SPARK: From Inspiration to Action - Empowering Youth in Peripheral Regions
SPARK is an Erasmus+ cooperation partnership responding to limited youth participation opportunities in peripheral areas across five European countries. It brings together organisations experienced in youth work, training, digital engagement, and gamification to co-create practical methods that make participation more accessible, sustainable, and locally rooted.
Location
Italy, Spain, Greece, North Macedonia, Luxembourg
Duration
September 2025 – December 2027
Funding Program
Erasmus+ KA220-YOU – Cooperation Partnerships in Youth
Focus Areas
Youth participation, non-formal education, local democracy, digital engagement, media literacy
Partners
Vedogiovane (IT), AC Amics de la Biblioteca de la Fonteta (ES), InfinityGreece (GR), CreACTive Skopje (MK), FSL (LU), Nexes Interculturals (ES)
Key Activities & Learning
Research & Mapping
A comprehensive analysis of youth participation gaps across all five partner countries, combined with the collection of existing good practices. This research phase lays the foundation for all subsequent project activities by identifying what works, what is missing, and where targeted action is most needed.
Youth Worker Training
A capacity-building programme targeting at least 40 youth workers, covering participatory methods, digital engagement strategies, and gamification techniques. The training equips practitioners with concrete tools to design and facilitate meaningful participation processes in their local contexts.
Youth-Led Community Activities
Engagement of around 150 young people in community-based activities designed to strengthen their role in local decision-making. These pilot actions give participants hands-on experience with democratic processes and connect them directly with municipalities and local stakeholders.
Participatory Tool Development
Co-creation of practical participatory instruments including a gamified participation tool and self-reflection resources for youth workers and municipalities. All tools are designed for transferability and will be shared openly through events, publications, and open-access platforms.
Outcomes & Impact
Strengthened Local Governance
Local authorities across the partnership supported in embedding youth participation more meaningfully into governance structures, creating more inclusive and responsive decision-making processes.
Open-Access Participatory Toolkit
A suite of practical tools — including a gamified participation instrument and self-reflection resources — developed, tested, and shared openly for use by youth organisations and municipalities across Europe.
Sustainable Engagement Models
Locally rooted participation models that move beyond one-off activities, offering structured frameworks for ongoing youth involvement in community life and local governance.
FSL's Role in SPARK
For FSL, SPARK connects non-formal education, intercultural learning, and youth participation with concrete local realities. Within the partnership, FSL leads the work package on understanding youth participation gaps and contributes its experience in youth work training, non-formal learning, and intercultural methodologies. FSL also supports the wider capacity-building process across the project, helping ensure that the developed methods are transferable and meaningful in different contexts.
