Building space for independent youth action in Azerbaijan

From 6 to 8 June 2025, SAME visited Baku, Azerbaijan, to meet with AEGEE Baku and explore possibilities for cooperation in youth participation, non-formal education, and solidarity-based engagement. The visit created an important bridge between local youth realities in Azerbaijan and broader European experiences of youth-led action, showing once again how diversity of contexts can enrich common learning. AEGEE Baku shared its experience as a youth-driven organisation working with students across universities and creating opportunities for intercultural learning and active participation. SAME presented the Solidarity Action Day model as a grassroots approach that can help young people design and implement their own initiatives while mobilising support from their communities. The key output of the visit was a focused exchange on organisational models, participation structures, and the relevance of SAD in the Azerbaijani context. The main outcome was strong interest from AEGEE Baku in exploring the model further as a tool for independent youth engagement and possible future cooperation with the SAME network. For participants and organisers in Azerbaijan, the value of the visit lies in opening up a practical new reference point: solidarity-based youth action that is locally rooted but connected to an international movement. The exchange offered ideas, direction, and encouragement for how youth initiatives can remain meaningful, youth-led, and community-oriented even in more restrictive environments. 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.