Excited for what lies ahead! #EUYouth🌍🇪🇺🤝🇷🇼
Following the official launch of the European Union Youth Sounding Board (YSB) in Rwanda, held on 10 June 2026, Altair organised the Kickoff meeting of the initiative on 15 June 2026 in Kigali. The meeting marked the beginning of the Board’s operational phase, bringing together the 14 selected YSB members, and representatives of the Delegation of the European Union to Rwanda, EU Members and implementation partners (Ministry of Youth and Arts).
The official launch was attended by Ms Belén Calvo Uyarra, Ambassador of the European Union to Rwanda, who reaffirmed the European Union’s commitment to ensuring that young people play an active role in shaping policies and programmes that affect their future.
Building on the momentum created during the Launching Event, the kick off meeting focused on equipping YSB members with a shared understanding of their mandate and responsibilities, while laying the foundations for the Board’s future work. Throughout the day, participants explored the European Union’s cooperation priorities in Rwanda, the objectives of the Youth Sounding Board under the EU Youth Action Plan, and the opportunities for young people to contribute to the design, implementation and monitoring of EU funded initiatives.
The programme also included an interactive exchange on the expectations and priorities of the YSB members, covering issues such as youth employment, entrepreneurship, education, climate action and civic participation. In addition, participants attended a dedicated session on European values delivered by the Political, Press and Information Section of the EU Delegation to Rwanda.
Implemented by Altair on behalf of the Delegation of the European Union to Rwanda, the project seeks to strengthen meaningful youth participation and ensure that young people’s voices contribute to the EU Rwanda partnership and the implementation of the Global Gateway strategy.