The first-ever edition of the Libertas Bootcamp, held in Brussels from 18-21 June, brought together young writers from across Europe for a four-day-long training on crafting impactful texts, fact-checking and editorial strategy.
Organised by the European Liberal Youth (LYMEC) with the support of the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe, the event was designed to encourage media literacy across European youth. Over the course of the event, 12 unique articles were produced, set to be published in the Libertas Online Magazine from July to September.
Throughout the four days, participants worked closely with experienced journalists, editors and policy experts while continuously developing their own articles. Through workshops, peer review sessions and one-to-one mentoring, they refined their ideas, challenged each other's assumptions and explored how liberal values can be communicated through compelling storytelling.
The event started out with the session "What Makes A Liberal Story" with facilitator Maartje Schulz, Policy and Research Manager, European Liberal Forum. During the session, participants reflected on how values such as freedom, human rights, innovation and optimism can shape both the topics we choose to write about and the way we tell those stories. The session encouraged participants to think critically about the role of narrative, tone and perspective in their proposed article.
The first session was followed by a training on editorial strategies. Milosz Hodun, PhD, international officer of Projekt: Polska, led participants through the process of transforming ideas into publishable articles. Discussions ranged from editorial strategy and audience engagement to the challenge of identifying stories that are not only timely and relevant, but also bring something new to the conversation. Participants pitched their own article concepts, exchanged feedback and explored how personal experiences can be transformed into stories that resonate with a wider audience. Following this, participants trained their skills in recognising and defining their own voices and audiences through interactive workshops, writing exercises and group discussions.
Following this, participants got to hear from Olga Baltag Goreci, Project Officer, European Youth Foundation, Council of Europe, who presented the work of the Council of Europe and its Youth Initiatives.
After the programme, a networking dinner was held together with representatives from partner organisations.
A recurring theme throughout the bootcamp was the importance of combining storytelling with evidence. Day two kicked off with a workshop with Agatha Pyhka on Investigative Skills for Young Journalists. During the session, she demonstrated some best practices for digital investigations and presented tools for conducting safe online research on various topics.
The bootcamp next addressed facts, data and verification together with Raphaël Kergueno, Senior Policy Officer - Data-driven Advocacy at Transparency International EU. The participants got to familiarise themselves with the Integrity Watch EU portal and discuss their own perceptions of lobbying and advocacy. Further, participants explored how publicly available data can be used to uncover patterns of influence and support transparent, fact-based reporting.
Attention then shifted to practical writing skills with facilitator Eloi Borgne, Junior Policy and Research Officer, European Liberal Forum. During the workshop, participants got to practice convincing and cohesive writing, from setting a headline to creating good structure.
Day three opened up with a session on crafting a Persuasive Argument with Viktorya Muradyan, Public Affairs Specialist, Former Editor-in-Chief, The European Correspondent. Discussions explored the difference between persuasion and manipulation, the role of emotions in communication, and how journalists and writers can counter misinformation while maintaining trust with their audiences. Key takeaways for participants from the session were strengthened skills in building logical, evidence-based arguments reflecting liberal values.
This was followed by a writing lab, with participants getting to write on their articles under the guidance of facilitator Maartje Schulz, European Liberal Forum.
The afternoon session featured a session on Freedom of Expression & Human Rights in Journalism with Chris Powers, Brussels Correspondent, Kyiv Independent
Building on the writing lab, followed by peer review and coaching circles, in which participants exchanged drafts, provided peer feedback for each, and refined their texts under the facilitation of Sean Bennett, main trainer & Vice-President of LYMEC
The last day of the event started with a fact-checking simulation exercise with Sean Bennett, where participants got to exercise cross-checking of sources and verifying information.
After this, participants were offered individual mentoring to finalise their articles for publication.
The event wrapped up with evaluations and discussion about content and format for the future of the Libertas magazine with Sean Bennett and Libertas Editor-in-Chief Anes Hodzic.
Beyond the practical writing skills acquired, participants left with a stronger understanding of the role that independent media, critical thinking and responsible storytelling play in defending democratic values.
As the first edition of the Libertas Bootcamp came to an end, participants reflected not only on the articles they had produced, but also on the community of young writers they had built over the course of the programme.
All the articles will be uploaded to the Libertas Magazine online platform from July to September 2026.
Libertas Bootcamp 2026