🇫🇮 Erasmus+ Training Course in Finland 📣 Outreach Promotion and Mentoring for Local Youth Councils 🤝

Description

This training is specifically designed to empower members and support staff of LYCs by providing them with effective outreach strategies, promotional skills, and mentoring frameworks necessary to strengthen their local impact and community presence.

This training is part of the “Engage, Connect and Empower Local Youth Councils in Europe” (ECE-LYCE) project. It addresses the mismatch identified between current LYC outreach efforts and their broader local demographics. Recognising that a significant majority of councils struggle with public relations and require advanced skills in digital branding and storytelling, this course instructs participants on how to move past dry, bureaucratic announcements toward dynamic, narrative-driven digital communication. The curriculum focuses on inclusive outreach strategies to break the inner "activism bubble" and intentionally engage historically underrepresented, marginalised, or non-active youth populations. To ensure these diversification efforts result in long-term retention rather than immediate dropout, the training combines external promotion with internal support systems. Participants will learn about structured onboarding protocols, peer-to-peer "buddy systems," and membership rotation models to stop the fragile practice of informal knowledge loss when senior members leave the LYC. With these integrated communication and mentoring frameworks LYCs will be equipped to broaden their visibility to the wider population and build sustainable channels for diverse civic participation.

The methodology is based on non-formal education principles, combining peer learning, group work, simulations, case studies, reflection activities, and exchange of practices among participants from different local realities.

Activity details

Activity type

Training Course

Activity dates

7-12 December 2026

Location

Kouvola, Finland

Application deadline

5 October 2026

Selection date

19 October 2026

Participants

20

Recommended for

Youth workers, Youth leaders, Members and support staff of Local Youth Councils (LYCs)

Working language

English

Organiser

Costs

Participation fee

There is no participation fee.

Accommodation and food

Accommodation and meals will be provided by the organisers. Accommodation will be provided in shared rooms of 2–4 people.

Travel reimbursement

Travel expenses will be reimbursed up to a maximum of 340 EUR per participant, including all travel costs from the participant’s home to the venue and back. Flight tickets shall be bought only after confirmation of selection from the organisers. Reimbursement will be done via bank transfer after the activity, upon receipt of all required travel documents, within two months.

Looking for participants from

34 countries can apply. The activity takes place in Kouvola, Finland.