national advocacy to local action: SAME visit to Spain

From 8 to 10 June 2025, representatives of SAME visited Spain to meet with CANAE and explore how the Solidarity Action Day model could support stronger student participation at local level. The exchange connected two important dimensions of youth engagement: national advocacy and grassroots action. It also showed the value of European diversity, as organisations from different contexts reflected together on how participation can become more practical and visible in young people’s everyday realities. CANAE shared its experience as a federated, student-led platform with a strong role in policy and representation. At the same time, the organisation identified a need to strengthen local-level participation and create more opportunities for students to take direct action in their schools and communities. SAME introduced Solidarity Action Day as a model that can help fill exactly that gap. The main output of the visit was a concrete exchange around how SAD could complement CANAE’s existing structure and strategic direction. The outcome was strong interest in exploring the model further, especially as a tool that can connect local initiative, student ownership, and broader organisational vision. For CANAE and its local actors, this exchange offered more than a presentation of a new concept. It opened a practical question about what student participation can look like when it moves beyond consultation and becomes action. That is where the future value of this visit lies: in helping young people and student bodies imagine how solidarity can be organised, not only discussed. This activity was implemented by SAME – Solidarity Action Day Movement in Europe and financially supported through the 2025 Work Plan grant of the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe.