In May, we shifted the conversation from recycling bins to something deeper—values. Not just personal ones, but the ones that shape entire nations. Our second youth workshop, European Values & Sustainability: Understanding the Connection, took place across Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, and Greece. It was bold, honest, and refreshingly unfiltered.

We started with the basics: What are values, and why do we even need them? Young people opened up about the things they stand for—kindness, loyalty, fairness—and how these show up in their daily lives. Then we zoomed out. What about companies? Countries? The EU?

With a roll of toilet paper (yes, really), flipcharts, and a lot of curiosity, we broke down the six core values of the European Union—human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law, and human rights. But we didn’t stop at definitions. We challenged ourselves: Does our country actually live by these values? Where are the cracks? What needs fixing?

The room filled with blue, red, and green ink—examples of values upheld, ignored, and how they link to sustainability. Suddenly, the connection between justice, equality, and climate action wasn’t just theoretical. It was real, tangible, and rooted in lived experience.

And we didn’t leave empty-handed. Each workshop wrapped with social content created by the youth themselves—a reel, six posters, and captions that turned complex values into something their peers could feel. It wasn’t about memorising EU principles—it was about owning them.

Next up: Social Inclusion & Environmental Justice