Hitika is a PhD student in food science at the TU Dublin. She’s from India and has previously worked as a food analyst. She’s currently part of the ALEHOOP project that aims to reduce the EU’s dependency on imported proteins by exploiting the alga and plant residual biomass and waste through the circular bioeconomy. These will then be converted into sustainable, safe and healthy alternative proteins for animal feed and food additives.
 

Updated on Tuesday, 17/02/2026

At the end of March, I was a part of a miracle, it was not just because supporting the youth group, but it was fruitful personally for me, too. I must be grateful for the Youth of Europe Association and The Change is in You organization provided me a chance to make myself better. The youth exchange which was organized in the city of Petrich gave us an opportunity to experience the beauty of this land, make friendships and meet with different cultures, which were the main part of the evening sessions.

The period, what I spent there supported me in my work, improved my personality, revealed the areas what I must increase, contributed to see the world across different glasses and make a chance to connect to people who suffer with the same problems day by day. During the activities and I became one of the members of this community, where I could make mistakes bravely and gave something special of me with pleasure.

I would like to say many thanks to the people, who offered me the opportunity of this "travel". Since the returning I am trying to show to the youngsters (I am working with) that feeling what I experienced during those days and sharing with them the essentials and benefits of being a member of an international family.

Updated on Tuesday, 17/02/2026

Lydia Hilebrand studied Communication and Publishing. With her four co-founders Sarah, Jessica, Laura and Elena, she started &Töchter, a book publishing company in 2019. One of their main goals is to show how exciting literature can be. Their published authors cover topics like sustainability and anti-racism from different and intersectional angles and the books are printed in a climate friendly way in Austria. 

Updated on Tuesday, 17/02/2026

I’m Simona, a lawyer and local councillor in a small town in the province of Brescia, Italy. I took part in the “Europa in Comune” project with many other young people: a truly enriching experience! The project, promoted by the municipalities of Sarezzo and Cinisello Balsamo (both Eurodesk network multipliers), and financed by the Erasmus+ Action Ka3 programme, aimed at activating young people in decision-making processes through meetings between youth and local administrators, using the structured dialogue methodology.

Together we explored issues related to “active citizenship”, a term we often hear but which, in practice, is difficult to explain and understand. We asked ourselves the reasons why the younger generations do not actively participate in the life of their countries, and we promoted several local initiatives, aimed specifically at involving young citizens in decisions and events. Being able to discuss this issue with my peers made me aware that we too often assume that involving other young people is easy. In fact, it is necessary to think TOGETHER with young people in order to create real collaboration.

The current distance between representatives and the represented requires important actions to make the role of the citizen effective in the shaping of common local, regional, national and European policies.

That is why I invite all young people to take part in the political life of their municipalities or cities, to actually and effectively live their citizenship.

Active participation opened up a world for me, which I could not even imagine before. Have faith in yourself and embark on this new challenge. I guarantee it will be worth it!

Updated on Tuesday, 17/02/2026

In July 2021 I started my volunteering experience at Teilweise, a youth centre in Salzburg. From the very beginning, I was accepted by my colleagues as an equal. I was allowed to take on many independent tasks and was included in planning and decision-making processes.

My main task was to organize the open space together with my colleague Oliver. During this time our door is open to children and young people between the ages of eight and twenty. They are allowed to come and just "be" with us, to take advantage of the offered gaming possibilities and engage in activities we have to prepare in advance.

During my time at the youth centre, I was able to organize a number of different activities and events and attend a number of interesting workshops, such as a graffiti workshop, a workshop in which we built wooden boats with the children, and the Lego robotics workshop. Once a week I participated in our public sports-workshop held in the park.

It was exciting to see how multifaceted and diverse youth work is and how much one can learn from the young people. I was able to learn a lot about different cultural practices, such as games, and also develop my skills in communicating with people speaking different languages.

I learned a lot during my time in the club and I can say that it was a very valuable and beautiful time for me and I am very grateful for the experience.

Updated on Tuesday, 17/02/2026

Avanti stands for the sustainable development goals, gender equality, and aims to make the world a better place for future generations. Avanti wants to encourage more young girls and women to code in order to bridge the gender gap in education. 

Updated on Tuesday, 17/02/2026

Nagin is a 22-year-old Danish-Afghan who fled Afghanistan as a child. She is currently studying Education Science whilst studying to become a professional football coach. Nagin’s goal is to equalize the playing field and change the norms and the image of the ideal footballer by developing the needed diverse representation. She’s an ambassador of the Danish FA and the Danish Ministry of Culture along her position as city representative in the city's Committee of Equality & Diversity. Nagin stands for challenging the odds and dreams of one day becoming the coach of the Afghanistan Women's National Football team. 

Updated on Tuesday, 17/02/2026