- Morning —
- Afternoon Partners arrive in Linz
- Late afternoon Short city tour
- Evening Dinner together
Kickoff meeting in Linz
Our partner teams from Austria, the Netherlands and Belgium meet in Linz to begin SPARK together. The kickoff is a working meeting: we agree on responsibilities, the project timetable, our approach to inclusive youth participation, and the first steps for the SPARK Toolkit.
- Dates
- 26–28 September 2026
- Place
- Linz, Austria
- Host
- Student Network of Linz
- Who
- Six people from three partner teams
Kickoff timetable
One arrival day, one full working day, one travel day home.
- Morning Welcome, participatory mapping of the SPARK journey and our values on youth participation
- Afternoon Tour of the Johannes Kepler University Linz campus
- Late afternoon SPARK Toolkit outline, partner roles and project timetable
- Evening Wrap-up: activity plan confirmed and next steps agreed
- Morning Partners travel home
- Afternoon —
- Late afternoon —
- Evening —
Indicative order of the day. This meeting is for the SPARK partner teams only, so there is no public registration. Exact times and meeting points are shared with partners directly.
Open presentation ↓Slides for the kickoff day
The presentation we use on Sunday: why SPARK exists, the 18-month journey, the partnership and the decisions we need to take in Linz. Opens full screen; use the arrow keys to move between slides.
Open presentation ↗How we will work
Non-formal methods all the way through. Less reading documents around a table, more building the plan together.
- Participatory mapping to visualise the whole project journey
- A values exercise to ground our shared approach to youth participation
- A group session to outline the structure of the SPARK Toolkit
- Agreeing quality standards and a monitoring and evaluation framework
- Setting up shared communication and documentation tools
What we leave Linz with
By the end of the kickoff, every partner knows what they are responsible for and when.
- A confirmed project timetable for all five activities
- Clear roles and responsibilities for each partner
- Toolkit modules reviewed and shared out between partners
- An agreed way to measure what young people learn
- SPARK online and social media channels ready to launch
Who is in the room
Each organisation sends two people: its project coordinator and a youth worker or facilitator who will run SPARK activities.
Student Network of Linz
A student-led youth organisation working with international students, exchange participants and local young people in Linz. SNL coordinates SPARK and leads the kickoff and the SPARK Toolkit.
At the kickoff : Batuhan and Kian
About SNL ↗Stichting Solidara
A non-profit foundation for solidarity, inclusion and community empowerment, working with storytelling, intercultural dialogue and non-formal education. Solidara leads the youth worker training.
At the kickoff : Azra and Meral
solidara.org ↗European Social Innovation Institute
An open platform NGO in Antwerp working with young people facing barriers, including NEETs, migrants, refugees and minorities, on civic engagement. ESII leads the final event in Brussels.
At the kickoff : Onur and Burak
esitvzw.org ↗Getting to Linz
General travel info for partners. We share exact meeting points, times and addresses with each team directly.
By train
Linz Hauptbahnhof is on the main Vienna–Salzburg line, with frequent direct trains from Vienna, Salzburg and Munich. We encourage green travel wherever possible.
By plane
Vienna Airport has direct trains to Linz. Linz Airport (LNZ) and Salzburg Airport are closer options, depending on your route.
Getting around
Linz is compact and easy to walk. Trams run from the Hauptbahnhof to the city centre and the Johannes Kepler University campus.
Access needs
Tell us about any access, dietary or other needs before you travel, and we will plan around them.
About SPARK
SPARK project page →Supporting Participation, Active Rights and Knowledge is an 18-month Erasmus+ small-scale partnership (KA210-YOU), from September 2026 to February 2028. It focuses on young people aged 16 to 30 with fewer opportunities in Linz, Workum and Antwerp, and on the youth workers who support them.
01Strengthen youth workers’ skills to facilitate meaningful participation with young people facing barriers.
02Build participation skills and confidence in about 60 young people, recognised with Youthpass.
03Create and share the SPARK Toolkit: open-access, co-created, for youth workers across Europe.
04Learn across borders between three organisations facing the same challenge in different countries.
Questions about the kickoff?
Partner teams and anyone curious about SPARK can write to our projects team.
projects@snlinz.comCo-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are 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.
