Youth exchange: ARTivism LAB – Co-creating democratic voices through visual art, performance, and digital storytelling.

ARTivism LAB - Co-creating democratic voices through visual art, performance, and digital storytelling.

You have something to say. About your city, your future, your Europe – or the Europe you wish existed. The question is: does anyone actually hear you?

This exchange is built on one radical idea: your creativity is a democratic act. ARTivism LAB brings together young people from across Europe to explore what it really means to be a citizen right now – not through lectures or PowerPoints, but through paint, movement, cameras, and the kind of honest conversation that only happens when you make something together.

Overview:

Location: Berlin, Germany.

When: 15th – 22nd June 2026.

Deadline Application: 18th May 2026.

Eligibility is limited to applicants from: Germany, Czech Republic, Norway, Romania and Poland.

Eligible age: 15 to 30 years old. ( youth leader over 30 years old)

Accommodation and food covered – 3 meals – 2 coffee breaks

Travel reimbursement: costs will be reimbursed according to the Erasmus+ Distance Calculator. ( Infopack )

“Before applying, we suggest that you read the Infopack and ensure you are familiar with the information it contains.” (PDF Below)

What's about...

ARTivism LAB

Co-creating democratic voices through visual art, performance, and digital storytelling.

You have something to say. About your city, your future, your Europe – or the Europe you wish existed. The question is: does anyone actually hear you?

Through immersive, hands-on experiences – collaborative murals, performative activism, and digital storytelling – participants dig into their relationship with European democracy and ask the questions that matter: Who gets a voice? What does participation actually look like? And what would change if young people were truly at the centre of it?

No artistic experience needed. No wrong answers. Just you, your ideas, and a group of people from across Europe who showed up for the same reason you did.

Each art form opens a different door:

Visual art gives shape to the things that are hard to put into words – your values, your frustrations, your vision;
Performance gives you the courage to take up space, be seen, and make people feel what you feel;
Digital storytelling puts you behind the camera – so you get to decide whose story gets told, and how.

By the end of the week, you’ll have co-created a collective ARTivist portfolio – a real, shareable body of work that shows what European democracy looks like from where you actually stand. And you’ll leave with more than that: a Youthpass recognising your learning, and the tools to keep making your voice heard when you get home.

This exchange is rooted in European Youth Goal #1: Connecting EU with Youth — and it turns that goal from a policy statement into something you can touch, see, perform, and

Objectives...

To empower young people from across Europe to reclaim democratic participation as a creative act, using art as a tool to express their voices, bridge the gap between youth and EU institutions, and become active, confident citizens in their communities.

1. To create a safe, inclusive, and inspiring space where young people from diverse European backgrounds can explore the connection between artistic expression and democratic citizenship, experiencing Europe not as an abstract institution, but as a living community they belong to.
2. To introduce ARTivist methodologies — visual art, performance, and digital storytelling as accessible and powerful tools for civic self-expression, making democratic participation tangible, personal, and creative for every participant regardless of prior experience.
3. To foster intercultural dialogue and transnational solidarity by bringing young people together across borders to co-create shared artistic and civic narratives, turning the act of making something together into an experience of European citizenship itself.
4. To produce a collective ARTivist portfolio, a real, shareable body of work that makes young people’s perspectives on European democracy visible, public, and impossible to ignore, amplifying youth voices beyond the exchange and into their wider communities.
5. To equip participants with transferable ARTivist tools, non-formal education methods, and a Youthpass recognition of their learning, so that the impact of the exchange travels home with them and continues to grow long after the last day.

Infopack...

The Infopack provides all the essential details you need to know about the youth exchange, including the project goals, location, travel arrangements, accommodation, and important contact information. Make sure to read it carefully to be fully prepared for the event

To APPLY....

The application deadline is 18th May 2026!

Below is the Google Form link to the application form. We wish you the best of luck and hope to see you soon in our educational activities!