Due to the high workload of all team members, current announcements are being made exclusively in English!
Postcard Action for Democracy Day – Stand up for Europe and Democracy
We from ILEU e.V. want to raise awareness of our “Stand up for Europe and Democracy” campaign. As part of this campaign, people take a photo of themselves holding our “Stand up for Europe and Democracy” flyer. We hope this campaign will be as successful as our “Give a sign of friendship” campaign from the Bread Connects project, for which we collected over 3,000 contributions. Some of you may remember it. If you haven’t sent us a photo of yourself holding the flyer yet, we would be very grateful if you could do so. You can find the flyer and more information here: https://fit4democracy.eu/news/i-stand-for-europe-a-sign-of-unity/
Regarding this campaign we have prepared a postcard action for this year’s Democracy Day on September 15th. The Democracy Day is an international occasion to celebrate democratic values and raise awareness about their importance. That is why we invite you to join us in making democracy visible across borders. We would be very happy, if you could support us by printing out our postcard and sending it for the day of democracy to your friends, or sharing it with people from other countries.
If you have any questions, please feel free to write us: democracy@ileu.net
12th Danube Participation Day in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on 4 November 2025.
In the name of Foster Europe Foundation, and on behalf of Priority Area 10 of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR) and the Danube Civil Society Forum (DCSF), we would like to invite you to the 12th Danube Participation Day, which will take place in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on 4 November 2025.
The Danube Participation Day is an annual event that gathers representatives from civil society organisations, local, regional and national public authorities, universities and research, and businesses from the 14 EUSDR partner countries, representatives from the EUSDR governance, as well as from European and international organisations for better development in the Danube Region. Thus, the Danube Participation Day is a forum to share good practices of participatory governance and projects, as well as for getting involved with decision-makers and experts.
As an official side event of the 14th Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region, this year’s Danube Participation Day will explore the theme “Local Voices, European Future – The Crucial Role of Communities in Shaping EU Policy and Driving Enlargement”. The event will highlight the contribution of local communities to the EU accession process, exploring how municipalities and local actors can support democratic development and promote good governance in enlargement countries.
Further event details and registration are available on the website of the Danube Participation Day Coordination Team.
It would also be a wonderful occasion to meet each other!
If you have additional questions, please feel free to contact office@foster-europe.org.
Call for participartion: Become a Digital Come Together Scout (DCT-Scout)
What is the project about?
Since 2020 we successfully organize the international online meetings “Come Together”, as well as lectures and other online activities (see: https://danect.eu/) that help foster the exchange along the Danube and other European countries. Through cultural exchange, discussions on important social topics or joint online cooking sessions a real exchange takes place that brings us closer together. To support and expand this way of connecting, the Digital ComeTogether Scouts project trains motivated citizens to lead those activities themselves. Equipped with the right tools and skills, these scouts will help reach new audiences and strengthen the network, making cross-border dialogue and participation more accessible.
What’s a DCT-Scout?
DCT-Scouts are active young people, adults and seniors, who will work in small intergenerational teams and be trained by ILEU to prepare and host the online sessions using tools like Zoom and our international multilingual platform ViMA danube independently. As a DCT-Scout, you’ll bring people together, encourage discussions, and build bridges across
countries.
What You’ll Learn
Through a combination of online learning modules and a 3-day in-person training event, participants will gain practical skills in:
– Basic tech skills for hosting virtual events
– Event organization and moderation techniques
– Use of digital translation tools and engaging volunteer interpreters
– Outreach and communication strategies
– Interactive use of the ViMA danube platform
The detailed content of the course curriculum depends if you choose the technical oriented or the organization/content related focus of the training.
Why Participate?
– Get certified as a DCT-Scout
– Strengthen your digital and intercultural skills
– Join an active, friendly, and international network
– Make a meaningful impact by promoting citizen participation across the Danube region
Who Can Apply?
Interested individuals of all ages from the Danube region and other European cities who want to get involved in an international level. English is the project language, and participants should be familiar with using Zoom at a basic level. Organizations who want to support us in the implementation are welcome to contact us as well.
Timeline & Participation
– Online Training Modules & supporting ILEU with Online Sessions (Learning by doing): September–December 2025
– In-Person Workshop: Fall 2025 (dates and location to be announced)
– Independent planning and implementation of online ComeTogether events: January – March 2026
Now, we are inviting YOU to shape the future of our growing network!
If you are interested let us know and contact us at:
info@ileu.net | www.ileu.net
Project “Learning the use of AI to foster the communication between Danubians”
In Jul 2025, 19 students from German speaking schools from Odessa, Ukraine and Sofia, Bulgaria, meet in Ulm, Germany. During a three-day workshop they learnt how to make good interviews with experts about five selected sustainability goals and how to use new digital tolls, esp. AI, to make them lively and to translate the contend in other languages. The aim was to ensure that the content of the interviews can be discussed without language barriers.
Before the workshop, the students completeted an online course on interview techniques. In Ulm, after an introduction by an expert, they were divided into five mixed-nationality groups.
- Workshop day: Intorduction in ViMA danube and other useful digital tools.
- Workshop day: The students worked in their groups to conduct five-minute video-based interviews with experts in Ulm and share their findings. Experts came from politics, municipalities, business, and the social and cultural sectors.
- Workshop Day: Students learnt through an external expert video editing and applying AI tools like subtitles and avatars to make content accessible in English, Bulgarian, and Ukrainian. They used HeyGen, an AI tool for processing video sequences and generating multilingual subtitles.
They presented their AI-enhanced interviews and discussed the results with teachers and other students at Schubart Gymnasium and show them how AI translation can help share valuable insights on SDGs across the Danube region.
After summer break, students from Odessa and Sofia will present the project in their home schools. The interviews will be inserted in the ViMA danube platform and discussed in the discussion forum: “Implementing sustainability goals in daily life to promote democracy?”. This will ensure to continue the exchange beyond the project and the application of new digital tools.
Find the results here.
Key goals: raising awareness of sustainability goals and equipping students with AI skills to break language barriers and foster international dialogue.
Sponsor
“The project is sponsored by the DANUBE SMALL PROJECT FUND funded by: The Ministry of Science, Research and Arts Baden-Württemberg, the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs of Austria, the Arbeitsgemeinschaft (ARGE) Donauländer / State of Lower Austria, the Provincial Government of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina within the Republic of Serbia, the City of Regensburg, the Danube Office Ulm / Neu-Ulm and the Volksbank Ulm Biberach“
Stand up for Europe and democracy! – Give a sign of unity
Stand up for Europe and democracy! – Give a sign of unity
Sometimes the small, everyday things hold a special kind of power that we often overlook.
That’s what we discovered through our project “Bread Connects – Give a Sign of Friendship.” For those who aren’t familiar with it: we started from the idea that bread is far more than just a staple food – it stands as a simple yet strong and meaningful symbol of community that can be experienced across borders – you can learn more about it here.
We now want to build on this positive experience as part of our current project “Fit 4 Democracy” and launch a new participatory action.
“Stand up for Europe and democracy” is a simple yet powerful photo campaign through which we want to show that we are many – united as a community standing up for the values of a united, diverse, and peaceful Europe.
Everyone who shares this idea is invited to print out this flyer that we prepared, take a photo of themselves holding it – and send it to us.
See Examples here.
‘Action Bound – sustainability goals in our city’
Our project “Action Bound – Sustainability Goals in Our City” has been successfully completed.
Together with Local Agenda Ulm and students from the following schools:
- ODESA LYCEUM №90 (Odesa, Ukraine),
- Schubart Gymnasium (Ulm, Germany),
- and National Natural Science and Mathematical Gymnasium Acad. Lyubomir Chakalov (Sofia, Bulgaria),
we explored the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations in the context of our cities.
As part of the project, students from Odesa, Sofia, and Ulm worked together with adults to create a digital scavenger hunt based on the 17 SDGs. They developed interactive tasks linked to each of these goals and designed a unique city tour experience with the Actionbound App.
The program concluded with a joint meeting in Ulm at the end of July.
More about the Project here: Actiobound – Sustainability goals in my City
The project was funded by Baden-Württemberg Stiftung.
Fit4Democracy – Call for Participation: Best Practice Activities for Democracy
As part of the Fit4Democracy project, we are creating a so called “toolbox”
We collect simple, everyday activities that help people participate in democracy. These activities should be easy to do, don’t require much time or money, and connect to participatory democracy.
We are looking for successful practice examples you have been a part of from different countries that contribute to strengthening democracy. These examples should serve as inspiration to implement in your own context and to encourage the development of new ideas. The primary target group is not administrative bodies, political or business representatives, professional associations, but the citizens themselves (although they may act as supporting local partners in many initiatives)! Many activities in this area have already been implemented to promote democracy, but there are many others that are well suited for this context and not yet on our list – we are looking for them!
We therefore invite you to support us with your own ideas – reflect, what example you know and what you could contribute to our toolbox. You can then submit these ideas you would like to share with others via an online form with a suitable picture.
To submit we kindly ask you the fill out the following form: https://www.umfrageonline.com/c/vkrc7v94
The submissions will be checked by ILEU to ensure that they meet the requirements (clear reference to the topic of participatory democracy, easy to do, don’t require much time or money).
We will then enter the examples on our project website. To get inspired of what could be submitted. You can also have a look at the examples we have already uploaded.
Successfully implemented: “ViMA on Tour”
The international project “ViMA on Tour” was successfully implemented by ILEU e.V. in collaboration with DANET e.V. and numerous partner organizations. Our project aimed to introduce and promote the online platform “ViMA danube” to diverse audiences. Through our project citizens in Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia, Germany, and beyond were reached.
In spring 2025, we had a training course in Cluj-Napoca, Romania with 24 particiapants from 5 countries to train them in the technical use of the platform and its possibilities to get in contact with people from other countries. In April and May these trained multipliers held interactive workshops and presentations in their local languages, to empower other participants, especially older adults, to explore digital networking and intercultural dialogue through the platform. Thanks to strong local engagement and well-trained multipliers, ViMA danube is now better known and actively used across the Danube region. Feedback shows a high interest in continued training. The project sets a strong foundation for ongoing transnational collaboration and digital literacy.
The project was funded by Baden-Württemberg Stiftung
Kick-off Meeting Sevnica, Slovenia
ILEU e.V. is one of the Partners in the Interreg Project „ELEVATE“, as well as 16 other Partners of the Danube region and 13 associated partners. The aim of the Project is to make the Danube region more inclusive for disadvantaged groups, such as the elderly and persons with disabilities, and to strengthen cooperation between the public sector, civil society, and the private sector..
The first kick-off meeting took place on May 6 and 7, 2025 in Sevnica, Slovenia.
Launch of the International Project “Actionbound – 17 Sustainability Goals in Our City”
Teams of students and seniors from Ulm, Odessa, and Sofia are developing a digital scavenger hunt (Actionbound) to create alternative city tours. The content will highlight locations in each city that are linked to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), promoting awareness of sustainability through interactive experiences.
Background: In 2015, the global community adopted the 2030 Agenda, establishing 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aimed at fostering social, economic, and environmental sustainability worldwide. More information here.
Project Concept: Each scavenger hunt station will be documented with photos and texts and will feature interactive tasks, such as puzzles, questions, or educational insights, designed to engage both digital participants and physical visitors.
Continue reading “Launch of the International Project “Actionbound – 17 Sustainability Goals in Our City””Take part in the survey of ILEU e.V. about „Democracy and Participation“
Democracy is a strong value and the background of our common work – an engaged civil society is needed to make it work. To shape and inspire the Project “Fit for participation for strengthening democracy” ILEU created a survey on what democracy means for us and what can support our common work on participation and democracy.
You can find the survey under this link: https://www.umfrageonline.com/c/47amczrc
More questions about the project? Visit www.ileu.net
Or contact us pr email: info@ileu.net
Thank you for participating!
Carmen Stadelhofer & Marina Kuch, ILEU e.V. Ulm
Have a look to the outcomes of the International Project „True to Age-True to Gender“ (TAG)
The project uses gender issues as a triggering point and an updated tool to encourage adult learners to understand EU history and common values, as well as to encourage them for LLL and get more active in their social circles.
The Slovenian Third Age University Slovenia had been partne rin the international project TAG. The project brings to light the value and role of women throughout history. In this project, the European partners from Romania, Spain, Slovenia, Germany, Italy, France, and Portugal have examined older women’s rights through the lens of national cultures and basic European rights and developed very interesting materials for learners.
More about: https://tagproject.eu/
New project for the Danube-Networkers: “Fit for Participation” – who is interested to join?
We are excited to announce the launch of the project “Fit for Participation to foster Democracy in Europe” funded by the State Ministry Baden-Württemberg, Germany, starting in January 2025. Aim is that young people and adults, especially older adults, reflect together where and how civic participation is needed and possible and what can be done to empower citizens to contribute actively to strengthen democracy and a peaceful and solidary Europe.
More HERE:
Call for participation: ViMA Danube on Tour! International qualification Seminar in Cluj-Napoca (March 2025) and for local events in April/May 2025
In cooperation with Danet e.V. and partners in the Danube-Networkers educational network, ILEU e.V. would like to teach multipliers to present the multifunctional online platform ViMA danube (vima-danube.eu) to a broader public at selected locations in the Danube region through targeted analog events.
With the concept “ViMA on tour” we want to show how ViMA Danube can be used across national borders for the exchange of interests in individual partnerships or in internationally composed interest groups.
More HERE:
Call for contributions! – Come Together Session 09.03.2025: International Women’s Day – Gender equality
On March 9, we invite you to join our Come Together session in celebration of International Women’s Day, where we will discuss the topic of gender equality. Despite progress, we all know that inequalities still exist that affect women and girls all over the world. International Women’s Day is an opportunity to highlight these challenges and explore ways to promote gender equality. Based on Goal 5 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls” we aim to explore this topic with you from various perspectives from the Danube region. We are looking for your contributions (3-5 minutes) on this topic to collectively have a look at the situation in our countries and what is being done to achieve Goal 5.
If you would like to participate, please let us know by January 31, 2025 to danect@ileu.net and send us a proposal of what you would like to present.