Young volunteers from across Europe gathered in Munich in mid-April to organize the international FICEP Youth Congress together—and to grow personally in the process.
As part of the INVEST project, young volunteers from six countries came together to organize the international FICEP Youth Congress in Munich from April 9 to 12, 2026 and to grow personally in the process. The focus was on participation, diversity, inclusion, and sustainable youth association work.
Right in the middle not just on the sidline
They took on organizational and logistical tasks, actively helped shape the program, and networked with like-minded people from all over Europe. Whether it was designing new accreditations & invitations, supporting the experts onside, security planning, daily scheduling, or the World Café—the volunteers took on responsibilities in all areas and were guided and supported by an experienced coordination team.
By preparing the congress for a new generation of volunteers they received their practical training and were able to share their experiences, building networks and having additional educational workshops.
They were also responsible for the active start of the day, the spiritual input, little games to get to know each other.
Workshops, World Café, and Photo Challenge: A Diverse Program
The conference program offered a varied mix of substantive insights and practical experiences. Friday kicked off with icebreaker games, including a bingo game created by the volunteers themselves. Saturday featured a keynote speech on the topic “You make the difference – How can I recruit and retain volunteers?” as well as a World Café led by the volunteers. In the afternoon, they organized a photo challenge through Munich. Sunday was dedicated to personal development: In two workshops, participants explored social linguistic facilitation in multilingual groups as well as sports as a tool for diversity and inclusion.
The Volunteers were guided by the six steering group members and the two coordinators in whichever activities they were involved, they reflected together about their tasks and got feedback from the group and the coordinators.
Empowering, Connecting, Sharing: The INVEST Approach
At the heart of the project was the targeted empowerment of the volunteers. The goal was to foster leadership skills—both professionally and personally—and to inspire them to share the values and competencies they had learned with their own organizations and countries. The volunteers reflected on their tasks together, gave each other feedback, and finally planned the next steps for presentations in their home countries and their youth passes.
Our approach was to build capacity and empower Volunteers by encouraging leadership in people and motivation to pass on these values to their peers, creating a multiplying effect.
More than a project – personal impressions
The participants’ experiences show how lasting the project’s impact has been. A volunteer from the FSCF described it as “a wonderful opportunity to experience international friendship and to grow as a volunteer and as a person.”
A volunteer from OREL felt similarly; for her, the project was an inspiring opportunity to learn, make new connections, and form lasting friendships across national borders. An Austrian participant aptly summed up the essence of the project: INVEST had not only enabled him to form international friendships but had also equipped him with new skills and perspectives that he would carry with him into the future.
“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.”
