SMILE Incubator - Social Media Leadership Incubator for Danube Region

SMILE Incubator - Social Media Leadership Incubator for Danube Region This is supported as part of the SMILE Incubator Project, an Interreg Danube Region Programme project co-funded by the European Union.

Total project value: 1.960.000,00 EUR; 80.00 % funded by Interreg Funds; 14 countries,16 partners This was supported as part of SMILE Incubator, an Interreg Danube Region Programme project co-funded by the European Union. Priority: A better cooperation governance in the Danube
Region. Specific objective: 4.2: Increased institutional capacities for territorial
and macro-regional governance

21/07/2026

[Where We Stand] One of the main obstacles of youth participation is overcoming the gap between interest in social/political issues and youth actually being involved in active decision-making processes, that actively shape or solve those issues. In essence, that is what SMILE is all about. Our partners from SEZ, Germany, can tell you a tad bit more about it... Take it away!

Keep an eye out for future updates from SMILE team!

SMILE goes on... smile with us...

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06/07/2026

[Meet our Partners] This time - IRMI!

Reaching out all the way to Ukraine, IRMI is our very important partner in the SMILE project. As is with other countries, Ukraine especially deals with very high levels of emigration from rural areas; Critically most of the emigrants are rural youth. With ability and know-how, IRMI and SMILE aim to empower Ukrainian youth, to be able to thrive in their rural setting, especially considering a very sensitive international situation in the east. Thank you IRMI! 🇺🇦 🇺🇦 🇺🇦

Keep an eye out for future updates from SMILE team!

SMILE goes on... smile with us...
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Summer heat may be here, but so are we, with another monthly meeting successfully behind us. This time we briefly refres...
26/06/2026

Summer heat may be here, but so are we, with another monthly meeting successfully behind us.

This time we briefly refreshed our plans before the summer breaks, discussed what had been done so far, especially outlining the successfully finished workshops, and of course concluded on a happier note - looking forward to a well deserved holiday rest. 🧳☀️🌵Brief and sweet.

Keep an eye out for future updates from SMILE team!
SMILE goes on... smile with us... and happy summer holidays!

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12/06/2026

[Meet Our Partners] This time we head into the vast territories of Romania, where our partner is from. The Babeș-Bolyai University, short for UBB, is a public research university located in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. It was first established in 1581 as Academia Claudiopolitana. In SMILE, UBB will help prepare workshop learning activities, help organizing additional workshops, gather data and many other important tasks to empower rural youth.

Keep an eye out for future updates from SMILE team!

SMILE goes on... smile with us!

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[From Barriers to Action] On the 4th of May, our partner RIT Croatia, hosted a workshop event in Zagreb. The aim of the ...
08/06/2026

[From Barriers to Action] On the 4th of May, our partner RIT Croatia, hosted a workshop event in Zagreb.

The aim of the workshop was to examine the regional conditions, evaluate challenges and harness opportunities in cooperation with rural youth and local stakeholders. Furthermore, the gathering also served as a validation effort to compare completed country reports, which paint a clearer picture on the actual conditions of rural youth.

With the help of distinguished guests of the academia, the organized round table helped to further convert ideas and research results into practical implementable solutions, which will empower rural youth. The most pressing of questions being on what creates the gap between interest and active participation among youth and how do we bridge it? How does SMILE bridge it?

Keep an eye out for future updates from SMILE team!
SMILE goes on... smile with us!

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[Making it work] On the 28th of May, our team gathered (virtually) in Eisenstadt, Austria, to come together in a worksho...
06/06/2026

[Making it work] On the 28th of May, our team gathered (virtually) in Eisenstadt, Austria, to come together in a workshop environment and evaluate important project details. The workshop was hosted by out project partner .europe. Many thanks!

The main topic of discussion was assessing main issues related to youth social media skills and leadership, as well as recapping of what's been done so far. We also discussed stakeholder inputs and how they can assist with shaping proper policy guidelines to empower rural youth.

Our consortium is a vibrant collective of many fields of study and expertise, that is why we also discussed among ourselves and gave several short inputs on best practices/approaches. While it is important to remain flexible and adapt to the outcomes, it is also important to see the big picture and align the project in such a way so that is makes sense and is most impactful to our target audience - rural youth.

We concluded on a positive note - with vigor and enthusiasm - to continue SMILE heading in the right direction.

Keep an eye out for future updates from SMILE team!
SMILE goes on... smile with us!

🇪🇺

27/05/2026

This workshop is organised within the SMILE Incubator project , which aims to strengthen youth leadership and social media skills in rural communities across the Danube Region. The event is hosted by Foster Europe Foundation , responsible for leading Deliverable D.1.2.2 within the project. While

25/05/2026

[Meet Our Partners] Our consortium consists of a very diverse team of not only (academic) expertise but also countries. This time we head into Hungary, where Inez will talk a bit more about the role of STRIA in SMILE Incubator, and why their role is important, especially in later stages of the project. Take it away...

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Dear followers, dear consortium members, dear all!It is almost incredible to believe how quickly time passes. Having cel...
18/05/2026

Dear followers, dear consortium members, dear all!

It is almost incredible to believe how quickly time passes. Having celebrated one full year since the launch of SMILE Incubator, and now concluding the 3rd SCOM (Steering Committee Meeting) in the wonderful city of Cluj-Napoca, Romania, our team is stronger and more determined than ever.

Our project also successfully passed the first year review (FYR) and is effectively moving trough the third period, which is also one of the more busier periods of the project, but also the most rewarding. Now we go into action! Organizing workshops, building synergies and networks with stakeholders - all to empower rural youth with leaderships skills, and also tackling digital (social) media literacy, which will foster a self-reliant and inclusive environment for young people to thrive in.

Our SCOM only solidified our ambitions and wishes of what this project really means, and what positive changes it brings. With all of the technicalities settled and ideas aligned, we are more than confident to see this trough.

To the team: Thank you all for your hard and dedicated effort you put into the project, especially sacrificing time you could have spent elsewhere, making sure that rural areas don't remain forgotten and are brought into the light they deserve. It not only a pleasure, but a privilege to be working with such dedicated members of the consortium. This one is for you.

Time continues to go on, but so does SMILE. Make sure to smile with us. Until next time in Sofia, Bulgaria. And remember:
"Rocks in my path? I keep them all. With them I shall build my castle." - Nemo Nox

Mulțumesc Romania, mulțumesc team!
M
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[Taking part in TakePart] Following our conference for the project, a few of us remained in Romania to present our resea...
12/05/2026

[Taking part in TakePart] Following our conference for the project, a few of us remained in Romania to present our research results regarding rural youth and their position/activity on the digital platforms. While the panels were very diverse in topics discussed, our findings were surprisingly similar:

While (rural) youth show a high degree of digital knowledge and give somewhat high priority to political, social and environmental topics, their overall lack of further engagement is more than apparent, regardless of specific age groups. Combined with the rise of AI and misinformation, the youth(s) also expressed the lack of programmes and activities from local/regional/national stakeholders, which would in turn bolster participation.

It is now clear, more than ever, that a gap needs to be bridged, and stakeholders to initiate. With the build up of these networks, hopefully, the connection will remain and rural youth will thrive in their areas. This is now the key and ultimate objective of SMILE.

Keep an eye out for future updates from SMILE team!
SMILE goes on... smile with us!

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Gregorčičeva Ulica 19
Nova Gorica
5000

Telephone

+38659073459

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