Youngspace – spaces for youth engagement

Developing inclusive meeting places for young people in Europe

The need for inclusive and open spaces for young people is growing, but development isn’t always keeping pace. Many places still lack mechanisms that allow young people to participate, influence, create, and feel a sense of ownership. At the same time, these environments are becoming increasingly important for both social sustainability and local development.

Efforts to create meeting places for young people are evolving in different ways across Europe. Consequently, there is a need to further develop how these spaces are planned, operated, and designed—particularly in the policies and strategies that underpin these efforts. This applies both to physical spaces, such as cultural venues and community centers, and to the structures and approaches that enable genuine participation.

Youngspace addresses this by bringing together stakeholders from across Europe to share experiences and develop policies that better meet the needs of young people. The project contributes to new knowledge and concrete solutions that can help shape more inclusive societies.

In Youngspace, we identify and analyze best practices for youth meeting places from across Europe. Each project partner contributes local experiences that are shared and developed collaboratively. At the same time, we are bringing together a local stakeholder group comprising representatives from the public sector and civil society to gather perspectives and disseminate knowledge throughout the region. Through workshops, knowledge exchange, and analysis, these insights are translated into developed working methods and policy proposals, with a focus on inclusive and sustainable environments in line with the EU’s New European Bauhaus initiative.