Sparks of Change: Take Initiative

Let’s get together in Vilnius in Lithuania this August to exchange our big ideas and inspire each other to take initiative! Sparks of Change brings young people together to strengthen active participation and civic engagement. Responsibility can be empowering, and connection within community is essential to any change. Our project offers interactive workshops, group activities and debates to develop creative problem-solving, cooperation and the ability to take action, empowering participants to promote change in their communities. Through active discussions about global problems and meeting local initiatives, we will think about our own contribution to our surroundings.

We will spend seven days in the beautiful country of Lithuania, famous for it’s ancient language, lush forests and medieval castles. The country’s capital Vilnius, where we will be staying the majority of time, is considered one of the greenest cities in Europe and has one of the largest and best-preserved old towns. The central topics of Sparks of Change: Take Initiative! will be the Sustainable Development Goals and the connection between international movements, local initiatives and our personal ideas. We will spend most of the time it the creative heart of the city: the independent Republic of Užupis, a small, but vibrant example of people coming together to support each other during turbulent times, establishing independence and their own constitution. We will visit Trakai park to connect with nature and think about our place within it, our influences and responsibilities. We will visit the Grūtas Park in Druskininkai, where old soviet-era monuments were collected as a reminder of Lithuania's history during the Soviet occupation, to think about our personal lives during challenging historical times. Last but not least, participants will develop their own ideas into drafts of small initiatives and present them in teams at the end of our project. Every drop of water, however small it may feel in the moment, is a part of the ocean. So let’s be an ocean together!

In short, “Sparks of Change” is about

• …inspiring each other and getting inspired by others
• …discussing global problems and coming up with brave solutions
• …sharing and developing your own ideas with like-minded people
• …becoming an active member of your community
• …intercultural exchange and teamwork

Hard Facts:

• From 1.08.2026 to 9.08.2026
• in Vilnius, the Capital City of Lithuania
• English will be the working language of the project

You can participate if you are…

• …between 18 and 30 years old
• …living in Germany
• … interested in topics of social change, environmental issues, sustainable development
• …wishing to be more active in your own community
• …willing to participate fully in all activities

You can also participate if you…

• …don’t have any experiences in activism, entrepreneurship or have never participated in a project before
• …don’t have a lot of knowledge on the topics of SDGs. We will not have any exams!
• …are not very comfortable speaking English. We will support each other with language mediation and translation if needed

What to expect?

We will be in an international group of around 30-35 young people including the team, living together in a youth hostel with 3-4 participants in each room and eating (and sometimes cooking) meals in small cafes together. The main part of the project will take place in Vilnius, the capital city of Lithuania, but we plan to take two short trips to other parts of the country on separate days. Each day will include 2-3 programm parts for about 2 hours: interactive workshops, discussions, non-formal education methods and brainstorming sessions as well as meetings with local initiatives and small group activities in the city. You will have free time in the evening, pauses during the day and small coffee-brakes during program sessions.

Participation fee and what’s covered:

The project is funded by the European Union.
The participation fee is 20 EUR. Contact the team if you cannot afford it, but would like to participate. We will most likely make your participation possible!
The flights to Vilnius and back, meals, accommodation, insurance and program-costs will covered by the project. Any personal expenses during your free time are to be covered by you.

Application:

Apply now: https://on.campflow.de/mitost-hamburg/sparks-of-change-take-initiative

• Application deadline: 30.06.2026.
• If the number of applications will be to big, we will prioritize those who applied earlier/applied before the deadline, so please don’t postpone it!
• If you have any question, write us an email at sparksofchange@mitost-hamburg.de, or if you would like to participate, but can't fill out the application right now, so we keep you in mind

• Terms of participation (DE)

Your Sparks of Change team,
- Martha, Vanja, Tolik, Anna and Henning

Questions to sparksofchange@remove-this.mitost-hamburg.de, also write us if you are interested in a participation but can't fill out the application right now, so we have you in our radar.

Disclaimer:
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or Jugend für Europa. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.