Recording of summary of Final Conference in Brussels

This recording summarises the main achievements of the final ParticipACTION conference, held in Brussels on 10 September 2026. It is presented by Denis, a young participant and member of the Italian delegation. 

ParticipACTION brought together young people from Italy, France, Cyprus and Lithuania. Over two years of workshops, discussions and exchanges, participants from different countries and backgrounds explored the issues that matter to them, developed their ideas and turned them into concrete policy recommendations. The work was organised around three themes: Migration; Education, Culture, Youth & Sport; and Values & Rights, Rule of Law and Security. 

At the Final Conference, young people from all four partner countries had the opportunity to present and discuss the policypapers they had developed. The winning paper of the ParticipACTION debate held a few months earlier, Combatting Disinformation to Protect European Democracy, was presented as the main recommendation to emerge from the youth-led process, while the other two papers participating in the competition were also presented and discussed so that the full range of perspectives and priorities was represented. 

A key moment highlighted by Denis was the roundtable discussions with policymakers and other relevant organisations. These gave participants the chance to explain why these issues matter to young people, hear different perspectives and receive feedback on their recommendations, turning the presentations into a genuine dialogue. The group also visited the European Parliament to learn more about how European institutions work, how decisions are made at EU level and how advocacy is carried out in Brussels. 

In this recording, Denis reflects on what the experience meant for him and on what meaningful youth participation requires: not only being invited to the conversation, but having the space, tools and confidence to express views and see them become part of a wider debate. Brussels was not the end of the journey, but an important step in making young people’s voices heard in Europe. 

Co-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 European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.