakeholders at local, national, and European levels.

European Youth Policy Recommendations

All youth voices collected throughout the project will contribute to a set of policy recommendations shared with local authorities, national youth councils, and European youth policy stakeholders, supporting evidence-based youth policy development.

Expected Results

1. Increased youth awareness of EU youth policies

Young people will gain a clear understanding of:

the EU Youth Strategy (2019–2027),
the 11 Youth Goals,
their role in shaping democratic life.

2. Stronger youth participation and civic engagement

More young people will take part in policy dialogues and community decision-making, supported by youth-led action.

3. New skills and confidence among young people

Participants will become more confident in public speaking, teamwork, digital participation, advocacy, and organising community events.

4. A European network of youth activists

The project will create an active, cross-border network of young people who stay connected, collaborate, and continue shaping democratic initiatives.

5. Youth-led policy recommendations

Concrete proposals based on the voices of young people will be delivered to decision-makers at various levels.

6. Long-term digital resource hub

The ECHO Hub will contain practical tools and materials that can be used by youth workers, educators, and organisations long after the project ends.

This project is funded by the European Union through the Erasmus+ program, supporting education, training, youth, and sports initiatives across Europe.