Across Europe, cities are changing rapidly, but young people are still often excluded from shaping the decisions that define their urban environments.

At the same time, cities are facing increasing challenges:

• • social inequality
• • environmental pressure
• • lack of inclusive governance
• • disconnection between citizens and decision-making

The Y-PLAN YouthCamp 2026 responds to this gap by creating a space where young people can actively engage with real urban challenges, collaborate across borders, and experiment with new ways of making cities more inclusive, creative, and community-driven.

The Y-PLAN YouthCamp is an immersive, fully funded programme taking place in:

The YouthCamp is a hands-on urban learning experience where participants work in interdisciplinary teams to explore real urban contexts in Nicosia, learning from different perspectives, experiences and local realities across Europe.

You will:

• • engage with local communities and stakeholders
• • engage in co-creation workshops, reflection circles and peer learning sessions
• • explore real urban challenges in the area of Agioi Omologites in Nicosia
• • Conduct mapping, observation, and community-based data collection
• • co-design creative and community-driven interventions for public space
• • Experiment with tactical urbanism and placemaking approaches
• • Contribute to a live public activation in the neighborhood
• • experiment with storytelling, engagement, and placemaking tools

The programme concludes with a public activation during the Laou Laou / Car Free Day event in Agioi Omologites.

The YouthCamp follows a learning-by-doing methodology:

Participants will work in interdisciplinary teams and will be assigned to different collaborative working streams based on their interests, backgrounds, and the needs of the programme.

The camp includes two main intervention pathways:

Participants will strengthen skills in:

• • participatory urban planning
• • digital mapping and visualization
• • communication and advocacy
• • intercultural collaboration
• • leadership and teamwork
• • systems thinking
• • creative problem-solving
• • sustainability and civic participation

You will also receive:

• ✅ access to 10 online learning modules, designed to prepare you before the camp and extend your learning afterwards
• ✅ a Youthpass-aligned certificate recognising your competencies and learning outcomes
• ✅ connections with a network of young changemakers across Europe
• ✅ practical, real-world experience in participatory urbanism that you can bring back to your community

Applications are open to young people aged 18–35 from Cyprus, Greece, Serbia, and Belgium who are interested in shaping more inclusive, creative, and sustainable cities.

We welcome participants from diverse backgrounds and experiences, including (and not limited to):

• • Students and recent graduates
• • Young professionals
• • Artists and creatives
• • Architects, designers, and makers
• • Youth workers and educators
• • Activists and community organisers
• • Researchers and social innovators
• • People interested in sustainability, mobility, placemaking, or civic participation
• • Anyone curious about how communities and public spaces can be transformed through collaboration and creativity

• 1 Applications will be reviewed after the deadline.
• 2 Selected participants will be notified by the end of July 2026 and will receive further information about preparation, travel, and logistics.