The “Brave New YOU – Reloaded” project aimed to bring communities closer by building trust among diverse groups of young people and strengthening their capacities to become active agenda-setters and agents of change at both local and European levels. Through a participatory approach, the project contributed to the co-creation of a more open-minded, inclusive, and tolerant Europe.
The project addressed the issue of low participation of disadvantaged and underrepresented youth groups across European communities. Through capacity-building processes and the implementation of local and international activities, youth workers and youth organizations developed competences to effectively reach out to disadvantaged young people and communities. At the same time, the project empowered young participants to take on leadership roles, identify and deconstruct hateful narratives, and create more inclusive narratives within their communities.
The consortium brought together 11 partner organizations from 10 European countries, all working with diverse groups of young people in disadvantaged and deprived areas at the local level, while also supporting their participation at the international level.
The project was structured around three main flows. The first flow, “Creating Brave New Communities”, focused on outreach to disadvantaged young people and the creation of local groups composed of individuals from diverse backgrounds. These groups worked collaboratively to recognize, understand, and deconstruct harmful narratives, while also constructing new, inclusive ones. Activities were implemented at both local and European levels, with young people actively involved in designing and evaluating the process and outcomes.
The second flow, “Creating Brave New Approaches”, built upon the insights gathered from local activities, as well as existing and newly developed practices by the partners. This led to the development of innovative methodologies adapted to different environments, such as schools, youth organizations, and youth centers, applicable at both local and international levels.
The third flow, “Creating Brave New Europe”, focused on formulating recommendations and strategies based on the experiences of the previous flows, aiming to improve approaches to working with disadvantaged young people across different contexts. In this way, the project contributed to fostering a more inclusive European environment and strengthening youth participation and voice.