From March 10 to 13, 2025, the second partner meeting – training seminar of the Erasmus+ program 2021-2027 project “UP2YOUTH – democratic future in the hands of responsible youth” was held in Sofia, Bulgaria.
The second training cycle was dedicated to the challenges of contemporary youth civic and media education in Bulgaria and the project partner countries, as well as current trends in other parts of the world. The founder and head of the Institute for Global Analytics, Dr. Rumena Filipova, focused in her lectures on the main aspects of developing a successful youth training program, in accordance with the needs, challenges and vulnerability of this target audience. The participants were introduced to the concept and importance of youth civic education, followed by a discussion on the need for youth civic participation in modern society.
During the meeting, the attitude and potential of young people to engage in civic processes were analyzed, as well as the main shortcomings in the education system that can promote or hinder civic participation were identified. The participants summarized examples of good practice, tools and strategies that could be used to promote youth participation. They also reviewed current trends in youth civic education in Europe, analyzing the shortcomings of formal and non-formal education systems. The IGA study was also presented, which particularly highlighted ideologisation and foreign influence on education systems, with examples from Bulgaria. At the end, group discussions were
held, during which recommendations for reforming the curriculum were developed, with the aim of overcoming societal polarization and political disputes. The project partners participated in 3 practical sessions, working in groups on case analysis and preparing arguments on the issue of the effectiveness of educational practices in youth civic education, as well as developing strategies for the implementation and popularization of youth civic education using digital tools – this is closely related to the project’s goal of developing a digital platform for learning media literacy issues.
The meeting concluded with key recommendations on future directions in youth education and media literacy. Participants discussed practical steps to engage civil society organizations in a more coordinated manner to support youth engagement in civic education.
The next project partner meeting and training is scheduled for June this year in Cēsis, Latvia, while in September it is planned to visit partners in Prague, Czech Republic.
About project UP2YOUTH
The UP2YOUTH project is implemented in 4 countries – Poland, Bulgaria, Latvia and the Czech Republic – with the aim of increasing the quality and innovation in work with youth, identifying and creating new, more effective methods and tools in the field of youth civic education, media education and media literacy.
As part of this initiative, the project will develop digital tools for civic and media literacy aimed at young people, as well as educational materials for teachers. These resources will help strengthen civic engagement, improve media literacy among youth, promote responsible media consumption, and mitigate the risks of misinformation.
The project targets young people aged 18-26, educators and trainers working with youth, as well as youth organization leaders, policy makers in partner countries, and local authorities.
