This September, YEU attended the 25th edition of the University on Youth and Development (UYD), organised by the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe.
Like every year, youth organisations acting on international and local levels gathered in Mollina (near Malaga, Spain), bringing together participants from different backgrounds to take part in non-formal education activities, build youth resilience and strengthen collective knowledge.
This year, the UYD focused on “AI, Youth, and Peace: Preventing cybercrime and digital harm through responsible AI governance,” encouraging participants to reflect on this challenge of our age. In addition to contributing to this theme, YEU engaged in the final activity of the project “Palette of Emotions” (PoEm), our 2026 Workplan, co-funded by the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe.
The PoEm project was launched in Izmir (Türkiye) in May, where participants from eight different countries first got introduced to art as a tool for wellbeing, got to know each other, and strengthened their youth-worker skills. Over the summer, these young people organised local workshops promoting wellbeing through artistic activities for other youth, with the guidance of our trainers.
And in Mollina, nineteen participants came to share their experiences and reflect on their journey. With expertise built at their local scale, participants came together to build a campaign to show their learning outcomes and provide recommendations and expertise to other young people.
We had the privilege of hosting colleagues from the European Youth Foundation for the first few days of our activity, with whom we held productive and constructive conversations.
In parallel with our PoEm activity, our Governing Board held one of its regular meetings to discuss long-term strategies, update working documents, and also address pressing matters like the ongoing situation in Türkiye.
The UYD is more than a space for project activities; it is also a broader learning and human experience. Hosted in the Ceulaj venue of the Spanish Youth Institute (Injuve), participants enjoy their project activities, relax in the leisure facilities, socialise with others, and learn about new organisations.
The Joint Pedagogical Team of the UYD organised several workshops where all participants (around 130 people) were invited to reflect on AI as a determinant for the next decade. The seven parallel activities happening simultaneously during the convention brought people from different backgrounds and expertise, enriching the conversation about the theme.
In addition, the music and energy of “Ubanda,” the band of the UYD, brought young people together, offering daily musical intermissions and celebrating different music throughout the week.
Each night, participants were invited to contribute to informal workshops to further engage with the general theme and highlight the importance of human emotions.
The cultural immersion night, entitled “find the ALGOrythm,” gave young people the opportunity to share music, dance and snacks from their countries, to bond with each other around their different traditions and celebrate this newfound community. The “Global Fest,” the last day’s festivities, was likewise an opportunity for participants to engage with the locals while showcasing the international diversity hosted in Ceulaj.
