Posts

Posted on

DLI Leads Belgian Youth Delegation to Barcelona

On 21-27 June 2026, as part of the E.C.H.O. project, the Digital Leadership Institute will lead a delegation of young people from Belgium to participate in a youth exchange in Barcelona, Spain, on the topic of “Breaking Barriers: Inclusion & Civic Engagement for Migrant Youth.”

Hosted by E.C.H.O. project partner Casa Eslava, the Barcelona youth exchange offers a unique opportunity for Belgian delegates to collaborate with representatives of partnering youth organizations from across Europe in a series of informative workshops hosted throughout the week. The workshops aim to encourage change-making attitudes among youth in order to strengthen their civic engagement in policies important to Europe’s young people.

Delegates will be given the opportunity to explore barriers that limit inclusivity, and develop the necessary multicultural tools to foster understanding and to empower those who come from migrant and refugee backgrounds. The exchange will also provide delegates a foundation for better understanding democracy in order to improve their ability to impact future EU policy.  

The Barcelona youth exchange is the second in a series of nine exchanges to be organized within the E.C.H.O. project whose mission is amplifying youth voices for a stronger Europe. The project promotes youth mobilty actions, trainings, fairs, and youth-led activities, and supports a pan-European platform for youth engagement. Through these undertakings, the project helps young people in Europe better understand and apply the EU Youth Strategy and the 11 European Youth Goals in real-life contexts.

Posted on

AgriGrant Hub Kicks Off: Supporting Farmers Through Digital Skills

The AgriGrant Hub officially launched this year as a new Erasmus+ KA210-VET Small-Scale Partnership, bringing together Istituto Religioso di Formazione e Istruzione Professionale (Italy), Türkiye Verimlilik Vakfı (Türkiye), and the Digital Leadership Institute (Belgium). The project responds to a concrete challenge faced by many farmers across Europe: accessing EU funding opportunities and navigating complex administrative systems in an increasingly digital environment. By focusing on digital literacy, administrative skills, and awareness of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the partnership aims to make funding more accessible—especially for small and medium-sized farms.

From the outset, DLI has been closely involved in shaping the project’s approach, contributing its expertise in digital education, online learning design, capacity building, and digital gender inclusion. Together with its partners, DLI is currently co-designing a user-friendly digital hub, structured learning modules, and a mentorship programme grounded in farmers’ real needs.

If you work in the agriculture sector in Belgium, Italy or Tükiye and would like to contribute to the AgriGrant Hub project, please consider taking our 15-minute survey!

As the AgriGrant Hub project moves forward, our team is excited to see useful resources take shape to support farmers in building confidence, resilience, and long-term sustainability in a rapidly evolving agricultural landscape.

Project timeline at a glance

  • Mar–Apr 2025 – Project launch & needs analysis
  • May–Sep 2025 – Platform & training design
  • Oct 2025–Mar 2026 – Online course development
  • Apr–Sep 2026 – Mentorship & pilot testing
  • Oct 2026–Feb 2027 – Dissemination & sustainability
Posted on

E.C.H.O. Project Launches in Vienna to Amplify Youth Voices Across Europe

On 6 December 2025 in Vienna, Cheryl Miller, DLI Director, joined the kickoff meeting of E.C.H.O. (Amplifying Youth Voices for a Stronger Europe), an Erasmus+ youth cooperation project implemented by a consortium of nine experienced youth organisations from nine European countries. Coordinated by VABCKJS-EU (Austria) as Lead Partner, the project brings together COOLIVING (France), Casa Eslava (Spain), IVAIGO (Lithuania), Hello Youth (Sweden), ECCO (Norway), Digital Leadership Institute (Belgium), San Giuseppe Onlus (Italy), and K-GEM (Turkey). Together, the partnership combines complementary expertise in youth participation, civic engagement, inclusion, digital learning, and policy dialogue.

The project is structured around clear coordination and shared responsibility, with each partner contributing through defined work packages and pilot activities across Europe. Within E.C.H.O., the Digital Leadership Institute supports the project’s digital and participation-focused dimensions, contributing to online engagement, dissemination, and the creation of a sustainable digital space for youth voices. As implementation progresses, the consortium is excited to see this strong transnational collaboration grow into a lasting youth participation network, amplifying young people’s voices and strengthening their role in shaping a more inclusive and democratic Europe.

Project Timeline at a Glance

  • Dec 2025–Mar 2026 – Project launch & coordination
  • Apr–Dec 2026 – Youth exchanges & learning mobility
  • Jan–Sep 2027 – Digital hub & youth-led actions
  • Oct–Dec 2027 – Final events & long-term network

Posted on

DIGI-EQUAL Launches to Support Women’s Access to Digital Employment

DIGI-EQUAL – Promote Equal Access to Employment in the Digital Sector for Women officially kicked off as a new Erasmus+ project bringing together partners committed to tackling gender inequality in digital careers. Coordinated by WIDE (Luxembourg), the project is implemented with IOVA (Türkiye), DIGITALSET (Ireland), and the Digital Leadership Institute (Belgium). DIGI-EQUAL focuses on women who have already completed—or are currently completing—digital training, supporting their transition into meaningful and sustainable employment in the digital sector.

At the heart of the project, DLI plays a leading role in advancing equality of opportunity and shaping solutions that respond to real barriers women face in the labour market. Current work includes identifying key digital competences, co-designing employability resources, and preparing pilot activities that will be tested with adult learners across partner countries. DLI also supports dissemination and communities of practice for adult educators, ensuring that project results reach beyond the partnership. As DIGI-EQUAL develops, the team is working towards a strong digital ecosystem that empowers women, challenges stereotypes, and demonstrates the added value of European cooperation.

Project Timeline at a Glance

  • Jan–Mar 2024 – Project launch & coordination
  • Apr–Oct 2024 – Barrier mapping & research
  • Nov 2024–Jun 2025 – Skills & competence identification
  • Jul 2025–Mar 2026 – Employability tools development
  • Apr–Dec 2026 – Pilots & testing
  • Jan–Dec 2027 – Platform, dissemination & legacy
Posted on

UNESCO GENSTEMED Project Showcase Event

On 6 February 2025 in Bucharest, the International School Hermann Oberth (ISHO – Romania), in partnership with the Digital Leadership Institute (DLI – Belgium) and the Association of Women in Engineering, Science and Technology (AFIST – Romania), hosted the final event of the UNESCO Gender and STEM Education in Romania (“GENSTEMED”) project, part of the UNESCO program Revitalizing STEM Education to Equip Future Generations with STEM Competency (*science, technology, engineering and mathematics).

In-person and online participants of the event enjoyed interventions by Mr. Bogdan Cristescu, State Secretary of the Romanian Ministry of Education and Research, Ms. Ligia Deca, Secretary General of the Romanian National Commission for UNESCO, Ms. Magdalena Landry, Director of the UNESCO Regional Office for Southeast Europe, and Amb. Simona-Mirela Miculescu, President of the UNESCO General Conference. Attendees were treated to a high-level debate featuring global thought leaders, and moderated by Ms. Corina Negrea, Romanian Science Journalist. Key findings of the project’s research activities, capturing Romanian success stories in promoting gender equity in STEM fields, were also shared by project partner AFIST, while DLI and key project stakeholders led several workshops towards young people that showcased best practices in gender inclusion in STEM.

Key project and event outcomes may be found below:

  • Video Presentation of the Final GENSTEMED Showcase Event (including English subtitles) – forthcoming.
  • GENSTEMED Research Outcomes Presentation – featuring Romanian success stories in promoting gender equity in STEM fields.
  • GENSTEMED Emerging Technology Workshop Train-the-Trainer Toolkit – embodying best practices for promoting digital equity through digital skills trainings toward young people
  • Interim Report of the GENSTEMED Project – including Research Activities carried out through the midway point of the project.
  • Final Report of the GENSTEMED Project – including Recommendations and a Way Forward based on project findings and outcomes.

If you would like to learn more about the GENSTEMED project, please contact us.