EYP Capacity-building / European Youth Parliament

Personal and professional development is a crucial aspect of the EYP experience. The EYP offers diverse opportunities for skills development as participants can take part in training events, try out various roles at sessions, and take on a management portfolio within their National Committee. The wide range of initiatives available within the network allow for the improvement of skills such as facilitation, leadership, media and communications, fundraising, organising, project management, inclusion, outreach, and intercultural dialogue. In doing so, the EYP prepares young European citizens not only to take an active role in our network but to use these skills to benefit society as a whole.

Capacity-building is the organisational process of building and improving upon certain skills, processes, and abilities. It is carried out with the goal of ensuring the survival and growth of the organisation. One key aspect of successful capacity-building is that it is driven from within the organisation.

Due to the voluntary nature of the EYP’s member base, it is natural that not every member can be trained for every situation that may arise immediately on arrival in the organisation. Thus, capacity-building is not only indirectly encouraged in the EYP network but also directly fostered through the organisation of specific capacity-building events on an annual basis. These events are tailored to support all the myriad types of skill development needed within the organisation. Below, you can find a list of the main capacity-building events that are regularly hosted by the EYP.

Summer Academy

The Summer Academy is the EYP’s largest international training event. It gathers young people from all EYP Member Organisations in over 35 countries for peer learning, networking, and knowledge exchange. Over the course of a week, training sessions are delivered by an experienced group of EYP members and external experts. The trainings are focused on topics such as fundraising, NGO management, facilitation, diversity, sustainability, and outreach. In addition, board members from the different EYP National Committees get the opportunity to share best practices and experiences. The event equips the leadership of the EYP’s National Committees with the right skills to successfully implement their activities and develop locally as well as internationally.

Each Summer Academy is hosted by one of the EYP National Committees. Last year’s edition was hosted in Maastricht by EYP the Netherlands. The upcoming Summer Academy will be hosted in Bern by EYP Switzerland from the 13th to 16th August 2024.

Summer Academy 2023 in Maastricht, Netherlands

Summer Academy 2023 - Training Booklet

PDF — 35 MB

Training Academy

The Training Academy (Formerly Training for EYP Trainers or T4ET) is one of the longest-running capacity-building events of the EYP. It aims to nurture the training culture within the organisation by transferring experiential knowledge from experienced volunteers of the network to volunteers who are aspiring trainers.

The previous T4ET format played a strong role in increasing the quality of EYP events and strengthening EYP as a training-based organisation. However, after analysing the needs of the network, the T4ET concept was revamped, and the Training Academy was born. The event focuses on knowledge building and skills development. Additionally, trainees prepare individual projects which they aim to implement as trainers at future events.

Media Academy

The EYP Media Academy brings together EYPers who are interested to learn more about public relations, communication, and EYP Media, to develop new skills they can bring back to their National Committees and events. The Media Academy is an annual event organised by experienced EYP members passionate about EYP Media as well as external experts who join to conduct workshops and various training modules in different areas such as video creation, photography, and organisational communication.

The Media Academy 2024 took place in Berlin and brought together participants and trainers from the EYP and the Understanding Europe network. The event focused mainly on improving media literacy in the context of the European Elections.

Active and Inclusive Citizenship Lab

The EYP Active and Inclusive Citizenship Lab is an event that has evolved and changed over the past years. The lab aims to further strengthen the EYP as a platform for active citizenship by delivering trainings on specific topics in the area. It also provides a space for discussion of the key topics that need addressing in the EYP, such as cooperation with civil society organisations and diversity and inclusion. The event is also a unique opportunity for the inclusion of both participants and experts from other organisations such as Understanding Europe.

Presidents’ Meeting 2018 in Berlin, Germany

Presidents’ Summit

This annual training event brings together the Presidents of the EYP National Committees. During the summit, the Presidents engage in knowledge exchange on topics such as organisational management, outreach, and strategic development. The event is designed to ensure that the Presidents of the network have a support system of individuals who are taking on similar roles in NGO management. Additionally, it serves as a networking event, where participants can get to know their international peers and plan for cooperation between their organisations.

The EYP Presidents’ Summit 2024 will be hosted in Kraków by EYP Poland from the 19th to 22nd September 2024.

Head-Organisers’ Summit

This annual training event brings together project managers of past and upcoming flagship events of the EYP – International Sessions. Throughout this weekend-long training, the participants meet to share knowledge and best practices, and provide consulting and support to each other. They engage in peer learning as well as attend workshops run by experts focusing on team & project management, fundraising, communication, and diversity-oriented event planning.

Safe Person Training

Being a youth network, the EYP puts great importance on the well-being of our participants before, during and after each EYP event. With a wide framework for the welfare of our participants supported by local and international volunteers, we organise this training to build national capacities for safeguarding welfare. All EYP National Committees have a ‘National Safe Person’ who coordinates with and supports the Event Safe Persons attending each event organised in the country. In cooperation with the international Safe Core Team, they ensure the implementation of the EYP policies overseeing the safety and wellbeing of the participants.

The previous Safe Person Training was organised in the Hague, NL by the Safe Core team.

Fundraising Summit

The Fundraising Summit aims to enhance cooperation and produce synergies in fundraising efforts across the EYP network. It gives participants the chance to design and plot out fundraising collaborations across regions, receive feedback from their peers and the International Office of the EYP regarding grant writing, and gain hands-on knowledge regarding state-of-the-art fundraising techniques as relevant to participants’ work.

Human Resources Summit

The HR Summit is the first event of its kind across the network and aims to act as a catalyst of change regarding the issues faced by many National Committees in their member recruitment, engagement, and long-term retention, to foster sustainable growth in the EYP network.

Diversity Lab

The Diversity Training Lab aims to empower active members to implement their own projects advancing diversity, inclusion, and/or accessibility within the EYP. Experienced trainers and experts join the event to provide participants with the right tools to develop their own projects.