Training Course – May 2025 – Hendaye

Empowering Youth Workers for Sustainable Change: Reflections from the BICYCLE Training Course in Hendaye

From May 19th to 23rd, 2025, the scenic town of Hendaye, France, hosted a transformative international training course under the framework of the BICYCLE project (BIcycle Culture as Youth’s Civic and sustainabLe Empowerment – 101186587 — ERASMUS-YOUTH-2024-YOUTH-TOG). This five-day event brought together 24 youth workers from Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Belgium, and Poland with a shared mission: to explore how cycling can serve as a powerful tool for civic engagement, youth participation, and environmental sustainability.

The training centered around two main pillars: political education and practical action. Participants delved into the European Declaration on Cycling, using it as both inspiration and guidance for youth-led mobility projects. A highlight of the course was the online session with Keji Alex Adunmo, Policy Coordinator of the EU Declaration, who provided invaluable insights into the political context and opportunities the declaration offers. This dialogue laid the foundation for critical reflection and strategic planning.

Throughout the week, youth workers worked collaboratively in intercultural teams to:

• Analyze the declaration’s key points and implications for local and national youth initiatives.
• Co-create educational methodologies and workshop formats tailored to different youth realities.
• Share best practices from their communities, focusing on inclusive cycling programs, advocacy campaigns, and rural-urban mobility solutions.
• Design conceptual frameworks for national bicycle routes that integrate civic participation, sustainability goals, and EU-level resources.

Beyond knowledge acquisition, the training also served as a living laboratory of teamwork, creativity, and commitment. Through participatory methodologies and non-formal education dynamics, participants strengthened their facilitation skills and deepened their understanding of how to engage young people in political processes through meaningful, bicycle-centered activities.

As the course concluded, participants returned home with a renewed sense of purpose, equipped not only with new tools and strategies but with a shared European vision: to foster youth-led cycling cultures that are inclusive, impactful, and aligned with the goals of the Green Deal and EU Youth Strategy.

Stay tuned—this momentum will carry forward into the local actions and future exchanges of the BICYCLE project!