SALTO Participation & Information

Greetings from Tallinn, Estonia!👋🏾🇪🇪

This week, Participation Contact Points from the National Agencies across Europe come together for their 3rd in-person network meeting and today has been a day full of interaction, reflection and planning.

From 25–29 May, we are happy to host a space to exchange experiences, strengthen cooperation, reflect on the progress made since our last meeting, and shape 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐔 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐬.

Through peer learning, strategic discussions, collaboration planning, and shared reflection, the network will explore:

🟡 participation in work plans of the National Agencies
🟡 outreach, communication and capacity building
🟡 partnerships and cross-European cooperation
🟡 competencies and support structures for Participation Contact Points
🟡 the future of participation in Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps beyond 2027

Over the next days, participants will share successes and challenges, develop new collaborations, learn from one another, and build stronger connections across the network.

We will keep you posted in our channels and share some highlights in the upcoming days.



📸 Karoliine Aus

We’ve opened a participation-focused hub on LinkedIn!

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞?

This will be a hub where the team of SALTO PI, contributing experts, partners, and thought leaders from across Europe share 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬, new 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬, 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬, and 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞 on 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

If these topics interest you professionally or you’d like to collaborate, let’s connect! Also for anyone who’s a participation nerd or just participation-curious. 😉🤓🧠

𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐭'𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭! https://www.linkedin.com/company/salto-participation-information/

𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐈𝐬 𝐚 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞. 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

The challenges? Tokenism is still common, with participation often treated as a buzzword rather than a strategic step. Many organisations also struggle to know where to begin, finding the mission too complex or time-consuming.

The Participation ABC: In Action training demonstrated how 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥, 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬. The results? Better decisions, stronger trust, and fairer outcomes.

The training offered practical tools, case studies, and resources which we will share with you in this new article. These resources help National Agencies and others 𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐝𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤. Whether through youth advisory boards, co-created projects, or active listening, every role can contribute.

Read the full article for inspiration, checklists, and resources to start or deepen your participation journey.

https://participationpool.eu/2026/05/07/inspiration-from-the-participation-abc-training-meaningful-participation-benefits-everyone/

🎯 Democratic participation is an EU priority for 2024–2029, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐫, 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬?

Many National Agencies, applicants and beneficiaries have shared similar experiences: participation is central, yet often difficult to define and recognise in Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps projects.

We agree – and 𝐰𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐭.

In 2026, SALTO Participation & Information is 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐝, building on:

🟡 recommendations from the Participation Forum (Oct 2024)
🟡 insights from focus groups with Erasmus+ and ESC stakeholders (Sept 2025)
🟡 ongoing research, monitoring and consultation across sectors

Our aim is to make participation more 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞, 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭 and 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 – and to inform future Programme documents and support tools.

📢 This is the first step in a series of monthly updates where we’ll share progress and insights from this work.

To be truly prioritised and embedded within programmes, participation must first be clearly understood. We’re working to make that happen.

𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧.

📊 New findings from the EU Youth Participation Strategy show a stark gap: only 9.8% of participants in youth participation projects are young people with fewer opportunities, far below their representation in other Erasmus+ actions.

⚠️ Current systems still favour those already included, while structural barriers such as inaccessible formats, cost, discrimination, and unclear information continue to push others out.

Insights from Brigita Medne (former Coordinator of SALTO Participation & Information) and Henrique Gonçalves (Coordinator at SALTO Inclusion & Diversity) highlight the need for change: participation must be flexible, properly funded, and co-created with young people from the start.

Brigita and Henrique point to concrete examples. Young people with social anxiety may not feel safe speaking in groups. Others process information differently or face barriers linked to disability, mental health, trauma, discrimination, poverty, migration status or geographical isolation. Many simply do not recognise themselves in the standard formats we label as ‘participatory’, particularly when these are rigid, fast-paced or designed without accessibility in mind.

What are the problems, opportunities and next steps that help to reduce the gaps?
👇𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞!

Break the Pattern: “Participation Is a Right, Not a Bonus” When the team behind the EU Youth Participation Strategy reviewed recent data, something didn’t add up.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐚 𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐚 𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧?

In this interview, Cristina Bacalso challenges a common assumption: Europe has the frameworks and strategies, but not enough real implementation. The key question is hard to ignore. Are young people genuinely influencing decisions, or are we just creating systems that 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫 participatory?

Cristina highlights growing political attention to youth participation, but also questions whether it leads to real impact. She emphasises that participation is not a method or a bonus. 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, and that creates obligations for institutions.

She also offers practical ways forward, from improving how programmes work in reality to involving young people where their input matters most.

If you work with the Erasmus+ or European Solidarity Corps programmes, or are looking to strengthen civic participation, this is a perspective worth reading.

Making Youth Participation Meaningful: An Interview with Cristina Bacalso We spoke with Cristina about the current state of youth participation in Europe, where progress has been made, and how National Agencies and other stakeholders can take practical steps toward genuine power-sharing with young people.

🔬 𝐋𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐋𝐚𝐛𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬

Yesterday, we kicked off a new format for the Participation Contact Points (P*P) of National Agencies, designed to further enhance participation within Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps.

𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨-𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬?

There are two useful resources we'd like to share with you:
🟡 𝐂𝐨-𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬: 𝐚 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐆𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐎𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: https://participationpool.eu/resource/co-creation-sprints-a-practical-guide-for-organisations/
🟡 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: https://participationpool.eu/resource/quality-standards-for-meaningful-youth-participation/

The 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐋𝐚𝐛𝐬 are short, focused sessions created to:
• Strengthen the competences in democratic participation.
• Offer fresh inspiration and practical insights.
• Support day-to-day work of the National Agencies' staff working on participation.

🌟 Here's what one of our participants of the Participation Lab said: "𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘺 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 – 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘶𝘱 𝘤𝘰-𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘭 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘺."

More sessions will follow, and we’ll continue sharing useful tools and resources from these labs with you.

✨ We're hiring! Communication manager

Are you an experienced communicator with a passion for collaboration, creativity, and working internationally? Do you want to use your expertise to empower participation in Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps? Join our international team at SALTO Participation and Information Resource Centre.

Your mission
🟡 plan and implement SALTO PI communication activities according to strategy
🟡 promote SALTO PI main messages, resources and events
🟡 coordinate new content for social media accounts and Participation Resource Pool
🟡 Take care of SALTO PI brand coherence by designing texts and visuals
🟡 Collaborate with a network of communication officers and our stakeholders across Europe and beyond

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫
✅Permanent full-time role (📍in Tallinn)
✅Gross salary €2,900/month (+ benefits & onboarding support)
✅Professional development budget & international work
✅Purpose-driven team that values co-creation

⏰𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐲: 15 March (23:59 EEST)
👉More info & application: https://participationpool.eu/2026/02/25/job-offer-communication-manager/

New learning material for Erasmus+ Youth Participation Activities!
Looking to bring your youth participation project to life? The Learning Material for Erasmus+ Youth Participation Activities (KA154) helps you develop, reflect on and strengthen your participation ideas – from first inspiration to project proposal writing. Using a garden metaphor, it supports planting the seeds of democratic participation and nurturing them throughout your project. Check out the link in comments!

👨‍🚀For youth workers, trainers, educators, project teams & participation enthusiasts
🧰Covers KA154 technical aspects
✊Focuses on quality & rights-based approach to youth participation
✈️Reflects Erasmus+ Programme Guide 2026 updates
🪄Interactive, practical & full of tips from practitioners

💡Idea for KA154 applications before the deadline on February 12th
✂️Use it fully or in parts and adapt it to your context

𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐄𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐦𝐮𝐬+ 𝐨𝐫 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝? Looking for 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐬 on how to 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 of your application and future projects? 🚀

𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄'𝐒 𝐀𝐍 𝐎𝐏𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐘𝐎𝐔:
𝐂𝐨-𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧! ✨💡🤝🏾

✅Learn from real practice
✅Exchange ideas with peers
✅Co-design approaches you can apply immediately
✅Explore three key tools: Youth Participation Toolkit, Erasmus+ Youth Participation learning material & the practical guide on shared problem-solving “Co-creation Sprint”.

𝐖𝐇𝐎?
Are you a trainer, educator, youth worker, project adviser or a team member of an organisation preparing for Erasmus+ or European Solidarity Corps projects? Someone looking for practical tools and ideas to enhance youth participation? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then this is for you!

𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍?
𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐨-𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝟏𝟒 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 (14:00–15:30 CET) and discover practical ways to strengthen meaningful youth participation.

📅👉 Apply and learn more here: https://participationpool.eu/2025/12/10/join-a-co-working-session-to-activate-the-tools-for-youth-participation/

𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝟗 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲!

Whether you’re new to these tools or already familiar with them, you’ll leave 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐬 and 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲-𝐭𝐨-𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐝𝐬 for your projects.

Join a Co-Working Session to Activate the Tools for Youth Participation On 14 January, an online co-working session will take place to help enhance youth participation through practical tools and methods.