29 October 2026 On 29 October 2026

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

Between rainy mornings, endless cups of coffee and calendars that leave little room to breathe, October has certainly kept the OBESSU team busy! The whole office is hard at work, moving projects forward, bringing people together and preparing for what’s next. Autumn may be settling in, but things at OBESSU are only heating up!

OBESSU Board Statement in Solidarity to Ongoing School Student Protests: During the past weeks, we have witnessed the spread of protests, kicking off in France, followed by Belgium and Italy, and spreading across the world. The OBESSU Board Statement aims to highlight school students’ efforts and demonstrate our solidarity and full support to the School Student Unions, the Movement as a whole and all allies demonstrating actively their support.

Webinar “Role of influencers and social media strategies in ECIs”: Held on October 6, this one-hour session brought together communication experts, ECI organisers, and influencers to share practical guidance and first-hand experiences on developing and implementing an effective social media and influencer strategy for European Citizens’ Initiatives.

Fondazione Giacomo Brodolini’s 20th Knowledge Apéro: The latest edition of the Knowledge Apéro, titled “One number, many stories: What do composite indicators reveal and conceal?”, explored how composite indicators help simplify complex issues into a single score or ranking and what important differences, assumptions and uncertainties may be hidden in the process.

Final Conference “WHAT KEEPS YOUNG PEOPLE LEARNING? A Youth Learning Lab on engagement, skills and opportunities”: The event, held on October 14, provided an opportunity to reflect on current challenges in youth education and explore innovative approaches for skill development, learning support, and digital tool integration. On this occasion, DLEARN contributed by hosting the final conference of the Co.De Project, which aims to combat early school leaving through innovative methods like co-design.

Online experts’ workshop on the update of the “European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators”(DigCompEdu): On the same day, this meeting brought together selected experts, policy-makers, and representatives from European and international organisations to discuss DigCompEdu Update Version 1. The session provided an overview of the update process and its evidence base, while examining the strategic coherence, technical robustness, and policy relevance of the proposed revisions, particularly regarding emerging topics such as AI, data literacy, digital wellbeing, safety, and critical digital literacy.

EU Youth Stakeholders Group: On October 15, the EU Youth Stakeholders Group meeting gathered representatives of youth organisations and institutions supported by the European Commission to ensure young people’s priorities shape EU policies. The session notably focused on the Youth Check consultation regarding the Artificial Intelligence Strategy for the Cultural and Creative Sectors, examining how AI affects artistic innovation, creators’ rights, digital skills, and youth employment.

European Parliament Leadership Academy: The Academy brought together around 250 active multipliers from the EU and the UK on October 15-16 to strengthen a network connecting European values, democratic participation, and Parliament’s work with local citizens. Action-oriented in nature, the event required participants to commit to implementing a follow-up activity within their communities by mid-2027, with international travel and accommodation covered by the EP.

Conference “The Future of Erasmus+ Starts with Youth”: Held on October 16^th and 17^th, the event focused on three key objectives for the future of EU youth policy. It raised policy-makers’ awareness of the tangible impact and added value of Erasmus+, directly feeding into the debate on its successor programme. Moreover, it also fostered direct dialogue between youth organisations and decision makers, while equipping participants with practical advocacy skills and tailored mini action plans.

ECI breakfast workshop in Brussels “Turn your idea into European action”: On the morning of October 21, this practical and interactive workshop introduced a group of renowned stakeholders to the European Citizens’ Initiative process and the support available through the European Citizens’ Initiative Forum. They then put their knowledge into practice through an ECI simulation.

Lights, climate, action! Networking drinks for youth climate activists: On October 23, Generation Climate Europe brought together engaged organisations and changemakers from across the climate and youth space, plus a few invited guests taking the mic for quick pitches on who they are and what they are building.

Online Roundtable “European negotiations, the road to the NRPPs and coordinated action”: Held on October 27, as MFF and NRPP negotiations entered a decisive phase, this roundtable offered an opportunity to review the positions of the Council and the European Parliament. Participants shared intelligence gathered from Permanent Representations, national governments, and MEPs to jointly outline upcoming advocacy steps and coordinate national-level engagement on the National and Regional Partnership Plans (NRPPs).

SOLIDAR+ Webinar “Youth Wellbeing in Times of Uncertainty”: Nowadays, young people are navigating a complex landscape, shaped by economic instability, climate concerns, social change, technological disruption, and growing uncertainty about the future. In this context, mental wellbeing is not only about access to services; it is also closely linked to opportunities to participate, have their voices heard, build meaningful relationships, and develop a sense of agency. The webinar launched the EMPASY Policy Brief and presented key findings and recommendations developed throughout the project.

Webinar “What Happens After Inclusion? Making Participation Permanent”: Organised by People Powered, the webinar, held on October 28, invited practitioners from the Czech Republic, Mexico and the Philippines to share how they made participation both inclusive and sustainable. They reached people who are usually left out, then built participation into how decisions are made, each by a different route: a national ministry strategy, a state law, and young people trained to run their own assemblies.

Stakeholder Meeting on a “Joint Communication Strategy for Solidarity in EU Youth Volunteering”: As part of the ESC SALTO Position Paper on the evolution from EVS to ESC, the online meeting brought together key European stakeholders on October 29 to reflect on the paper’s findings, share valuable insights and co-create impactful strategies for strengthening and elevating the role of solidarity across EU youth volunteering programmes.

Updates from the European Institutions:

Mark your calendar

November 2^nd-6^th, OBESSU Study Session 2026 (Budapest)
November 2^nd-6^th, European Union, Gender Equality Week 2026
November 4^th-6^th, European Commission, 6th Citizen Participation and Deliberative Democracy Festival (Brussels)
November 5^th, European Digital Education Hub, Webinar “The biggest playground is online: is it safe for children?” (online)
November 6^th, Global Student Forum, Webinar “Transnational Repression: Student Defense of Academic Freedom and Palestinian Solidarity” (online)
November 10^th, International Interns’ Day
November 10^th-11^th, CEDEFOP, Sixth Policy learning forum (PLF) on upskilling pathways for all adults (EESC, Brussels)
November 12^th, Just Transition Platform, Webinar “Telling the just transition story: trust, ownership and governance that works” (online)
November 12^th, Council of the European Union, Conference “Strengthening Inclusive Democratic Participation and Civic Engagement within the EU” (Brussels)
November 12^th, European Youth Forum, 30th Anniversary (EESC, Brussels)
November 12^th, EVTA, Annual Conference (Barcelona)
November 13^th, European Parliament, Multilingualism Days 2026 Workshops (online)
November 13^th, OBESSU, Skip the Barriers of International Mobility (SBIM) Final Conference
November 13^th, Youth for Exchange and Understanding, Final Event ART4U – ARTvocacy for the (U)nion project (Brussels)
November 13^th-14^th, European Youth Forum, Council of Members 2026 (Destelheide, Belgium)
November 16^th, European Commission, Beyond Coal: Youth perspectives for thriving regions (online)
November 16^th, Day of Intergenerational Fairness
November 17^th, European Institute for Gender Equality, Gender Equality Forum 2026 (Brussels)
November 18^th/19^th, Council of Europe, 17th meeting of the Education Policy Advisors Network (online)
November 19^th, EVBB, Annual Conference 2026 “Europe’s VET Strategy in Action: Skills, Business and Global Partnerships” (Paris)
November 19^th, European Commission, 7th Meeting of the Community of Practice focused on Inclusion and Equity in education (Brussels)
November 20^th, European Commission, European Education and Skills Summit (Brussels)
November 28^th-29^th, OBESSU, Council of Members (Vilnius, Lithuania)