Photo: Karoliine Aus
The Participation Resource Pool has undergone a long-awaited revamp and now features useful resources that support participation in both the youth and education sectors. Here are seven resources we wish to highlight.
In case you are new here, “the Pool” has been designed as a one-stop shop for participation resources, offering Erasmus+ and ESC stakeholders useful materials across different sectors and phases of their work.
The Participation Resource Pool supports educators, trainers, youth workers, organisations, National Agencies and researchers by providing access to high-quality tools and resources that foster participation at every level. It includes case studies and best practice examples, research, practical guidelines and tools, reports, and various types of content, from lesson plans to webinars.
Initially created with a youth-focused mission, it was largely centred on non-formal education. Since becoming a cross-sectoral resource centre, SALTO PI has gradually expanded its collection with resources for education and training contexts, all of which are now easily accessible through the revamped Participation Resource Pool.
Useful research for strategic action
Meaningful participation goes beyond simply taking part in an activity. It is the right to have a say in decisions that affect individuals, communities, and society.
Participation is both a right: it allows people to be heard and contribute to change, while helping decision-makers become more effective, inclusive, and relevant. But how to make it meaningful and take a more strategic approach? Find some useful resources that help you do just that!
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Navigating Democratic Participation: State of Play in Erasmus+ (E&T)
This research explores how Erasmus+ National Agencies in Education and Training work with participation in democratic life, including their needs, challenges and current practices.
The reports examine how participation is understood and applied, why it matters across different Erasmus+ actions, and what practical approaches National Agencies use to support it.
Alongside the research findings, the full report includes detailed analysis and inspiring examples of practices from National Agencies.
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Quality Standards for Meaningful Youth Participation
Explore what makes youth participation meaningful, from building skills to helping young people influence decisions in projects and democratic life.
These Quality Standards were developed together with young people and programme stakeholders. They offer practical guidance for creating meaningful participation in projects and organisations, and support applicants, beneficiaries and National Agencies in putting participation into practice.
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Youth Participation Strategy and the Youth Participation Toolkit
The strategy helps organisations and institutions to improve youth participation in democratic life. It focuses on embedding participation principles, supporting projects with quality youth involvement, and raising awareness of the EU programmes’ impact. It also promotes research-based approaches, youth involvement in decision-making, and inclusion for young people with fewer opportunities. The strategy is available in English, French, and German.
To help put the strategy into practice, the toolkit includes 12 flexible modules that can be used separately or together, forming a toolkit for specific types of actions or projects in the EU youth programmes.
Each module helps strengthen participation through the opportunities offered by Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps. The toolkit also takes into account key topics that matter for youth participation today, including inclusion and diversity, digital transformation, and sustainability.
Practical tools to take your participation work to the next level
Improving participation in your actions does not have to require overhauling everything at once. Instead, small actions can be meaningful and high quality. Here are some practical, step-by-step tools to support this.
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Co-creation sprints: a practical guide for organisations
This resource explains why co-creation is a practical way to strengthen participation in organisations. It shows how working directly with colleagues, participants and partners throughout a project helps uncover real needs, build trust, and create more relevant and effective solutions. It is aimed at National Agencies, project teams, and organisations working on Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps programmes, but is useful for anyone designing participatory projects.
It includes a clear introduction to co-creation, guidance on how to identify and frame challenges, and advice on how to start small before scaling up. It also provides a practical six-step “co-creation sprint” method, based on real experience, plus ready-to-use Canva templates and examples. The resource is designed to help teams move from theory to action and apply participatory design in everyday project work.
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Fostering democratic participation of adult learners: a checklist for educators
Promoting democratic participation among adults requires a unique blend of skills, specific competences, and attitudes from the educators. This checklist outlines the critical attributes needed to engage diverse adult learners effectively and empower them to contribute meaningfully to democratic processes both within and beyond formal education settings.
Find inspiration from real projects
Sometimes we learn best from other people’s practices, and the Participation Resource Pool features many project examples, tips, and inspirational stories you can use for project planning or even training sessions.
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Flagship Projects CollectionThis is a collection of high-quality participation-focused projects designed to support and inspire anyone planning, implementing, or supporting projects carried out through the Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps programmes. The project leaders and participants have been interviewed to make sure you also get practical tips and recommendations. See the project examples.
This is a collection of high-quality participation-focused projects designed to support and inspire anyone planning, implementing, or supporting projects carried out through the Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps programmes. The project leaders and participants have been interviewed to make sure you also get practical tips and recommendations.
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Doing inclusion differently: How young people with fewer opportunities shaped the SALTO I&D Forum
This practice shows how young people with fewer opportunities were actively involved in the real planning of the Inclusion & Diversity Forum, not just consulted. Instead of symbolic participation, they helped shape the event’s design, accessibility, and purpose based on their lived experience.
It offers a practical example for National Agencies on how to move beyond consultation and meaningfully include young people in decision-making at European-level events.
Even though this example focuses on engaging young people, we recommend reading it, as many of the suggestions and principles are universal.
Contribute and get involved!
You can now contribute directly to the Pool by commenting on resources, sharing ideas, and uploading your own materials.
The updated “Get Involved” section highlights new ways to take part, both in the programmes and in EU democracy initiatives.