On 22 April 2025, the YouthForward project officially started with its first activity: the Virtual Kickoff & Partners Engagement Meeting. This online meeting brought together the six members of the management team – two representatives from Youth Line Portugal (applicant) and one representative from each partner: Youth Line Greece, Youth Prague z.s. (Czech Republic), Asociația MULTIKULTI (Romania), and Sweden Youth League.

During the meeting, partners worked on the following key points:

  • Project Overview – presentation of project objectives, expected results, and timeline.
  • Needs Assessment – a joint reflection on the current needs of youth workers and young people in each country.
  • Future Activities – review of the upcoming training, mentoring, and bootcamps to ensure relevance and quality.
  • Roles & Agreements – clear division of responsibilities and signing of work agreements with tasks and deadlines.
  • Communication Tools – set up of Trello, Google Drive, Google Calendar, WhatsApp, and email for efficient coordination.
  • Risk Management – introduction of a plan to identify challenges and strategies to address them.
  • Visibility Campaign – launch of the first promotion materials (posters and t-shirts), designed with Erasmus+ visibility rules.
  • Next Steps – agreement on monthly online meetings and in-person meetings during project activities.

Results of the Kickoff Meeting

By the end of the activity, the consortium achieved:

  • Clear roles and responsibilities for all partners.
  • Signed cooperation agreements defining tasks, deadlines, and deliverables.
  • A shared communication system with digital tools to support cooperation.
  • Detailed planning for upcoming activities.
  • A risk management plan to minimize challenges.
  • Launch of the visibility campaign to promote the project from the start.

Impact of the Activity

Although the meeting involved only the project management team, its results will benefit all stakeholders:

  • Youth workers will gain from stronger coordination and better-prepared training and mentoring.
  • Young participants in later activities will benefit indirectly from a smooth and well-organized process.
  • Partner organisations will profit from effective communication and collaboration, ensuring successful implementation.

This kickoff meeting set a strong foundation for achieving the project’s objectives: empowering youth workers, supporting young people’s employability, and promoting inclusion and diversity across Europe.

The YouthForward project is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.

From 1–6 June 2025, Youth Line Portugal hosted the international training course Inclusive Career Development and Business Mentoring for Youth Workers in Figueira da Foz, Portugal. The event gathered 20 youth workers from five partner organisations: Youth Line Portugal, Svenska Ungdom League (Sweden), Youth Line Greece, Asociația MULTIKULTI (Romania), and Youth Prague z.s. (Czechia).

Objectives and Focus

The training aimed to provide youth workers with tools and knowledge to:

  • Support young people in career planning, employability, and entrepreneurship.

  • Apply inclusive methods to engage young people facing socio-economic challenges.

  • Mentor young people in developing business and social project ideas.

  • Strengthen the capacity of organisations to deliver inclusive and high-quality career guidance

Activities and Learning

Over four working days, participants took part in:

  • Interactive workshops on career counselling, employability strategies, and business mentoring.

  • Hands-on exercises to design business and social projects, covering business planning, market research, and entrepreneurial thinking.

  • Peer learning and exchange, where youth workers shared their local challenges and successful practices.

  • Intercultural evenings, celebrating traditions, music, and stories from the five countries involved.

 

Results Achieved

By the end of the course, the participants and organisations reached several key results:

  • 20 youth workers trained in inclusive career development and business mentoring.
  • Practical mentoring tools introduced, ready to be applied in local organisations and communities.
  • Cross-border collaboration network created among youth workers from five countries.
  • Increased capacity of partner organisations to support disadvantaged youth with career guidance.
  • Greater awareness of inclusion and diversity in the context of employability and entrepreneurship.
 

Long-term Impact

The knowledge and tools gained during this activity will benefit not only the youth workers but also hundreds of young people in their local communities. By mentoring and supporting young people, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, the trained youth workers will help create equal opportunities and foster social inclusion.

This training also laid the groundwork for the project’s upcoming mentoring clubs and bootcamps, ensuring that the YouthForward project continues to strengthen youth employability and entrepreneurship across Europe.

The project YouthForward is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.