Youth power in trade unions – new voice for louder youth

We are very pleased to announce a new project ahead of us – “Trade Union – new voice for louder youth”, which is supported through the Erasmus+ program, Key Action 3 – “European Youth Together” and will be implemented over a two-year period starting in December 2025.

This project represents a continuation and expansion of the previous cooperation between actors from the youth, trade union and education sectors, bringing together structures from Serbia, North Macedonia, Croatia, Turkiye, Romania, Lithuania and Slovenia, under coordination of the trade union of UPOZ from North Macedonia.

As future leaders, young people hold the key to shaping a fairer, more equal and more sustainable society. However, many of them still lack the knowledge, skills and opportunities to fully engage in these processes. Therefore, this 24-month project, involving 11 partners from seven countries, aims to empower young trade union members and encourage their active participation in decision-making processes both within the trade union and in society as a whole.

The project aims to increase youth engagement in trade union structures through research on the needs of young activists; develop and test a thematic educational program that will provide young activists with knowledge, information and skills; strengthen cross-border cooperation and networking among young trade union activists by creating a European platform for knowledge exchange and cooperation; improve the visibility and attractiveness of trade unions for young people through modern communication strategies, using digital tools and an online campaign that will reach at least 700,000 people.

The project activities will include research into the needs of young people in trade unions, the work of expert groups on development of a universal educational program for building the capacity of young trade union activists, the implementation of one international and six national trade union academies, development of an interactive web platform as a tool for educational support, as well as a series of meetings with EPSU (European Public Services Union) to advocate for institutionalization of the program. The project will also include a widespread online campaign aimed at increasing the visibility of trade unions among young people.

We announce that the kick-off meeting of the project team will be held in December in Skopje, which will mark the official start of this important European initiative dedicated to empowering young people and strengthening their role in trade unions and society.