From Paradox to Practice at the 2026 DEAR Exchange Hub

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How can we move from talking about youth participation to genuinely practising it?

That question brought together around 60 participants from across the DEAR Programme in Brussels on 17–19 June for the latest DEAR Exchange Hub, From Democratic Paradox to Participatory Practice: Equipping Youth to Build a Resilient Europe.

Representatives from all 16 DEAR projects joined colleagues from DG INTPA and the DEAR Support Team for three days of learning, experimentation and peer exchange, exploring how Global Citizenship Education can help young people become active participants in democratic life.

The Hub combined a keynote input from Dr. Alessio Surian with highly participatory methods, encouraging participants to experience democratic challenges rather than simply discuss them. Sessions included image theatre inspired by Augusto Boal, perspective-shifting role reversal exercises, collaborative World Café discussions, practical workshops on youth engagement methodologies, and peer consultation on shared implementation challenges.

Participants also had the opportunity to exchange directly with colleagues from DG INTPA and DG EAC, reflecting together on how project experience can inform wider policy discussions on youth participation, democratic resilience and Global Citizenship Education.

A strong emphasis throughout the Hub was placed on peer learning. Projects shared practical experience on topics ranging from storytelling and reporting to event organisation and sub-granting, while identifying common challenges and opportunities for future collaboration across the DEAR community.

The event concluded with participants developing individual and collective commitments to strengthen youth engagement in their own projects, reinforcing the Hub's central message: meaningful democratic participation is something that must be practised, not simply promoted.

DG INTPA and the DEAR Support Team thanks everyone who contributed their ideas, experiences, and enthusiasm throughout the three days. The Exchange Hub showed the value of creating spaces where projects can learn from one another, test new approaches, and continue building a stronger community of practice across the DEAR Programme in the service of the wider goals of Global Citizenship Education.