Youth for Active European Citizenship — Our Team in Latvia!

From 30 October to 5 November 2025, four participants from our organisation travelled to Rēzekne, Latvia to join the Erasmus+ seminar “Youth for Active European Citizenship.” The programme gathered youth workers and young leaders from nine European countries to explore how young people can take a more active role in democratic life, participate in decision-making, and strengthen civic engagement across Europe.

🏛 Hosted by European Association “World–Our Home”

The seminar was organised by the European Association “World–Our Home”, an NGO active since 1999 in the educational, social and cultural fields. As stated in the infopack, their mission focuses on promoting active citizenship, solidarity, multiculturalism, human rights, and non-formal education on local, regional and European levels. They are active in Erasmus+, Europe for Citizens and EEA Grants programmes, and regularly host projects that bring people together to learn, exchange good practices and strengthen European cooperation.

🧭 What the Seminar Focused On

According to the project description (page 3 of the infopack), the training course explored:

• Democratic participation: how young people can take part in decision-making at local, national and EU levels.

• European values: solidarity, equality, human rights and respect for diversity.

• Intercultural dialogue: building understanding and cooperation among young people from different backgrounds.

• Practical tools for youth engagement: through workshops, group discussions, best-practice sharing, data analysis exercises, problem-solving tasks and creative presentations. Seminar_Latvia

The seminar aimed to equip youth workers with new ideas and concrete methodologies to help young people become more active, informed and responsible European citizens.

🌍 A Learning Experience for Our Participants

Our team took part in interactive sessions, collaborative exercises, and intercultural evenings, gaining new knowledge about civic engagement, teamwork, data presentation, and European citizenship rights and opportunities.

The environment of Rēzekne—also known as “The Heart of Latgale,” located on seven hills—offered an inspiring backdrop for learning and exchange. Seminar_Latvia

Spiros, one of our participants shared the following reflection:

**“My trip to Latvia and my participation in the program about youth engagement in social and political contexts was a great source of inspiration for me, and I feel truly grateful that I had the opportunity to experience it. I learned thoroughly how someone can participate on a sociopolitical level and how to motivate more young people to become more actively involved. I also learned about the differences between countries and how we can resolve “differences” in a positive and constructive way.

I gained a deeper understanding of teamwork and how important it is to collaborate, regardless of our different backgrounds. At the same time, I was introduced to different cultures, and interacting with people from various European countries was a valuable exchange of experiences.

Through interactive activities, I learned how to collaborate more effectively, think logically, reach well-supported conclusions, and solve problems with arguments and clear reasoning. I also learned how to present and analyze statistical data, and—through creative exercises—how to present them in a more artistic and visually appealing way.

Additionally, I became more informed about the rights and opportunities of a European citizen, as well as about more Erasmus programs and how I can participate in them, including what is required to take advantage of such opportunities. I feel that this entire experience greatly contributed to my development, both as a European citizen and as a person.”**

We are extremely proud of our participants, their enthusiasm, and the knowledge they brought back. A warm thank you to our partners in Latvia for their hospitality and for organising such a thoughtful and impactful programme.

If you want to take part in future Erasmus+ opportunities, keep an eye on our announcements—new projects are coming soon!

Disclaimer:

The project was funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.