From 9 to 16 August 2025, SAME and YOUCA brought together 33 young people from nine member organisations in Kasterlee, Belgium, for Summer Camp 2025. Participants came from Albania, Armenia, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, Italy, Kosovo, Montenegro, and North Macedonia, making the camp a rich space of cultural exchange, different perspectives, and shared reflection. This diversity was not only visible in where participants came from, but also in the stories, experiences, and questions they brought into the group.
The programme combined workshops, group discussions, team-building, and creative methods around themes such as youth participation, activism, identity, power and privilege, deep democracy, inclusion, and exchange on different Solidarity Action Day practices. The main outputs of the camp were the learning processes, group reflections, shared practices, and creative contributions developed throughout the week. The main outcomes were visible in participants’ increased confidence, stronger communication and teamwork skills, deeper awareness of diversity and inclusion, and a renewed motivation to engage actively in their organisations and communities.
What made the camp especially meaningful was the sense of belonging it created. Participants did not only discuss solidarity as an idea, but experienced it in practice through everyday cooperation, reflection, and shared living. When they returned home, they took with them not only memories and contacts, but also concrete insights, methods, and inspiration that can support their future youth work, local initiatives, and continued engagement within the SAME network.
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.
