ACTIVE Austria at PRISMAEU10 – participants experience
Setting the Scene – Arriving in Benalmádena
It was a warm afternoon at the Malaga arrival airport, and Benalmádena was a short ride away, which felt like the right kind of place to slow down and think big. From April 25 to 30, 2025, we weren’t just attending another seminar—we were stepping into a space full of purpose. Youth workers, trainers, NGO leaders— about 23 organizations across Europe, each with their own reality, ideas, and energy, coming together for one shared mission: TO LEVEL UP THE YOUTH WORK.
Setting the Scene
A Gathering of Minds – Meeting Europe’s Youth Organizations
We came from everywhere. Estonia, Poland, Turkey, Greece, Slovakia, Austria—you name it. From GEYC to WOLF, LIFT99 to Walk Together, and of course, Active Austria. It was less about badges and more about stories.
Over coffee and during those rhythm-rich cultural breaks (where, by the way, Spanish sweets and Croatian techno made an oddly perfect match), we got to know each other beyond roles and logos. Ursula from Human Centric Foundation shared insights into mental health and entrepreneurship. Emirah from PI Youth painted a picture of inclusion in Turkey that was at once honest and inspiring. And then there was Valentino—his take on informal education and integrating immigrants stuck with me. Soft skills, he said, are where real change starts.
And I get that; most of our work at Active Austria hinges on creating environments where young people don’t just participate—they shape the room. Which is why when collaboration came up (it often did), it didn’t feel forced. It felt necessary.
A Gathering of Minds
Inclusion That’s Real – Making Space for Everyone
Let me explain something that hit hard. Inclusion isn’t a checkbox—it’s work. It’s building ramps, yes, but also changing the tone in the room. It’s making sure the kid from a rural Serbian town without a passport feels just as welcome as the multilingual urban intern. We talked about people with ADHD, color blindness, language barriers—real stuff.
Some of the ideas floated were powerful: websites adapted for black-and-white vision, mixed-travel groups that blend first-timers with experienced youth travelers, waiving upfront payments for those with fewer opportunities.
The GEYC group even drafted a full “Inclusion Guide” a way to get everyone involved. Definitions, real scenarios, and do-this-next steps. Not just feel-good statements. And for me, that’s the line between theory and action.
Everyone is welcome
The Freedom Steps Game – Creativity, Conflict, and Community
On Day 2, we played a game. Sounds simple, but it wasn’t. We created an imaginary NGO—ours was called Freedom Steps. Our mission? Support people recovering from addiction and their families. Each team member had a role: facilitator, finance expert, PR lead.
Now here’s the kicker: midway through, chaos. The finance lead? Caught smoking weed during a break. Plot twist—he’s in recovery. And just when you’re scrambling for solutions, you learn your NGO is being funded by a former drug lord turned grief-stricken donor.
The point? Real youth work is messy. Ethical dilemmas, burnout, financial gaps—it’s not all grants and smiles. But with trust, community, and some late-night discussions, we found paths forward. And honestly, the laughter, frustration, and weird metaphors we shared in that room felt closer to real-world collaboration than any formal workshop I’ve done.
Game Time
From Ideas to Action – Study Visits and Funding Paths
Day 3 took us out of the seminar room. First stop: La Noria. Once an orphanage, now a hub for youth innovation. Social entrepreneurship, mentorship, start-up incubation—it’s happening, right here in Málaga. Later, at Innova Benalmádena, we explored how local freelancers are given free co-working spaces, utilities, and access to mentoring.
Active Austria Participants
It was a real-world example of what can happen when local government supports young people with words and Wi-Fi and working sockets.
We also unpacked the nitty-gritty: EU funding schemes like KA154, KA152, KA155, CERV, and the tender portal. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was gold. Because knowing how to access funding is half the battle.
Study Visit at LaNoria
Why This Seminar Mattered – A Personal Reflection
You know what? This wasn’t just another training week. It was clarity, connection, and challenge. At Active Austria, we’ve always cared about using sports and movement to bridge social divides. But now, we’re thinking bigger.
What if we worked with Walk Together to integrate immigrant youth through soft-skill sports programs? What if LIFT99 and their IT start-up ecosystem helped us bring digital inclusion into physical training modules? What if Fatima and Irina joined a roundtable about peer-led youth engagement in rural spaces?
Final Day Reflection
This week reminded me that the real power of youth work isn’t the funding—it’s the friendships. The late-night notes scribbled on café napkins. The ideas shouted across language gaps. The quiet nods when someone feels heard.
So yeah — we left with ideas. But more than that, we left with each other.