Project overview
LOUDER aims to strengthen democratic awareness, civic participation and youth empowerment by connecting young people from across Europe and encouraging them to learn from the continent’s history of authoritarian regimes.
The project combines historical education with practical democratic engagement, helping young people understand how past experiences of oppression, resistance and democratic transition relate to current challenges facing European democracies.
Through international cooperation and non-formal learning, LOUDER encourages young people, particularly those with fewer opportunities, to reflect on European values, express their opinions and actively contribute to democratic life.
Activities
LOUDER will establish a transnational youth network and organise European youth conferences that bring together young people, experts, stakeholders and decision-makers to explore Europe’s authoritarian past and discuss contemporary democratic challenges.
The project will also organise podcasting workshops, enabling young participants to develop communication and media skills while creating their own podcast episodes. Through the EU Core Values Labs, participants will explore dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and human rights in relation to real-life challenges.
Training activities, educational resources and local workshops will support youth organisations and educators in promoting democratic participation and making the project’s approaches accessible across Europe.
Impact
LOUDER aims to increase young people’s understanding of European history, democratic values and the importance of active civic participation. By strengthening critical thinking, communication, media literacy and democratic competences, the project will help young people recognise contemporary threats to democracy and participate more confidently in their communities.
The project will also strengthen cooperation among European youth organisations, create practical educational resources and establish opportunities for continued democratic dialogue and youth engagement beyond the project.
The role of STEP Institute
STEP Institute will contribute its expertise in non-formal education, participatory learning and youth empowerment, with a particular focus on developing practical educational resources.
Together with the Latvian partner WE AS ONE, STEP will lead WP4 – EU Core Values Labs. This includes developing six interactive workshop concepts connecting European values with contemporary democratic challenges, coordinating the preparation of learning materials and delivering online training for trainers.
STEP will also contribute to the testing, implementation and evaluation of workshops involving young people across partner countries and participate in international youth conferences, including the conference organised in Ljubljana.
