Program of the Youth Network Conference 2026 by balkanizer team

YOUTH NETWORK CONFERENCE

Youth Identities and Collective Action in Hybrid Communities

🗓 22 February | 🕙 10:00 – 14:00 CET💻 Livestreaming | Virtual ParticipationOrganised by the Balkanizer NetworkLed by Junior Youth Workers

🕙 10:00 – 10:15

Welcoming & Opening the Collective Space

Speaker	Notes
Natasha Karra – B Community, Thessaloniki Municipality	Welcome & opening remarks on youth participation & hybrid communities

🔵 Roundtable 1: Sports for Inclusion – The Power of Sports

Focus: Inclusion, disability, recreational sports, community empowermentCoordinator & Dialogue Facilitator: Dimitris Alepliotis

Time	Speaker	Title / Contribution
10:15 – 10:25	Dimitris Alepliotis	Leader in an ESC Solidarity Project – ESAEI EN ROI, Greece
10:25 – 10:40	ESAI EN ROI Sports Team (3 speakers)	1) SOCIAL INCLUSION: The Power of Sports 2) The Rhythm of Life (Turkey–Greece) 3) Hop, Skip, Jump: Street Games for All (Turkey–Greece) 4) Echo-tech Kids – Sports & Disability (Turkey–Greece)
10:40-10:45 10:45 – 10:50	Chiara Matilde Scarfo – Italy	Sharing experiences via etwinning in Bosnian schools From ESC volunteer to NGO founder – learning inclusion through action
10:50 – 10:55	Discussion / Q&A	Short dialogue with participants

Key question:How can sport become a shared language for inclusion and dignity?

🟢 Roundtable 2: Cultural issues and Youth in our Western democracies

Focus: The role of culture, new cultural habits among young people, the need for cultural democratisation and digitalisation.

Time	Speaker	Title / Contribution
10:55 – 11:10	Alexis Lidec, Law Studies, Actor	The challenges facing cultural policies aimed at young people. Spending cuts, digitalisation, legitimacy and democratisation.
11:10 – 11:25	Willy Maupetit, ctor and member of "Le Théatre des Evadés" troup - Paris. Martin Modesti Vasili Poulizouli	Drama, texts and theatre troup in France.   Drama, texts and theatre troup in France.  Education, Art mediation at the MOMUS.
11:25 – 11:35	Labrini Boviatsou	Experimental Convergence between Artistic Fields: Challenges and Opportunities
11:35 – 11:40	Discussion / Q&A	Short dialogue with participants

Key question:How do we reconnect youth with creativity, embodiment, and artistic presence in a digital era?

🟠 Roundtable 3: Agriculture, Nature, Ecology & Youth

Focus: Sustainability, agriculture, ecology, urban–rural linksCoordinator & Dialogue Facilitator: Georges Korra

Time	Speaker	Title / Contribution
11:40 – 11:50	Georges Korra	Youth, agriculture, failures and possibilities of contemporary society
11:50 – 12:00	Miranda Mansaku, Project Manager +Marvina Mansaku, Young Youth Worker	Urban farming model in a secondary school in Durrës – Udhetim i Lire, Albania
12:00 – 12:10	Mariam Sanikidje, Psychologist, x-ESC Volunteer, Junior Youth Worker	ESC experiences through nature-based projects – Droni Association & ESAI EN ROI
12:10 – 12:20	Sokratis Seitanidis, Urban Planning Professional, Msc, PhD, Research Fellow at AUTH	Urban Planning Committee of Polichni – local challenges & youth voice
12:20 – 12:25	Discussion / Q&A	Short dialogue with participants

Key question:Can agriculture, ecology, and public space become places of hope and agency for youth?

🔴 Roundtable 4: Sharing Good Practices among Youth Workers

Focus: NGOs, training courses, advocacy, ESC & E+ programsCoordinator & Dialogue Facilitator: Alexis Lidec

Time	Speaker	Title / Contribution
12:25 – 12:35	Andreea Ioana Bodge, President of the NGO "Empower Plus"	Good practices from youth worker training courses – Romania
12:35 – 12:50	Milos Popic, ESC & Erasmus+ Coordinator, Coach, Trainer, Senior Youth Worker, SVITAC Bosnia-Herzegovina	esc and erasmus+ in Western balkans throught two videos
12:50 – 13:00	Hongbo Zhao, ESC Volunteer, Junior Youth Worker, Dogs trainer, etc	Pawsitive Parks Campaign – youth proposals to public authorities – Seiklejate Vennaskond & ESAI EN ROI
13:00 – 13:05	Discussion / Q&A	Short dialogue with participants

Key question:How can youth programs, campaigns, and ESC initiatives be sustained and impactful?

🟣 Roundtable 5: Visa & Mobility Challenges for Youth

Focus: Barriers to ESC participation, international mobility, and inclusionCoordinator & Dialogue Facilitator: Eleni Kavazidou

Time	Speaker	Title / Contribution
13:05 – 13:10	Have a Dream NGO	Visa & mobility challenges
13:10 – 13:15	ESC Candidate – Tunisia	Visa & mobility challenges
13:15 – 13:20	Mariia Zholudeva, – ex-ESC candidate – ESAI EN ROI, Russia	Visa & mobility challenges
13:20 – 13:25	Youth from Palestine	Visa & mobility challenges
13:25 – 13:30	Saba Khutsishvili, ex-ESC Volunteer, Junior Youth Worker – Droni Association & ESAI EN ROI	Challenges in fine arts & mobility –
13:30 – 13:35	Esther Mumia, Director WEFOCO org kenya	Visa & mobility challenges,

Key question:How can youth mobility, inclusion, and participation be protected in unequal global conditions?

🌍 Collective Closing & Reflections

Time	Session	Coordinator / Notes
13:35 – 14:00	Lev Narozhny, Graphic Designer, ESC Volunteer, Junior Youth Worker	Why do companies need advertising, marketing, and design? Tips for young companies and organisations.