The Youth Movement & Campaign Accelerator (YMCA)  

The Youth Movement & Campaign Accelerator (YMCA) is a dynamic programme designed to support and empower young activists in developing and strengthening their campaigns. 

The project offers space where ideas can grow, skills can be built, and connections can flourish. Throughout the programme, participants take part in interactive trainings, exchange experiences with peers, and work together to shape initiatives that aim to create meaningful change in their communities.

By combining learning, collaboration, and hands-on development, YMCA encourages young people to turn their ideas into impactful actions and bring their campaigns to life.

Participants are tackling challenges such as inequality, climate change, and social precarity. Their work connects local and national issues to EU-level policymaking, while strengthening collective action through grassroots movements and campaigns.

They are developing and testing ways to activate their communities, organise campaigns and popular assemblies, and articulate their demands. Through this hands-on approach, participants are creating initiatives that bring people together, expand networks, and boost participatory engagement across Europe.

Inside YMCA 2025-2026: Ideas Turning into Action

2025 YMCA Bootcamp in Paris

Participants met in Paris for two intensive days of learning, collaboration, and exchange – marking the moment where their ideas began to take concrete shape. After months of online workshops, more than 15 young activists from across Europe finally came together in person to deepen their work and build stronger connections. The bootcamp focused on storytelling, project management, facilitation, and activism. Participants developed clearer project plans, strengthened their communication strategies, and exchanged experiences across countries. They left Paris with practical tools, stronger campaign ideas, and a solid foundation for the next phase of the programme.

Thematic Groups

During the bootcamp, participants also formed thematic groups to focus their work, organised around the following key areas:

Refugees & Migrants Rights
Feminism & Gender Justice
Education & Active Citizenship
Workers’ Rights & Labour Organising
Global Politics & Participatory Democracy
Artivism & Cultural Activism
Climate Justice
Queer Rights & Data Systems

Mentorship Phase

These groups now continue their work through the mentorship phase. As part of this stage, they work in small buddy groups of 2-4 activists, each supported by an experienced mentor. By acting as a sounding board, offering constructive feedback, refining strategies, and connecting participants with relevant organisations, mentors help strengthen ideas and turn them into clear, impactful action. This guidance ensures that each project is strengthened and that young activists gain the confidence and connections to succeed.

Meet the Mentors

Ally Zlatar

Art is not just an accessory on gallery walls, but a highly valuable tool for change making. I’m passionate about using creativity and lived experience as tools for advocacy and social change. Through my work across arts, education, and community engagement, I’ve seen how storytelling can empower people to share their voices and I’m excited to support emerging changemakers as they develop theirs!
Maria Carla Lostrangio

I honestly believe that my biggest achievements - the ones I am most proud of as well as the most rewarding - are voluntarily-based. Since my early teenagehood, I have been involved into community and civil society movements, from youth to migration, local development and sustainability starting from my village up to bigger cities until arriving into the European bubble in Brussels. To me, the common thread towards change are doing things with enthusiasm, building a strong network and have the courage to develop alternative imaginations.
Irene Andreou

I believe young people are powerful agents of change when they are given the space, tools, and confidence to act. My work focuses on inclusion, sustainability, and community empowerment, often using creativity and non-formal education to bring people together. I’m happy to support the next generation of changemakers through mentorship.
Fidelis Kwadwo Nketia

For the past decade, my work has focused on empowering young people to organise, campaign, and actively shape democratic life. Through mentoring, civic education, and project management advisory, I support young activists in turning their social concerns into concrete, strategic, and impactful initiatives, campaigns, and community projects. I’m excited to contribute to the YMCA programme and accompany the next generation of changemakers shaping positive change.
Lucero Sobrino

I started my career 10 years ago as a young politician and activist in Peru, driven by one conviction: if we don’t take over, others will. I’m deeply passionate about supporting and inspiring youth activists in designing and implementing their own initiatives. Today, as Project Manager and Founder of InnovaLab, I design capacity-building programmes that help youth, civil society organisations, and indigenous communities strengthen their projects and turn ideas into real impact.
Lida Tsene

My work sits at the intersection of communication, culture, and social impact. Through education, storytelling, and community initiatives—from comics and cultural spaces to sport and social innovation—I try to create platforms where people can safely express themselves, connect, and drive positive change. What motivates me most is the belief that creativity and collective action can open more inclusive and equitable futures.
Ahmed Sadkhan

I’m a Berlin-based facilitator and educator with Arab roots, working at the intersection of social justice education, community dialogue, and queer Muslim organising. My work focuses on creating spaces where people can reflect on identity, belonging, and discrimination, and explore how communities can imagine new futures together. I’m motivated to mentor young activists because I believe meaningful change grows from clarity, connection, and the courage to stay in conversation across difference.
Grigore Rinja

For the past five years, I’ve been part of civic engagement, working alongside young people and communities. I’ve seen how powerful youth can be when they’re supported and given space to act—and that’s what drives me to share my experience and help others grow into confident changemakers.