The Business Foundation for Education (BFE) is proud to be part of the EcoSocial Voices project, which officially launched on April 1st, 2026. The project introduces an innovative civic monitoring methodology designed to promote active youth engagement in assessing ecological and social challenges.
The initiative focuses specifically on young people aged 16–30 with fewer opportunities—those facing barriers to quality learning, civic participation, and community support—as well as the youth workers and professionals who support them. EcoSocial Voices aims to encourage a more sustainable and socially responsible lifestyle while building the capacity of youth workers to empower vulnerable youth.
A European Collaboration
The project involves 5 organizations from different European countries:
- MVIdee (Netherlands) – coordinator: An innovation organisation with extensive experience in sustainability, European cooperation, and scaling project results for wider impact.
- Eco Logic (North Macedonia): Specialists in eco-social youth work, civic participation, and community-based monitoring methods.
- Mindshift (Portugal): Experts in digital learning and microlearning design, leading the project’s online platform and training programme.
- CKM Dubrovnik (Croatia): A youth organisation experienced in community dialogue, international youth events, and local stakeholder engagement.
- Business Foundation for Education (Bulgaria): An NGO, expert in career guidance and youth empowerment through employability skills development.
Project Roadmap
In the coming six months, In the coming months, the partners will develop a Hands-On Guide for youth workers to build capacity for civic monitoring, which will include 10 key topics:
- From monitoring to policy impact
- Understanding ecosocial challenges and the ecosocial transition
- Principles of advanced civic monitoring
- Organising ECOSOCIAL VOICES youth-led monitoring groups and cycles
- Digital tools for advanced civic monitoring
- Research and data collection methods
- Data analysis and visualisation
- Engaging communities and stakeholders
- Critical thinking, decision-making, and intrapreneurship skills
- Communicating monitoring results:
In parallel, the partners will also launch an interactive microlearning course for disadvantaged youth, equipping them with 10 essential intrapreneurial skills:
- Creative problem-solving
- Communication and teamwork
- Leadership and initiative
- Social innovation
- Digital collaboration
- Community research and evidence gathering
- Presenting ideas and recommendations
- Confidence for participation in local dialogue
- Employability and transferable life skills
- Turning community ideas into local action
20 youth workers and ambassadors from all partner countries will be trained during a 3-day international bootcamp in Croatia in March 2027. These trained professionals will then return to their home countries to mentor local youth groups.
In the second half of 2027, the program will be put into practice. 150 disadvantaged young people will form 15 local monitoring groups supported by the trained youth ambassadors. Working in teams, they will identify community problems, analyze local needs, and propose solutions alongside youth workers and stakeholders.
Simultaneously, the EcoSocial Voices multilingual online platform will evolve into an open hub where young people and youth workers can access tools, learning resources, and inspiring success stories from across Europe.
15 local community forums will take place throughout different project phases, bringing together at least 225 participants, including local authorities, NGOs, schools, and community leaders.
In the final months, a European multiplier webinar will engage stakeholders from 15+ countries to share the project’s methods and policy recommendations for youth-led participatory approaches.
Long-term Change and Sustainable Impact
EcoSocial Voices will provide free access to practical training and digital tools, helping underprivileged young people build the confidence and employability skills needed to influence their communities. Youth workers will gain ready-to-use, tested methods to better engage youth through eco-social action, while policy actors will receive practical evidence for youth inclusion approaches.
In the long term, this initiative contributes to more active citizenship and stronger local partnerships. All key project results will remain freely accessible online until March 2033, contributing to more active citizenship and youth engagement.
Join us!
Are you interested in the topic of youth participation in solving local social and environmental challenges? We would be delighted if you followed us on social media and spread the word about the project among young people and youth workers!
Project No: 2025-2-NL02-KA220-YOU-000376479
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
Images from Magnific.com