Join the European Youth Capital (EYC) 2026 Focus Group
Do you have experience in fostering young people's participation in cities? Have you implemented European youth policies at a local level, or through the European Youth Capital title?
Would you like to know more? Get in touch!
We would like to hear from you!
At the European Youth Forum we are making sure that active youth participation is at the core of the European Youth Capital 2026 selection process. That's why we are looking for five young people who will form the EYC 2026 Focus Group.
What will you do?
Your valuable expertise will help the jury analyse the five short-listed candidate cities’ applications - Izmir, Málaga, Sarajevo, Tromsø, Vila do Conde.
With the help of an expert, the focus group will dive deeper into the specific aspects of each city's application and develop recommendations that will help the jury decide who will be the 2026 European Youth Capital! The assessment will also be sent to the finalists themselves as feedback on their applications.
More details
The Focus Group will meet in Novi Sad (European Youth Capital 2019) on 4 and 5 July 2023. Travel and accommodation expenses will be covered by the European Youth Forum.
For more information on the European Youth Capital title or the application process, please visit the website, or contact Ivan Neirotti, Senior Project Officer, at eyc@youthforum.org.
Sounds interesting?
👉 Registrations are now closed!
Those who have applied will be contacted soon.
Application questions
- How can you contribute with your experience to the work of the European Youth Capital 2026 Focus Group?
- In which way the participation of young people and youth organisations can have a positive impact on the city and its governance? How can the European Youth Capital title contribute to this?
- In your opinion, what is an ideal long-term legacy for the European Youth Capital year?
- Is there any reason that may prevent you from providing objective feedback on the applications of this year’s finalists? Please declare any connections you may have with the following cities:
Izmir (Turkey)
Málaga (Spain)
Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Tromsø (Norway)
Vila do Conde (Portugal)
Related articles & publications
Joint letter: Erasmus+ is a bargain: at least 47.4 billion for all our progress
Joint statement on the Crackdown on LGBTQI+ organisations and young human rights defenders in Türkiye
The European Youth Forum stands in full solidarity with the LGBTQI+ organisations, activists and young human rights defenders targeted by coordinated search, raid and detention operations across Türkiye since the night of 12–13 September 2026.
From conversation to change: the European Youth Capital’s Policy Labs
What happens when young people and decision-makers sit at the exact same table to tackle local challenges? News from Tromsø, where they have implemented innovative Policy Labs to turn everyday youth experiences into concrete political action. Read more to discover what meaningful youth participation actually looks like in practice!