Budapest places youth-led cooperation centre-stage through the first-ever European #coops4dev🌍 youth event!

From 29 June to 1 July, Cooperatives Europe together with  DiákÉSZ (HU) and the Young European Cooperators Network (YECN) hosted the first-ever #coops4dev🌍 European youth event “Youth Voices, Cooperative Choices: Advancing a Democratic Economy in Enlarged Europe” in Budapest. 

Hosted at MagNet Community House, this three-day, in-person event convened over 90 participants coming from 19 European countries to discuss the power of youth cooperative entrepreneurship in addressing current and future challenges, intergenerational turnover in cooperatives, and the perception of the cooperative business model.  

Designed as an action-oriented and interactive event, it developed around three scene-setting panels and eleven sessions around four thematic streams: 

• Empowerment & Engagement 
• Employment & Skills 
• Entrepreneurship 
• Cooperation in Action  

June 29 – Setting the scene and cooperative foundations

The first day of the event kicked off with welcoming remarks from Giuseppe Guerini, President of Cooperatives Europe: 

“[This event] is a truly significant sign of vitality that gives us hope for a bright future for the European cooperative movement”

— Giuseppe Guerini, President of Cooperatives Europe.

The day continued with the opening panel, “Youth and the cooperative model in enlarged Europe”, a session that discussed the perception of the cooperative business model linked to national historical and development paths, while shedding light on a modern narrative that sees the employment potential of cooperatives for the socio-economic inclusion of young people. 

Speakers:

• Viktorya Ayvazyan, International Rural Development Specialist, European regional office of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO); 

• Daniela Zampini, Employment Specialist, International Labour Organization (ILO) Office for Central and Eastern Europe; 

• Helena Gorroño, Vice-President, Young European Cooperators Network (YECN); 

• Alis Mustafa, Project Manager, Partners Albania for Change and Development. 

During this exchange, Viktorya Ayvazyan illustrated how coops offer attractive employment opportunities for the youth, particularly in rural areas. She shared FAO’s regional office approach to integrating the cooperative business model in their technical assistance projects, reflecting on the importance of the local community’s willingness to reunite around common economic objectives to ensure the sustainability of the coops.  

In that context, Alis Mustafa and Helena Gorroño stressed the need for stronger narratives around the cooperative model, highlighting how well it represents and resonates with the needs and aspirations of today’s youth. They did this by sharing the commitment and practical action of youth in Albania and Basque countries respectively, and the role played by local governments in incubating youth entrepreneurial ideas.  

Leveraging on her institutional experience, Daniela Zampini explained the purpose and impact of the EU–ILO Youth Guarantee in enabling youth employment and entrepreneurship for the so-called NEETs (Not in Education, Employment or Training), highlighting the standing challenges and their variation across countries in Europe. She placed emphasis and involved the audience on the lack of recognition of cooperatives within the mapped employers, arguing for better joint efforts and partnerships to change that. 

“We need to hold on to our story; we just need to rethink how to tell it.”

— Helena Gorroño, President of the Young European Cooperators Network (YECN).

Following the opening panel session, participants put theory into practice through a series of interactive sessions: 

Understanding Cooperatives: Core Values and Pathways for Youth. Hosted by Vivian Woodell (Board Member of Cooperatives Europe) and Nikolett Szolnoki (CECOP), during this workshop participants reflected on the foundations of the cooperative business model. Discussions delved into the “cooperative difference”, exploring how and why the structure of cooperatives both allows and encourages members to be different and pursue individual and common goals. Participants also reflected on how coops can offer flexible work arrangements, rooted in community and shared values. 

Cooperative Learning: Navigating Challenges Together. This peer-2-peer session led by Marcelina Zjawińska (Fundacja SplotSpołeczny / YECN) explored how cooperatives navigate financial and reputational barriers through resourcefulness and adaptation through two cooperative case studies. The Polish case study of Fundacja Splot Społeczny proved how an initiative which focused on reducing waste at cultural events evolved into a circular economy model that adapted to the circumstances brought forward by the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, addressing new challenges including support to displaced communities. A parallel analysis of Bulgaria’s cooperative sector examined how outdated administrative practices and historical stigma have discouraged youth engagement.   

Participants were divided into four working groups and gave solutions to problems following the STAR methodology: Situation (Framing the challenge) Task (Suggesting a solution), Action (Structuring the solution’s roadmap), and Result (Reframing the outcome). They concluded that investing in strategic digitalisation and communications is key to reclaiming the cooperative model’s relevance and competitiveness. Both cases demonstrate how cooperatives overcome structural and perceptual constraints by leveraging existing assets, community labour, and smarter digital positioning rather than depending on traditional funding. 

Cooperative Leadership and Communication. A workshop led by Helena Gorroño (YECN & TZBZ / Konfekoop) analysed Kurt Lewin’s 3-Style Leadership Model (1939): Authoritarian (autocratic), Participative (democratic), and Delegative (laissez-faire) through a practical team exercise. Participants were divided into groups, each assigned a different leadership style, and tasked with building a tall, stable tower with provided materials. The activity gave young cooperators an opportunity to experience a leadership approach, reflect on its strengths and weaknesses, and consider how to apply these approaches within their own cooperatives. 

Future Formats of Youth Engagement in Coops. Delivered by Victor Agbontean (OurCoop) and Nick Mäuser (University of Cologne), this policy lab explored the power of democracy within the cooperative movement and how young people can amplify their individual impact within their cooperatives. Attendees worked together to design innovative formats for youth engagement and received mentoring on policy and advocacy to strengthen their outreach within and beyond cooperative networks. 

The opening day culminated with a networking dinner at MagNet Community House, allowing participants to bond with one another before embarking on the rest of the journey together. 

June 30 – Cooperative identity and entrepreneurship in Action! 

Building on the first day’s discussions on the perception of the cooperative model and its role in promoting youth employment and socio-economic inclusion, the second day turned to the question of what conditions are needed to make youth cooperative entrepreneurship a reality. To that end, the panel debate, “Enabling environment for youth cooperative entrepreneurship”, discussed the policy, legal, and institutional frameworks required to enable youth cooperative entrepreneurship. 

Speakers:

• Rania Bikhazi, Senior Specialist on Sustainable Enterprises, Productivity, and Just Transition, International Labour Organization (ILO) Office for Central and Eastern Europe. 

• Sofija Rakcejeva, Policy Analyst, OECD 

• Nicoletta Merlo, Head of youth policies, Italian Confederation of Workers’ Unions & member, EESC Employment, Social Affairs and Citizenship 

• Umberto Di Pasquo, Director of Resilience, Innovation and Social affairs, COPA-COGECA 

The panel further concretised the learnings and shared experiences of the first day. Rania Bikhazi began by providing an overview of the economic and structural challenges across Central and Eastern Europe, pointing to historical stigma and lack of awareness of the cooperative model – especially by the youth – as barriers for cooperative development in the region.Discussing policy reforms and best practices, Sofija Rakcejeva stressed the integration of social entrepreneurship in early education curricula, re-skilling and up-skilling initiatives, administrative simplicity and tax incentives, as well as clearer legal definitions and improved data collection. She recognised the positive impact of initiatives such as the European Commission–OECD “Youth Entrepreneurship Policy Academy” (YEPA), a policy learning network on youth entrepreneurship of which Cooperatives Europe is an active member, and “YouthWise”, a youth advisory board. Building on insights from more than 20 events, YEPA had identified five policy pointers to support youth entrepreneurship: strengthening collaboration in the design and delivery of youth entrepreneurship support, increasing investment in youth entrepreneurship, equipping young entrepreneurs with AI skills, promoting diversity among entrepreneurs, and evaluating the success of programmes. 

Similarly, Nicoletta Merlo shared the conclusions and key recommendations of the recent EESC’s Opinion: EU Competitiveness and Youth Entrepreneurship (April 2026, whose Rapporteur is CoopsEurope’s President Giuseppe Guerini). Priorities, she said, should be given to both financial tools, including microgrants and financial education, and internationalisation services that enable young cooperators to better access and engagement with the EU Single Market. She also referred to measures that support young entrepreneurs such as the “right to a second chance”, arguing that this policy reduces the fear of risk-taking while contributing to a competitive European economy. In a similar vein, Rania Bikhazi recommended lower interest rates and longer capital grace periods as key policies for youth-led cooperatives to establish themselves and scale up.  

Zooming in on the agri-food sector, Umberto di Pasquo identified market dominance and underrepresentation of the youth as key standing challenges. He also elaborated on the policy recommendations from the 2023 Tarragona Manifesto, including support to young farmers in achieving the UNAgenda2030 and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), their inclusion in governance structures, and the importance of partnerships with external actors to scale up youth cooperative entrepreneurship. Both he and Sofija Rakcejeva argued that cooperatives respond to different youth priorities across sectors, owing to factors such as alignment with personal beliefs and values. 

Two business-oriented trainings then equipped participants with practical knowledge on risk-taking in the market as well as access and mobilisation of financial resources to manage their cooperative business.  

Start and Improve Your Business: ILO-led Business Game.  Facilitated by Rania Bikhazi, the International Labour Organization (ILO) Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB) Game saw participants develop fundamental entrepreneurial and business management skills. Through a classroom–based simulation, participants organised in groups to manage a small enterprise and gain hands-on experience in running a business, being faced with the financial consequences of their business choices. By playing, participants strengthened their decision-making, problem-solving, negotiation, team-work, and stress-management skills, feeling equipped to apply these competencies to their own cooperatives. 

From Idea to Impact: Purpose-driven co-creation and resource strategies. Eda Kayadibinlioglu led this workshop to help participants optimise shared resources in cooperatives, equipping them with the skills to build partnerships, communicate effectively, and maximise collective social and economic impact.  

National Cooperative Council: International Day of Cooperatives. Diakész hosted a special parallel gathering took place at the Museum of Agriculture in Budapest for an early celebration of the achievement of the Hungarian cooperative movement (OSZT) in the occasion of the International Day of Coops (July 4th). 

Cooperative visit. Participants visited Szomszédok Nyugdíjas Szövetkezet, a Hungarian pensioner’s cooperative operating under the KözÉSZ umbrella. Established in 2017 inspired by the Hungarian student cooperative model, this coop connects retirees seeking employment with companies across Hungary, offering flexible work opportunities that allow members to remain active while retaining their full pension benefits.  

With a database of 12,000 job-seeking retirees, more than 500 partner companies, and 2,200 active employees, the cooperative has demonstrated the potential of senior employment as a mutually beneficial solution. With it, companies employ experienced and reliable workers, while retirees benefit from additional income, social connections, and a renewed sense of purpose. The cooperative also promotes intergenerational exchange, by recognising the complementary strengths of younger professionals and experienced retirees and positions itself as a bridge between generations and an example of how cooperatives can address societal challenges through inclusive and people-centred approaches. 

Before joining the final sessions, all participants gathered together to play Let’s Coop, a cooperative board game developed by Luis Camilo Oyarzún Ibarra that puts cooperative principles, trust, and decision-making visible in action. Divided into groups, participants engaged in scenario-based challenges, collective problem-solving and guided reflections, confronting their daily cooperative dilemmas.  

The PLUS+ WELCOME Journey.  Designed by Luis Camilo Oyarzún Ibarra, this interactive workshop added a practical layer to the collective reflections during the Let’s Coop game. Through a guided journey based on the WELCOME methodology, a framework born from his PhD research to help cooperatives turn ideas into impact, participants reflected on their shared cooperative purpose, learning needs, opportunities, progress, and common empowerment. Combining dialogue, group activities, and practical reflection, this workshop supported cooperators in transforming business ideas into tangible outcomes. 

Cooperative tech4good.  Led by Abel Dantas (CTVC), this workshop introduced young cooperators to system design approaches for understanding and structuring their cooperative’s technological needs. It provided an architectural overview of digital solutions and explored how tools such as AI, knowledge management, and shared infrastructure can support the digitalisation of their cooperative businesses. 

The second day concluded with a policy lab, “Money Grows on Trees: Cooperative Solutions Across Sectors” facilitated by Umberto Di Pasquo and Nikolett Szolnoki. Inspired by the toolkit Money Grows on Trees (2014) by Cooperatives Europe and the European Youth Forum, this workshop explored the structural barriers and support mechanisms needed to set youth-led cooperatives. Discussions highlighted the importance of generational renewal, access to start-up capital, financial literacy, and tailored guidance from cooperative support structures. Participants also reflected on the challenges of balancing cooperative values with business-driven approaches, emphasising that cooperative identity must be adequately communicated and translated into tangible social impact. 

To celebrate the day, participants connected over dinner and a cruise on the Danube River, reflecting on shared learnings and cooperative experiences.

July 1st – From Actions to Recommendations: what happens after Budapest?

The last day of the event highlighted successful cooperative stories through the closing panel “From perception to action – when cooperation becomes a successful business plan”.  

Speakers:

• Nándor Majzik, DiákÉSZ (Hungary) 

• Vivian Woodell, Board Member (Ireland), Cooperatives Europe  

• Anastasiia Zadorozhna, MEAL Specialist, Rural Women Business Network (Ukraine) 

In this debate, speakers shared their personal journeys as cooperators, illustrating how their community values can be translated into sustainable and successful democratic businesses. For instance, Nándor Majzik shared the history of his student cooperative, DiákÉSZ, and its long-standing collaboration with universities towards sustainable employment. He explained how the student cooperative model emerged in the 1980s from students’ need to access their first employment opportunities, and since then has proved to be a successful model for the youth by offering flexible values-driven work opportunities. 

Turning to Ukraine, Anastasiia shared how Rural Business Women Network (RWBN) and the educational cooperative structure Cooperative Academy have been supporting women’s economic empowerment focusing on rural areas.  Sharing the impact of the ongoing conflict on her country and on daily cooperative work, she highlighted coops’ ability to contribute to local economic development while acting as key actors in peacebuilding and post-conflict reconstruction, helping rebuild trust, ownership, and democratic governance.  

Finally, Vivian Woodell (Ireland) shared his personal cooperative journey, from his first encounter with cooperatives in Uganda to those resisting apartheid in South Africa. He reflected on the creation of The Phone Coop back in 1988 and how his continued engagement in the movement was enabled by the connections with experienced cooperators, encouraging theyoung participants to insist on intergenerational exchanges to keep the cooperative values alive and modern.  

Cooperatives Europe wrapped up the event with a first draft of the so-called Budapest Recommendations, a living document developed through the early conclusions from each of the 11 sessions that outlines seven policy recommendations. Now being finalised through collective inputs by the participants, it will result in key demands to policymakers around the following areas: enabling legal framework for youth-led coops, a hub for financial support, cooperative education (Principle 5), and enhanced cross-border inter-cooperation, among others. 

Cooperative visit. The day and overall event ended with a switch from policy to action with a visit to Aranyhegyi Szociális Szövetkezet, an agricultural winery cooperative where farmers pool their yields to produce grape must before selling it to other producers. A member of the national cooperative federation – National Cooperative Council “Országos Szövetkezeti Tanács (OSZT)”, the cooperative contributes to the local economy and promotes social inclusion through their community-based local food production. 

From perception to action, the event “Youth Voices, Cooperative Choices: Advancing a Democratic Economy in Enlarged Europe” showed what young cooperators are capable of when given the space to speak and lead. Moving forward, Cooperatives Europe remains committed to building on this momentum with young cooperators across Europe, promoting research and capacity–building activities under the framework of #coops4dev🌍 that can further concretise the impactful ideas of the participants towards a more democratic and youth-centred European cooperative movement.  

You can view more details of the event’s programme here.

You can find pictures of the event here.

This article has been co-funded by the European Union. The contents of this article are the sole responsibility of  Cooperatives Europe and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union.