From August 17th to 23rd, 30 youth leaders from 5 different countries in Europe came together at the Blue Whale Education Center in Tauchen, Austria, for our training course Activism 101. What happened during this was truly transformative. Together, we built a space of trust, solidarity, and empowerment.

We were joined by changemakers from 17 different nationalities, aged between 18 and 40, many of them from the Global South. Everyone had a different background, but shared the same determination: not to stay indifferent in the face of today’s multiple crises, but to discover possible ways to organize and act.

The first day was about settling in, meeting each other, and connecting to the beautiful surroundings. Walking in the forest, participants shared what activism means to them and where their motivation comes from – joy, hope, or sometimes anger. We worked on building a safer space together, reflected on personal boundaries with the Wheel of Consent, and closed the day with a creative lab where everyone printed their activist “superpowers” onto t-shirts.

From there, the week gradually deepened. Emotions became the focus on the second day – reconnecting to how we feel about the world through a four-element ritual, and expressing it through writing, drawing, dancing, and music. Later, we shifted into advocacy work with Giorgio Gotra, who joined us online from Brussels. He guided participants in creating fictional campaigns, mapping power structures, setting realistic goals, and identifying progress markers to evaluate the impact of the campaign.

Midweek was all about tactics and inspiration. Through theatre and speed-dating methods, participants explored different activist practices – from rebellion and reform to reimagining futures and recreating cultures of care. They learned to frame messages, identify root causes, and design actions. Groups began forming around shared causes, preparing for the small-scale actions we had planned in Vienna. The Open Space that day was a highlight, with participants offering their own workshops: from an escape room about education to poetry for social change and dance.

We also took time to reflect on power, privilege, and identity, and how these shape activism. We looked at how movements can sustain themselves, how to share leadership (sociocracy), how to live as close as possible to our values (prefiguraiton), and how to step away from the myth of the “perfect activist.”

All this work came alive on the sixth day, when we traveled to Vienna for the actions. Six groups went out into the streets with their own creative ideas: a flash mob handing out “seeds of change,” an action on the topic of economic inequalities and food poverty called The Golden Spoon, a mental health awareness action with flowers and candies, an interactive quiz reframing migration, a youth rights campaign inviting messages for future generations, and street interviews on global issues. For many, it was the first time engaging strangers in this way. It was challenging, but also empowering – and the pride on participants’ faces said it all.

On the final day, we came back together to reflect on what had happened. In small groups and in plenary, participants shared their learnings and emotions from the actions in Vienna. We closed the week with letters to our future selves, evaluations, and a circle of gratitude.

Looking back, Activism 101 was a week full of courage, creativity, and connection. We are deeply proud of each participant and grateful to our partners: EU‘ th, Vagamondo, Tudatos Ifjúságért Alapítvány, Advocates Who Thrive, and Euroteam Czech Republic, for making this possible. Many seeds of change were planted – and we are excited to see how they will continue to grow.

Last but not least, we want to thank the facilitators from CAMBIO and our guest trainer, Marco Minoni, for bringing all his expertise and energy into the room and holding space with care and efficacy. We are very grateful also for the work of the cooks who spoiled us with delicious vegan food, and for our host, Wolfgang, for offering all his support with flexibility and enthusiasm.

This entire journey was made possible with the support of Erasmus+ and the European Union, which helped us develop tools to foster agency and connect people across borders.