NEB-YC (New European Bauhaus for Youth Centres) is an Erasmus+ funded initiative created by five European organisations committed to youth development and innovation: Itinerari Paralleli (Italy), Accelerating Change Together (Ireland), CELEI - Centro de lenguas y educación intercultural (Spain), Odyssea (Greece) and Slovak Eco Quality  (Slovakia).

Rooted in the values of the New European Bauhaus (NEB) - sustainability, inclusion and beauty - NEB-YC reimagines the future of Youth Centres across Europe. The project aims to empower  youth workers to transform their spaces, their practices and their communities through approaches that are environmentally conscious, socially engaging and aesthetically meaningful.

Through NEB-YC, youth workers will be inspired to envision better futures for their Youth Centres and equipped with concrete tools to design and implement innovative solutions to local challenges. The project also fosters European cooperation by creating opportunities for peer-to-peer exchanges, cross-border collaborations and long-lasting professional networks.

NEB-YC is a unique, free-of-charge opportunity to receive direct support from experienced international practitioners and to bring new ideas to life - ideas capable of making Youth Centres not only functional, but vibrant, inclusive and transformative places for young people.

With this open call we want to reach out to youth centres and their youth workers from Italy, Ireland, Greece, Slovakia and Spain. The project will select at least five youth centres per country to participate in the NEB training programme and take part in the national project-ideas Hackathons - a challenge-based learning experience designed to help teams develop concrete project ideas by applying what they learned during the training. Through an innovative learning-by-doing process, selected youth centres will be able to design transformational projects and will strengthen their capacity to generate positive change in their territories.

Selected youth centres will participate in the full learning journey, which will be divided into two parts: the first one will focus on training in NEB topics; the second one will consist of the project-based Hackathons, where participants will be able to develop concrete project ideas and compete for funding. Each Youth Centre will join the process with their youth workers (at least two). To them, we offer:

• A free online interdisciplinary NEB training programme, delivered by international trainers (open to all selected participants);

• A one-day in-person Hackathon, with domestic travel costs fully covered;

• Network and exchange opportunities with national and international youth centres and organisations;

• The opportunity of competing for national funding support during the Hackathons: 1st place: €5,000; 2nd place: €3,000; 3rd place: €1,000; 

• A study visit to Brussels for the winners (details to be communicated during the training);

• Individual consultancy to support the project implementation.

For this programme, we are addressing Youth Centres - organisations whose main objective is to organise recreational and/or educational activities for young people (aged 13-30). To be eligible, these Youth Centres (YCs) must demonstrate that they meet at least one of the following characteristics:

• to serve as an open space for leisure time, with young people among its main target audience;

• to involve young people in the management of activities and of the space itself;

• to be freely accessible;

• to be managed by Third Sector organizations or Public Authorities.

NEB-YC is looking for youth centres motivated to learn new methodologies and tools to create meaningful and long-lasting impact for young people and their local communities. We are particularly interested in YCs willing to explore and develop innovative solutions that:

• integrate inclusion, sustainability, and aesthetic quality in line with the NEB values;

• combine multiple disciplines and approaches (e.g., design, education, ecology, arts, technology); 

• are place-based and connected to the local context and its needs;

• actively engage young people and local communities through participatory processes.

Within the application form, applicants will be asked to provide a very brief and initial description of a potential project idea that they would like to implement in order to meet the NEB-YC's goals. Below we share few tentative but not exhaustive examples of suitable initial project ideas: 

• transforming indoor or outdoor areas of the YC using suitable, codesigned solutions; 

• environmental participated activities, such as urban gardens, recycling labs or low-waste activities; 

• collaborative design processes that enhance the identity and beauty of the centre and its surroundings; 

• artistic, cultural or social initiatives that foster inclusion and community cohesion; 

• projects that include the accessibility of the YC;

• capacity building workshops.

These ideas do not have to be final projects. They are meant to help evaluators understand your vision, your motivation and how your YC aligns with the NEB-YC objectives. 

All the trainings and communication are going to be held online and only the Hackathon will be an on-site activity. Each youth centre will have to participate with at least 1 person able to follow the training delivered in english.

To participate, YCs  must complete a short application form by clicking the button below. Most questions are focused on describing  the main characteristics and activities of the YC. 

In the final section, applicants will be asked to outline an initial project idea aimed at improving their YC. This section allows participants to demonstrate their vision, intentions, and preliminary ideas for future development. These ideas will not constitute definitive projects but will provide the evaluators with guidelines to assess applicants’ maturity. 

Applications will be evaluated based on the YC’s alignment with the NEB-YC objectives. The evaluation will consider both the characteristics of the YC and the relevance of the initial project idea.    

Desired Criteria:

• The YC serves as an open space for leisure time, with young people (aged 13-30) among its main target groups

• The YC involves young people in the management of activities and of the space itself

• The YC is freely accessible (e.g. offering  free activities for young people, spaces without architectural barriers, spaces offering activities with high linguistic accessibility, spaces experimenting with accessibility for young people with disabilities)

• The YC is managed by Third Sector organizations or Public Authorities.

• The YC targets young people with challenging life situation (e.g. young people at risk of discrimination: migrant background, unaccompanied foreign minors, disadvantaged social contexts or educational poverty, LGBTQIA+ communities…)

• The YC is located in a disadvantaged location (e.g. peripheral areas from urban centers, areas with a lack of services for young people, neighbourhoods with high rates of school dropouts, NEETs or youth unemployment) 

• Project idea pertinence with NEB-YC's objectives: 

  • • Relevance to NEB initiative;

    • Expected Impact;

    • Degree of innovation

Call opening: 22/12/25

Application deadline: 28/02/2026

YC selection: March 2026

Online training: Second semester 2026

National Hackathon: First semester 2027

Award ceremony and projects implementation: April 2027

Italy 

Gregorio Clavarino - g.clavarino@itinerariparalleli.org

Slovakia

Marco Rogai - marko.rogai95@gmail.com

Greece

Vlassis Manolias - vlassis.manolias@odyssea.com

Spain

Martin Goldburd - m.goldburd@celei.org

Ireland

Tom Lindsay - tom.lindsay@act-studio.com