CIGTEY Training Events and Youth Forum: Building Inclusion Through Civic and GovTech

CIGTEY is a 24-month Erasmus+ KA220 Youth partnership funded at €120,000, working across Poland, Ireland, Ukraine and Turkey to strengthen inclusion and active citizenship by building practical confidence with Civic Tech and GovTech for young people with fewer opportunities. The project recently delivered two successful training events alongside a multiplier Youth Forum in Ireland, helping young people and stakeholders explore how digital tools can remove barriers to participation and make it easier to engage in community and civic life. The training events were built around the project’s Leadership Programme, which focuses on real-world, hands-on learning rather than theory alone. Participants used the skills and tools learnt to facilitate and co-design their own business idea.

Feedback showed strong learning outcomes and relevance: all respondents agreed the programme was high quality, and large majorities reported increased understanding of Civic and GovTech and a positive impact on future education or career prospects, alongside strong ratings for collaboration and idea generation. Participants’ comments highlighted interactive delivery, clearer goals, and the value of working with their peers.

The multiplier Youth Forum further widened the conversation beyond the training cohorts by bringing together young people, youth workers and local stakeholders to showcase what CIGTEY has produced and why it matters. The forum format combined presentations of the project’s results, including the e-book, the youth worker training pathway and the leadership programme, with a panel discussion on practical strategies for using Civic Tech and GovTech to foster social inclusion, followed by networking to support take-up and collaboration.

Together, these events translate CIGTEY’s goals into concrete local impact: young people build digital confidence and leadership skills to engage more fully in society, and organisations strengthen their ability to support participation through accessible, practical approaches. With Youth Forums planned at national level across all partner countries, the project is designed not just to train individuals, but to build wider momentum for inclusive civic participation supported by digital tools.

Project No. 2023-1-PL01-KA220-YOU-000162130

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.