What is ACTIVATE?
ACTIVATE – Active Citizens for a Stronger Europe is a European cooperation project that strengthens youth participation in democratic life and connects young people with democratic institutions.
The project engages young people aged 18–27, particularly those facing barriers to participation. It addresses key challenges such as low youth engagement, limited access to decision-making, and the spread of misinformation.
Through participatory activities, ACTIVATE supports young people in developing civic competences, critical thinking, and digital resilience, while fostering cross-border exchange across Europe.
The project culminates in the Youth Civic Vision Assembly, where participants co-create the ACTIVATE Civic Manifesto, a youth-led set of recommendations for stronger democratic participation.
objectives
Civic Empowerment and Participation
Strengthening young people’s understanding of democratic processes and their ability to engage in civic and political life.
Digital Resilience and Media Literacy
Developing critical thinking skills to navigate information, recognise misinformation, and participate responsibly online.
Inclusive Youth Advocacy
Ensuring that the voices of marginalised and underrepresented youth are included in democratic dialogue and policy discussions.
Results and Impact
ACTIVATE creates both immediate learning opportunities and long-term impact on youth participation. Through workshops and participatory activities, participants develop practical skills for democratic engagement.
By the end of the project, ACTIVATE aims to:
- strengthen civic competences and political literacy
- increase awareness of democratic processes
- promote digital resilience and media literacy
- amplify youth voices in democratic dialogue
Upcoming SessionS
Digital Resilience Workshop – Session 2
- 10 August| Online
- Register here
Learn how to navigate the digital world with and engage with online information.
Through online sessions, participants will explore how information is created, shared, and manipulated online. Using real-life examples, practical exercises, and fact-checking tools, young people will strengthen their digital literacy and better understand disinformation, media bias, algorithms, and echo chambers.
What you can expect
- Identify disinformation and media manipulation
- Use fact-checking and verification tools
- Strengthen critical thinking and digital literacy
- Reflect on digital citizenship and democratic participation
CIFAL Youth Network
CIFAL is currently building a new youth network connecting young people, youth workers, and organisations.
The network focuses on democratic participation, policy engagement, and sustainable futures. It creates a space for exchange, collaboration, and active involvement in activities and initiatives across these themes.
Participants can engage in ACTIVATE activities as well as other upcoming initiatives developed within the network.
More projects and opportunities will be launched over time.
Register your interest here.
Follow Our Sessions
Monday 30 March, 2026
This session marked the launch of the ACTIVATE project, bringing participants together to explore barriers to youth participation in democratic life.
Through group discussions, participants identified key challenges faced by young people and worked collaboratively to develop potential solutions. The session concluded with the design of “micro-actions”, small, practical initiatives aimed at addressing these barriers and encouraging greater engagement.
Wednesday 22 April, 2026
This second ACTIVATE session brought together youth and national workers, to build on the barriers to participation identified by young people in the previous session.
Through group work, participants co-created practical “micro-actions” aimed at addressing these challenges and strengthening youth engagement.
Thursday 28 May, 2026
The ACTIVATE Political Literacy Seminar brought together young people and EU insiders for a class about how the EU institutions work and an open conversation about how they actually work in practice.
Through direct dialogue with Gaëtan Poelman, Diplomatic Representative of Flanders to the Euopean Union, and Tom De Smedt, Deputy Head of European Commission’s Representation in Belgium, participants explored questions around EU law-making, Belgian representation, and what European citizenship means beyond the textbooks.
Session 1
Monday 27 May, 2026
The ACTIVATE Digital Resilience Workshop brought together young people for an interactive session on navigating today’s digital information environment. Through discussions, practical exercises and real-life examples, participants explored how misinformation, disinformation, media bias and deepfakes shape the information they consume and influence democratic participation.
Participants also developed practical fact-checking skills, learned how to verify online information using digital tools, and reflected on the role of critical thinking, media literacy and responsible digital citizenship in strengthening democratic resilience.
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