EU4Youth: Regional Youth Exchange in Armenia fosters cross-border collaboration and youth empowerment

From 21 to 23 October 2025, as part of the ‘EU4Youth: Youth Engagement and Empowerment’ in Yerevan, Armenia, the Regional Youth Exchange was hosted, gathering over 60 youth leaders, civil society representatives, and project partners from Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine. 

The three-day exchange served as a platform for dialogue, learning, and collaboration, strengthening regional partnerships and showcasing the achievements of more than 35 EU4Youth-funded projects across the Eastern Partnership.

Organised under the theme of ‘Engage, Connect, Empower’, the exchange aimed to foster a vibrant community of practice among youth organisations and promote inclusive, participatory, and impactful youth engagement across the region.

Throughout the programme, participants engaged in interactive workshops, peer-learning sessions, and youth-led presentations, exploring innovative approaches to youth participation, inclusive policymaking, and civic engagement.

A key highlight of the exchange was a visit to the National Assembly of Armenia, where participants met with Members of Parliament to discuss the country’s forthcoming Law on Youth and share regional perspectives on institutionalising youth participation.

The study visits’ exchange component took participants to youth centres and innovative spaces in Yerevan, Aparan, and Dilijan. These visits offered firsthand insights into community-driven youth work, inclusive programming, and the role of local initiatives in empowering young people, especially in rural areas. At the TUMO Centre for Creative Technologies, participants explored how technology, design, and creativity can drive youth engagement and innovation. 

Beyond the structured sessions, the exchange facilitated networking opportunities, sparking new collaborations and project ideas among youth organisations from the four participating countries. Participants reaffirmed their shared commitment to advancing youth participation, inclusion, and empowerment as core principles of the EU4Youth initiative.

The event was organised in close cooperation with the Youth Organisations Union of Armenia within the framework of the ‘EU4Youth: Youth Engagement and Empowerment’ project, co-funded by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and implemented by GIZ.