Participants in the European Youth Forum Trogen (EYFT) spend a week at the Pestalozzi Children's Village in Trogen. However, the project is not over after this time: the young people become changemakers in their own environment and pass on their experiences, for example in workshops for other young people. And for some, their time in the Children's Village remains a lasting experience.
In March 2025, more than 120 young people from nine European countries came to Trogen, lived together in the houses of the Children's Village and took part in workshops on current topics such as sustainability, peace, conflict resolution and media education. They also planned their own activities in their neighbourhood for the time after the EYFT in order to sensitise other young people to the issues.
Raising awareness and upcycling
The pupils from the Turkish delegation offered workshops on "How to reduce fake news" and "Discrimination and prejudice", for example, making an important contribution to media education and peaceful coexistence at their school.
They also implemented an upcycling project in which they used old car tyres and ropes to build seating for the school's common room, thereby not only campaigning for change in their own environment but also raising awareness of resource conservation.
Lasting changes and the power of youth
The delegation from Hungary wanted to find out how lasting the effects of participating in an exchange project in Trogen are and collected quotes and memories from former participants from their school.
Szilas, a participant in 2024, described himself before the EYFT as a reserved person and unsure about engaging with others or starting conversations. The project changed this permanently.
"A week in a new environment with different people and situations allowed me to become more open and confident in social interactions."
And Dóra from the 2017 delegation appreciated the project as more than just a school exchange. The diversity of the group and the viewpoints broadened her horizons and left her with a sense of global citizenship.
"The project emphasises the importance of listening, collaboration and the power of youth in tackling social challenges worldwide."
What begins with an international encounter often grows far beyond the project week: young people learn to take on social responsibility, raise their voices and actively shape their environment. They set changes in motion - at their schools, in their communities and often also within themselves and in their own lives.
The experiences in Trogen show that young people are not only bearers of hope, but also offer concrete answers to global challenges. This makes the European Youth Forum Trogen a catalyst for sustainable change - not as a short-term event, but as a long-term impulse for a more solidary, peaceful and conscious future.