25 September 2026 On 25 September 2026

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

Despite the slower pace of the first days of September and the temptation to ease gently back into the routine, the OBESSU team is wasting no time! On the contrary, the whole office is already buzzing with activity, picking up ongoing work, making new plans and getting ready for everything the months ahead have in store.

Launch event “Anaphylaxis Preparedness in Action: Creating Safer European Schools for People at Risk of Anaphylaxis”: On September 9, ACT for Anaphylaxis, a newly established European alliance working to improve preparedness and emergency response to anaphylaxis across Europe, organised an event to bring together policymakers, healthcare professionals, patient representatives and sectoral experts to discuss how schools can be better equipped to respond to anaphylaxis. Both practical solutions and national approaches were presented.

Online Workshop “Digitalisation and Europe’s New Social Contract”: This interactive workshop, organised by European Movement International, explored how Europe’s digital transformation should be reflected in a new European Social Contract. Through facilitated discussions and collaborative exercises, participants shared their perspectives on the principles, values and policy priorities that should guide Europe’s digital future.

ELNE’s 2026 Policy Recommendations: The Educational Leadership Network Europe (ELNE) kickstarted its final year of project activities with the publication of the third set of Policy Recommendations on Collaborative Leadership in school and education. Focusing on the “Stakeholders’ approach to making Collaborative School and Educational Leadership a reality in Europe”, the Policy Recommendations address how different stakeholders in education – from learners to educators, parents, school heads, and education employers – understand, practice, and struggle with collaborative leadership in education.

OECD 12th meeting of the Group of National Experts on School Resources: OBESSU joined the meeting of the OECD’s Working Group of National Experts on School Resources, whose main purpose was to review progress on the project and receive guidance from the Group on the implementation of its plans for the Programme of Work 2025-26.

OBESSU reaction to the State of the European Union 2026: As usual, OBESSU followed SOTEU 2026 and came up with its own answer to the speech. While welcoming the EU Kids Act putting the burden on platforms, not young people, we noticed a recurring gap: decision makers tend to speak about young people and learners more often than the time spent engaging and working with them. Students are not a constituency to be consulted once the direction has already been set. We must be recognised for what we are: equal partners who must help set it.

Launch of the EU Literacy Coalition: Following the development of the Warsaw Memorandum of Understanding with other stakeholders in the field of literacy, OBESSU participated in the official Launch of the EU Literacy Coalition, an initiative aimed at addressing the declining literacy trends amongst the European youth, in Brussels, on the 23rd of September. The event aimed at defining how the Coalition will be after a consortium will be selected by the European Commission to lead it, giving us the opportunity to remark the importance of systemic involvement of learners throughout the Coalition’s actions and outputs

“Got Skills? Level Up! Boosting Skills for a Competitive Europe” EIB event: On September 23, OBESSU was invited by the European Investment Bank to speak at this yearly event to discuss how investment in skills and education can strengthen Europe’s competitiveness, from digital skills and industrial resilience to the mobilisation of private capital. We brought the students’ perspective to the table, reminding everyone that education is much more than just a means to boost European competitiveness.

Webinar “Accessibility Without Borders: Hard of Hearing Students in International Programmes”: OBESSU brought the student’s perspective to this online webinar held by EFHOH, which focused on the experiences of hard of hearing students and young people taking part in Erasmus+ and other international mobility programmes across Europe. The discussion revolved around school student mobility and inclusive access to international opportunities, particularly on how mobility programmes can better support hard of hearing students.

“Students are not for Data Mining”: Joint letter with ETUCE and ESHA on the Digital Omnibus. OBESSU joined ETUCE and the European School Heads Association in a joint letter to the Permanent Representations of the EU Member States, opposing a proposal that would let Big Tech use students’ and educators’ personal data to train AI systems under a broad “legitimate interest” exemption. The letter calls on Member States to reject the proposal and preserve robust safeguards for learners. Read the full statement here.

Updates from the European Institutions:

Mark your calendar

September 29^th, European Student Network, Diversity and Inclusion in Erasmus+ Conference (Brussels, Belgium)
October 6^th-8^th, European Students’ Union, StAR Seminar on Students at Risk and Academic Freedom (Bologna, Italy)
October 8^th, Generation Climate Europe, Webinar “Climate Governance, the UNFCCC & Building Democratic Systems for Climate Justice” (online)
October 10^th, ECIT Foundation, “Together Through Art” Charitable Art Fest for Europe (Brussels, Belgium)
October 14^th, European Commission, CodeWeek: The Future Is Now (online)
October 14^th, EU Community for Educational Innovation, Webinar “Partnership for Skills” (online)
October 15^th, DG EAC, EU Youth Stakeholders Group (online)
October 15^th-16^th, European Parliament, European Parliament Leadership Academy (Brussels, Belgium)
October 16^th-17^th, European Youth Forum, Conference “The Future of Erasmus+ Starts with Youth” (Brussels, Belgium)
October 28^th, European Climate Pact, Community Talk: Preparing for COP31 (online)
October 29^th, Italian Chamber of Commerce, Online Webinar “Media Literacy and Disinformation” (online)