30 April 2026 On 22 April 2026

Amplifying School Students’ Voices in Europe and Beyond – April 2026

The days are getting longer, the sun is warmer and warmer, but the OBESSU team has not lost its focus. On the contrary, the office has been steadily moving forward, consolidating progress and keeping projects firmly on track.

Youth Mainstreaming

Advisory Council on Youth (AC): On March 24-25, the Council of Europe’s Joint Council on Youth held its first statutory meeting of 2026, with the new Advisory Council on Youth (AC) starting into its mandate of 2026-2027. Our former Board Member Anna Weinrich, following her election last year, is thus starting her mandate as AC member, so we take this occasion to congratulate her on the start of her mandate! Check this article if you want to know more about the meeting.

Masterclass on Youth Perspectives and Youth Mainstreaming: On April 14th, Clementina Barbaro (Head of Youth Policy Division of the Council of Europe) presented the recently adopted Reference Framework on a Youth Perspective. She was joined by Marta Touykova (Head of Sector Youth Policy, Youth and Volunteer Solidarity Unit of the European Commission), who spoke about the implementation of youth mainstreaming and the EU Youth Check.

Democratic participation

NECE Campus Session “Technology, trust, and democratic participation”: Hosted as part of COMPASS Europe, this session examined how digital platforms and online political communication increasingly shape citizens’ trust in democracy and, consequently, their civic practices. The session combined policy insights, campaign experience, and facilitated dialogue between participants to interpret complex developments and translate them into practical approaches for civic education.

SOLIDAR+ Policy Knowledge Exchange: Titled “Enabling Learning Environments: The Role of NFIL in building citizenship and basic digital competences | Policy Knowledge Exchange”, this Policy Exchange gathered policymakers, CSOs and education & training stakeholders to launch SOLIDAR+’s annual publication process. This year, their paper is going to be centred on the same theme as the event’s title and it will feature the discussions, insights, and recommendations that emerged from the Exchange.

Sustainable Development and Climate Action

ECP – GreenComp Café: As the start of a four-part series, the GreenComp Café posed a central question: how can sustainability competences support fairer decisions for both present and future generations? After a short presentation of intergenerational fairness and the related EU Strategy, participants worked in small breakout groups to map key competences and exchange perspectives. The session closed with a collective reflection to identify priority competences, which will directly inform the work in the next cafés.

COMPASS Online Kick-Off : On April 15, A Seat At The Table launched COMPASS, a transnational EU youth project mobilising the next generation across 9 Member States to shape the future of European competitiveness. This Online Kick-Off Conference was the starting point of 24 months of structured, transnational policy work that will place youth voices at the centre of Europe’s competitiveness agenda.

Inclusion and Accessibility

EDF Webinar “How to make an event accessible for persons with disabilities”: On April 17^th, the European Disability Forum (EDF) organised a webinar dedicated to other civil society organisations on how to make their events more accessible. The webinar addressed both physical and mental disabilities, providing theoretical indications and practical tools and guidelines that can be applied to all events.

EASPD ADEDU Webinar “Harnessing AI and ICT for inclusive education for neurodiverse learners”: As artificial intelligence (AI) and information and communication technologies (ICT) are increasingly embedded in our daily lives, including education, it is important to remember that technology alone does not create inclusive learning environments. The webinar presented UNESCO’s recent study “Use of AI and ICT to Support Inclusion of Learners with Autism, ADHD, and Learning Difficulties: From Innovation to Inclusion” and explored how AI and ICT can be used strategically to advance inclusive education.

EASPD launch event “What Is the Future of Social Funding Under the Next MFF?”: As negotiations on the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2028–2034 advance, the event looked at how strong and accountable support for social inclusion and cohesion can be ensured going forward. During the event, the EUFunds4Social Coalition presented its key recommendations and a general discussion on how to preserve dedicated social funding in the next EU budget took place.

Vocational Education and Training

ENGIM Foundation Presentation Conference “Youth: The Future in the Present”: The event was the occasion to present the findings of ENGIM’s National Observatory “Youth and Future”, which surveyed around 4.500 students across Italy to explore how young people relate to work and the weight assigned to it in their future prospects and expectations. The discussion revealed a clear shift: young people aren’t rejecting work, they’re redefining its place in their lives. Focus is moving from quantity to quality: from any job to meaningful, fair, and sustainable ones.

EVTA Community MeetUp “Strengthening Basic Skills in VET: Supporting Learners for the Future”: The webinar provided a space for VET practitioners and stakeholders to exchange experiences, initiatives, and project-based approaches that support the strengthening of basic skills within VET systems and programmes. After a general description of what the EU Action Plan on Basic Skills is, guests working in different contexts related to VET presented their initiatives and projects related to the introduction of basic skills training in VET.

CESI@noon “Towards a new VET Strategy for competitiveness and quality jobs”: Ahead of the publication of the EU Commission’s Strategy for Vocational Education and Training, the discussion explored what Europe can and must do to improve VET systems and use them to enhance quality jobs and competitiveness across the Member States. Bringing together policymakers, social partners and youth advocacy groups, key topics were the recognition and attractiveness of VET, its economic and societal value, and the necessary framework conditions to boost VET for quality jobs and competitiveness.

Bavarian PermRep event “EU Labor Law Policy 2026 – Quality Jobs Roadmap under Scrutiny”: On April 23, the Association of the Bavarian Economy held a high-level event to evaluate the European Commission’s strategic direction for the labour market. We took the opportunity to once more emphasise that the future of work cannot be designed without the direct involvement of young people. As OBESSU, we highlighted that quality jobs for the next generation include above minimum wage contracts, as well as social and personal security, mental well-being, and professional growth. We, thus, need to actively reach out and engage with young people and their representatives, including school students. Decision makers have to recognise their role as stakeholders and provide the means that allow them to shape the narratives and policies that govern their lives.

Updates from the European Institutions (click here to know more)

2026 LUX Audience Award Ceremony: On April 14, the European Parliament held the 2026 LUX Audience Award Ceremony in Brussels, announcing as the winner of the award the Spanish film “Deaf,” directed by Eva Libertad. The selection of the award winning film was selected through a joint voting process involving both European citizens and lawmakers. By highlighting this specific narrative, the award aims to foster social inclusion and promote a deeper understanding of diversity within the European Union. Check the Ceremony streaming or the EP’s website to find out more.

Committee on Employment and Social Affairs: At this month’s ordinary meeting of the Committee, the agenda included discussions a) on the Implementation of the Council Recommendation of 30 October 2020 on A Bridge to Jobs – Reinforcing the Youth Guarantee and b) the EU Youth Strategy 2019-2027. During the morning session, Executive VP Mînzatu and MEPs debated the “Social Investment Framework,” with a strong emphasis on protecting the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) from being diluted into broader national envelopes. The discussion centered on ensuring that social funding remains visible, accountable, and specifically targeted toward poverty reduction and quality job creation.

During the afternoon session, the focus shifted toward legislative priorities, including the progress of the Traineeships Directive and the upcoming European Strategy for Vocational Education and Training. Members pushed for stronger social conditionalities in EU spending and reinforced the need for “intergenerational fairness” to ensure that labor market transitions do not disproportionately disadvantage young workers or the most vulnerable. Access the recorded morning session and afternoon session held on 15th of April.

Committee on Culture and Education: Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu joined the CULT ordinary meeting held on the 15th of April, engaging in a structured dialogue focused on a) strengthening the Erasmus+ budget and ensuring its visibility within the next MFF and b) the launch of a new European Strategy for Vocational Education and Training. Commissioner Mînzatu emphasized an “intergenerational fairness” approach to lifelong learning, while addressing the urgent need to finalize the Traineeships Directive to prevent youth exploitation. MEPs particularly pressured the Commission to ensure that future funding remains accessible and specifically earmarked for the most vulnerable communities. As OBESSU, we continue to work closely with partners and coordinate with CSE, LLLP and the Youth Forum to ensure that the post-2027 MFF and EU programmes available to Civil Society, Education and Youth are better financed, more accessible and inclusive. If you wish to check what was discussed, you can access the recorded morning session and afternoon session held on 15th of April or the morning session held on the 16th of April.

With the help of EU funding, we help shape policies and transform them into meaningful practices. On one hand, funding provided by Operating Grants for CSO allows us to carry on our missions and on the other side, actions (co-)funded by EU Programmes help highlight evidence or shape practices that can have an impact on the quality of Education and learning experiences of school students across Europe. A concrete example is our Erasmus+ (EU) co-funded project Democratic Citizenship Teaching and Learning (DeCiTel), which aims at providing teachers and educators with tools to strengthen their ability to teach citizenship education. Through this project, supported by valuable EU funding, representatives of educators, learners, parents and other stakeholders work together to enhance the global dimension of citizenship education by proposing common curriculum elements, learning modules and methodological resources.

Mark your calendars

24 April – 1^st May, EU Youth Week
27^th April, OECD, Skills Summit 2026 (register here)
29^th April, Community for Educational Innovation, Webinar “Educating to thrive in the Digital World” (register here)
5^th May, Civil Society Europe, “Voices of Millions” campaign launch event
5^th May, European Parliament, High Level Event on the Housing Crisis in the EU (follow it here)
6-7^th May, European Literacy Coalition Co-Creation Workshop (Warsaw, Poland)
7^th May, EDEH, Webinar “Ethical use of AI and data in teaching and learning” (register here)
7^th May, “AI for Education Awards 2026” Award Ceremony
7-8^th May, Just Transition Platform WGs Meeting (Narva, Estonia)
8-9^th May, European Movement International, Europe United: A Citizens’ Celebration (Brussels, Belgium)
9^th May, Europe Day
11^th May, Erasmus+ Coalition Meeting
11^th May, SOLIDAR+, Transnational Workshop on Emotional Literacy and Youth Participation methodologies and practices (register here)
12^th May, EDEH, Webinar “Fostering digital literacy and tackling disinformation” (register here)
12-13^th May, CEDEFOP, “Launching the new lifelong guidance framework” Event
19^th May, SIRIUS Network, Policy Conference “Multilingual Education in Europe: Rethinking Language Policies for Migrant Students”
19-21^st May, SOLIDAR+, GearUp! Networking Event Budapest: Global Citizenship, Gender Equality and Local Action (Budapest, Hungary)
19-21^st May, UNESCO-UNEVOC BILT Bridging Event: Advancing TVET through industry partnerships and innovation (Umhlanga, South Africa)
27^th May, CEDEFOP, Second online meeting of the Advisory Group on citizenship education in Initial Vocational Education and Training (IVET) Education