On 6 October, YMCA attended a youth consultation organised by the European Youth Forum in Brussels, exploring how youth events and consultation processes can become more inclusive, accessible and participatory.
The consultation formed part of European MOSAIC, an Erasmus+ project led by the European Youth Forum and the European Movement International. It aims to make discussions about the EU’s next long-term budget more accessible to people of different ages and backgrounds—particularly young people, marginalised communities and people with disabilities.
This matters particularly in the context of the EU’s next long-term budget, where decisions taken at European level will shape future opportunities for youth participation, Erasmus+, inclusion and community-based programmes. Ensuring that underrepresented groups can contribute to these discussions is therefore part of making future policies and funding more responsive to their realities.
During workshops and panel discussions, participants considered barriers affecting young people experiencing poverty, Roma communities, people with disabilities and those affected by racism. The sessions also examined how organisations can create safer spaces and make Erasmus+ events and activities more inclusive.
YMCA contributed insights from our work with diverse communities across Europe. We emphasised that inclusion requires involving communities from the beginning—not only as final beneficiaries, but as contributors and co-creators throughout the design, implementation and evaluation of projects.
For YMCA, participation was particularly relevant because inclusion is not only a policy principle but a practical challenge in youth work.
The consultation offered a direct opportunity to compare our own approaches against the experience of other European organisations, identify methods that can strengthen the design of YMCA activities, and bring back concrete tools that can help our members make programmes, consultations and Erasmus+ opportunities more accessible to young people who are often underrepresented or excluded.
The event also introduced practical resources that our members can use. ATD Fourth World, an international movement working alongside people experiencing poverty, shared its report on the Hidden Dimensions of Poverty, showing that poverty extends beyond income to include disempowerment, social and institutional mistreatment, and unrecognised contributions.
Phiren Amenca, a European network supporting Roma youth participation, presented Romoji, an interactive storytelling game that won the 2025 Roma Youth Project Award.
Together with the Council of Europe, they created the Mirrors manual, which provides practical human rights education activities to address antigypsyism with young people.
By participating in initiatives like this, YMCA strengthens its own inclusive practice and brings relevant methods and resources back to our members.
These tools can help YMCAs review their own events and participation processes, identify barriers to inclusion, and involve young people more systematically in programme design and decision-making, creating opportunities with communities, not only for them.
