The yEUth Reporters YE took place in Varna Bulgaria, from 22 September to 26 September. The team of Foundation for Entrepreneurship, Culture and Education (FECE) welcomed 22 inspiring young individuals eager to learn more about citizen journalism, responsible media consumption and media production.
During the first activity day the participants from Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia and Slovakia engaged in various introductory activities, explored the European Youth Strategy (2019-2027) and the 11 European Youth Goals and presented their sending organisations: Hessa Association (RO), CEKOS (RS) and Youthfully Yours (SK). The day concluded with a free time to explore the venue and organise group activities outside and a meeting with the team leaders.
On the second day, the participants learned more about their peers’ interests (thanks to the Who Are I? non-formal activity), created group definitions about citizen journalism and took part in a Moral Dilemma game. In the afternoon they took the role of citizen journalists exploring and reporting issues important for the young people in each of the participating countries. The final activity of the day Act It Out! fostered the creative capabilities of the young people. They filmed short videos with their representation of the EYGs.
During the third day, divided into groups, the participants worked on ideal fictional personas advocating for the goals Equality of all Genders, Moving Rural Youth Forward, Quality Learning and Sustainalble Green Europe. They also filmed Instagram reels with practical tips on how 1) to recognise fake news, 2) how to limit their spread and 3) how to be responsible when creating content. Two more activities took place in the afternoon. The first one is called “State Their Truth”. During this simulation activity, the participants explored topics such as media literacy and citizen journalism. They formed 4 groups – citizen journalists, city council, private construction company and NGOs who gathered in a protest against a local park reconstruction. By interviews with all parties involved the citizen journalists had to report what is actually happening. The activity was implemented within the European Digital Citizenship Education Week 2025. The second activity was dedicated to the Spaces for Future online board game. Divided into two teams the participants enriched their environmental knowledge and explored various future scenarios related to climate change. One of the most exciting parts of the project was the Intercultural Night.
During the fourth day, the participants identified topics that they wanted to investigate and formed groups. Later, they visited Varna, where they conducted street interviews with local young people regarding topics such as access to cultural events, public transportation, and the adoption of the euro in Bulgaria.
The fifth and final activity day was dedicated to the Erasmus+ Programme. Divided into groups the participants created sample projects covering topics such as green lifestyle, fast fashion, sexual education and mental health. In the afternoon, they evaluated their overall experience and took part in a reflection session. Each participant discovered his/her secret friend – a person who has made sweet gestures during the project’s duration.
The yEUth Reporters YE is funded by the European Commission under the Erasmus+ Programme.