Bridging Continents: Youth-Led Innovation in Africa-Europe Cooperation
Our implementing partner, Youthmakers Hub, recently hosted a hybrid interactive workshop titled Bridging Continents: Youth-Led Innovation in Africa-Europe Cooperation. This workshop brought together Master’s students in African Studies and academics from the University of Porto with expertise in the Africa-Europe cooperation ecosystem. 20 participants from the Master of African Studies and the European Interdisciplinary Master African Studies attended the workshop and exchanged critical insights.
During the event, Youthmakers Hub representatives Konstantinos Maragkos, Silvia Diazzi, and Peace Odili presented the AU-EU Youth Voices Lab – Power of the Collective. They explained the objectives working toward enhancing the role of young people in shaping the future of Africa-Europe collaboration. Participants received a comprehensive overview of the programme, its vision, and the opportunities it offered for youth engagement across both continents. A highlight of the workshop was a live questionnaire focused on the upcoming AU-EU Youth Voices Lab App. This activity invited real-time input from the participants, allowing them to share their expectations and preferences regarding the app’s features and usability. Their feedback served as a valuable contribution to the ongoing development process, ensuring that the app reflects the needs and perspectives of its intended users.
Afterward, participants engaged in an ideation workshop to encourage collaboration and creative thinking. In small groups, students discussed practical ideas for enhancing Africa-Europe youth networks, focusing on long-term sustainability, inclusivity, and digital connectivity. This session allowed participants to exchange insights, build mutual understanding, and co-create potential solutions to common challenges young people might face in accessing and engaging with the programme’s activities in both regions. The workshop raised awareness about the AU-EU Youth Voices Lab and its objectives, while, through a structured and participatory approach, it also facilitated student contributions to the programme’s digital development, particularly the app. Most importantly, it provided a concrete example of cross-continental engagement by offering a space for dialogue, innovation, and community-building among African and European youth.
A key point was highlighted by Miguel Filipe Silva, Professor, International Cooperation at the University of Porto: “We should care not only about the world we leave to the youth, but about the youth we leave to the world”. And this is why we keep empowering young people to be the change they want to see in the world.
