SALTO Participation & Information

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐄𝐔 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲?
The Estonian National Agency (Euroopa Noored) asked these questions to a very specific group: 19 teenagers from six counties who had never taken part in Erasmus+ or European Solidarity Corps before.
Over one weekend in Tallinn, they explored the programmes from the outside in, starting from their everyday lives.

What was revealed?

🟡 Stress and “first-time nerves” often stop young people before they even apply
🟡 Communication felt too institutional, complex, and text-heavy
🟡 Real-life stories were missing from how opportunities are presented
🟡 Many did not recognise themselves as “the target group” at all

The discussions also shifted how the National Agency talks about participation, support, and entry points for first-timers, leading to changes in language, training approaches, and communication style.

🔎 Read the inspiration story to see what surprised the team, what changed in practice, and what they learned from young people encountering EU programmes for the very first time.
https://participationpool.eu/resource/young-people-unfamiliar-with-the-eu-youth-programmes-amp-up-the-work-at-the-estonian-national-agency/

We know… it’s already halfway through 2026. 👀

But between new projects, new colleagues, training, partnerships, and exciting updates in the works, time flew by – and we never properly shared our 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬.

So we wanted to take a moment to look back at what was achieved together last year, and showcase some important progress in our work to 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞.

Swipe through for some key highlights or check out the full one-pager for the complete overview. 👇

https://participationpool.eu/2026/06/16/looking-back-salto-pis-2025-highlights-are-here/

Where does human interaction remain relevant in a world where AI is increasingly being presented as a solution for everything? What skills will communication professionals need to remain effective? Will AI take over routine tasks, leaving more space for creativity and strategic thinking? Or will it simply generate more content, more noise, and make authentic communication even harder to achieve?

These questions were at the heart of the Communication and Information Officers Staff Training (CIOST), which took place from 18–22 May in Cyprus, hosted by the Cypriot National Agency for Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps (ΙΔΕΠ Διά Βίου Μάθησης Erasmus+ Cyprus) in cooperation with us.

Read the full article to learn about the future of communication work in Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps. 👇

The Future of Communication: More AI, More Demanding Human Skills in Erasmus+ Where does human interaction remain relevant in a world where AI is increasingly being presented as a solution for everything?

“𝘊𝘰-𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦: 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮. 𝘐𝘵 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘴, 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱 𝘣𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱, 𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮. 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘈𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴; 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘰𝘯𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘗𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴; 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘌𝘶𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦. 𝘌𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘴 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳.” – Olga Glumac, Facilitator and systemic participatory designer.

Democratic participation is a recognised priority across Erasmus+, but how can it become a reality in everyday work?

This was one of the key reflections emerging from the third meeting of the NAs Participation Network, which brought together Participation Contact Points from the National Agencies (NAs) of Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps, alongside SALTO Participation and Information (SALTO PI), in Tallinn, Estonia 🇪🇪, from 26 to 28 May 2026.

Looking ahead to 2027 and beyond, 35 participants from 24 countries focused on how democratic participation can become more deeply embedded across Erasmus+ and how the growing network of Participation Contact Points (PCPs) can contribute to that goal.

Photos: Karoliine Aus

🔎 Read impressions from organisers and participants here:

From Priority to Practice: Strengthening Democratic Participation Across Erasmus+ Democratic participation is a recognised priority across Erasmus+, but how can it become a reality in everyday work?

Can institutions truly share power with young people? What makes participation meaningful rather than symbolic? These were some of the key questions explored during the 𝐘𝐨𝐮(𝐭𝐡)𝟒𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, which brought together around 40 young people from 12 countries in Bonn, Germany 🇩🇪, from 15–17 May 2026.

We had a pleasure organising it together with JUGEND für Europa and the New Power in Youth (NPiY) to bring together young people involved in Youth Advisory Boards, EuroPeers International networks, steering groups and other participation structures. Over three days, they exchanged experiences, challenged institutions and developed practical ideas for strengthening youth participation in decision-making across Europe.

A major outcome of the event was the creation of the “𝐄𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧”, developed collaboratively by participants during working groups.

👉 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞:

Young People Want More Than a Seat at the Table: Key Takeaways from You(th)4Participation 2026 From 15 to 17 May 2026, around 40 young people from 12 countries gathered in Bonn, Germany

𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐚 𝐰𝐫𝐚𝐩! 🎬 We look back on the Participation Contact Points' 3-day in-person meeting 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬. So much co-creation, planning, peer learning and inspiration were packed into just a few days in Tallinn.

Soon, we’ll share a short article highlighting some of the key moments and takeaways.

Here's a gallery of the closing session. 📸Photos by Karoliine Aus

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/