Call for the 2023 Young Changemakers’ Academy! 

Registrations are now open here - deadline is 6 February 2023 at 10h00 CET (Brussels time).

The Young Changemakers Academy is a programme aiming to prepare young people to take active part in their respective communities by shaping their future in given policy areas, by means of three seminars and networking support with other young people and senior political figures from all over Europe with similar interests and objectives. The Young Changemakers Academy shall be a platform to connect young changemakers engaging in political advocacy.

The Young Changemakers Academy is organised by the European Liberal Forum (ELF) with the support of LYMEC (European Liberal Youth) and our partners. 

Do you feel passionate about a cause? Do you have an idea for a project? Learn how to advocate for your project and make change happen!  

Event I - ”Building a vision” 

Friday 24 March to Sunday 26 March  - Barcelona, Spain 

This seminar will encourage young people to develop their own advocacy projects. The first event will include an introduction to the Academy and a presentation of the participants' respective projects and personal development plans. Activism and lobbying will also be tackled.

By the end of this first seminar, participants will:

• Set their learning objectives;
• Learn about grassroot activism and how to achieve a broader impact on youth;
• Work on their personal and project branding;
• Present a clear development plan for their projects.

Event II - “Getting your voice heard” 

Friday 14 April to Sunday 16 April - The Hague, The Netherlands

The second event will focus on social media and communication skills, creating a brand for the projects and how to communicate it through a clear strategy. It is also about outreach and how to get to the target audience. By the end of this seminar, participants will:

• Have a clear idea on the communication tools and how to use them for their projects;
• Know how to make a greater impact for their causes through social media and outreach strategies;
• Have a clear vision of the next steps in their advocacy project processes and how to make them happen - clear progress on the development plan is visible.

Event III  - “Get to your stakeholders through networking and fundraising”

Friday 27 October to Sunday 29 October -  Brussels, Belgium  

In this final event, the participants will be paired up with an MEP or other relevant experts in the field of their own projects to increase the hands-on understanding of advocacy on an EU level. We will also touch upon fundraising, how to keep a team motivated and pitching to stakeholders. The event will end with a joint discussion about what was learned and what insights the participants gained. By the end of this seminar, participants will:

• Evaluate their experience and outcomes of their projects;
• Identify further actions and next steps for their projects beyond the Academy;
• Gain insights into democratic processes and learn how a project could get an even broader impact at a higher scale (i.e. European level);
• Have grown their network significantly with relevant European political figures and experts;
• Have an idea on how to engage MEPs and experts for a cause and manage to represent their interests at a European level.

Temptative timeline: 

• Event 1: Friday 24 March to Sunday 26 March  - Barcelona, Spain

• Event 2: Friday 14 April to Sunday 16 April - Amsterdam, The Netherlands

• Block 1 online lessons: May/June

• Online feedback session 1: July 

• Block 2 online lessons: July/August 

• Online feedback session 2: September 

• Event 3: Friday 20 October to Sunday 22 October -  Brussels, Belgium  

Additional support/activities: 

• Network: participants will be invited to provide peer support to each other with their challenges/projects relating to the learning objectives of the programme;
• Additional activities: participants will have access to the ELF online platform and 2 online feedback session taking place between the second and the third events;
• The ELF “My Academy” online platform will be used to deepen the knowledge and give additional tools to the changemakers as well as to evaluate their progress throughout the Academy (2 blocks will be foreseen).

 Application criteria:

• CV (IN THE FORM)
• Outline your motivation to join the event (IN THE FORM)
• Nomination letter by a LYMEC Member Organisation (to be sent by email to [email protected] AND [email protected]) 
• Completing the form and replying to all the questions
• Short description (maximum 250 words) about the advocacy project the applicant is planning to work on to shape his/her future and community (IN THE FORM)
• The advocacy project must be original, the project of an existing organisation or platform will not be accepted. Yet, it can be an already running project if the participant takes leadership and ownership of it and there is a willingness and possibility for further development or improvement of the project during and after the academy. 
• The applicant must be between 18 and 35 years of age

Applicants cannot be candidates at elections (at any level of governance) before, during and 12 months after the last YCA events take place. If this requirement can’t be met, an important participation fee will be requested! 

 Call for Applications:

• The YCA Programme is open to the general public, ELF staff and Members and European interlocutors under the same conditions as LYMEC MOs.
• Every LYMEC Member Organisation (MO) will be able to nominate one person as an applicant (including the IMS).
• The official MO representative to LYMEC, normally the International Officer or a reported MO Board Member, will have to fill out the registration form with answers to all questions (including the short CV of the chosen candidate for the spot, the written motivation by the applicant, and most importantly a short description of the advocacy project).
• A nomination letter signed by a representative of the MO should be sent by email to [email protected]  and [email protected] before the deadline.
• All applications, fulfilling all specified application requirements, have to be submitted by 6 February 2023 at 10 h 00 CET (Brussels time). 
• Only 10 spots are available for this programme. Therefore, MOs are encouraged to look thoroughly for a promising participant and project in their organisation.

 Evaluation criteria:

• Having a strong and preferably demonstrable interest in becoming involved in youth advocacy.
• Full commitment: Participation in ALL 3 events and online sessions is required (if need be skipping other commitments), as well as to proactively participate in the broader (online) course and feedback process during the whole duration of the programme. Refrain from applying if you can’t participate in-person to all the events and fulfil this requirement (the dates of the events are fixed)! 
• Be an actor of change that has the potential to shape the future of the given community or society in a certain way.
• Work seriously on the development of an advocacy project with clear objectives defined and a development plan.
• In addition, if the number and level of quality of applications overcome our expectations, priority will be given to the applicants who show the greatest level of need for the skills hereby provided and who better pitch/present their advocacy project plan.

Participation fee: There will be no participation costs, meals and accommodation will be fully covered.

Commitment fee: the selected participants will have to pay about 20 EUR of deposit fee to the European Liberal Forum at the beginning of the Academy. The deposit fee will be fully reimbursed at the end of the YCA upon full completion of all the Academy components and in-person events. If the participant does not attend all 3 events, the deposit fee will not be refunded.

Travel reimbursement: There will be at least partial travel refunds. Participants must buy their own tickets and request a reimbursement after the event. Please keep all original receipts, tickets, invoices and boarding passes.

As all LYMEC related events, this seminar also applies the rules of late cancellation and no show fees: Cancellation less than 2 weeks prior to each event leads to a late cancellation fee of 25 EUR, and cancellation less than 48 hours prior to each event or not attending at all leads to a no show fee of 50 EUR.

Participants need to be minimum 18 years old at the start of the event. By registering for this event you agree to our updated privacy policy and understand that your personal data will be shared with the European Liberal Forum and hotels for administrative purposes. You also agree your name to appear during the online event to other participants and to a broader public during live-streamed sessions.    

Events organised by European Liberal Youth (LYMEC) and ELF (European Liberal Forum) may be audio- and video-recorded as well as web-streamed. A photographer and/or a cameraman, contracted by LYMEC, may have access to the meeting room in order to take pictures and videos for communication and publication purposes. Videos and pictures taken by the photographer and/or cameraman, contracted by LYMEC, may also be published on the LYMEC website and on related social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, etc.). They may also be used in other media and means of communication in order to pass on information about the event and activities of LYMEC. The European Liberal Forum might also use the pictures, video or audio in their communications. ***Disclaimer: By registering for this event you give your permission for LYMEC and European Liberal Forum to use your picture in their promotional campaigns and materials and communication about the event. Please make it clear in advance if you do not wish your picture to be used by LYMEC or ELF.***