Between 19 and 21 May 2026, COOPOWER project partners gathered in Bratislava, Slovakia, for a peer-support progress workshop, the first-year project review and a study visit hosted by the Slovak Business Agency. The three-day meeting provided an opportunity to review the progress achieved during the first year of implementation, exchange experiences from pilot preparation, and coordinate the next phase of project activities.
A key focus of the workshop was the presentation of work carried out in the six pilot territories in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Ukraine. Partners shared updates on stakeholder engagement, youth outreach activities, skills needs assessments, the establishment of Local Cooperation Incubators, and the preparation of training, mentoring and employment-support measures.
The meeting also created space for peer learning and joint reflection on the challenges encountered during the first phase of implementation. Good practice examples from Slovakia offered further inspiration, including initiatives related to entrepreneurship education, financial literacy, mentoring programmes and community-based youth support services. The programme was complemented by a study visit to the Community Centre and Clubroom in Plavecký Štvrtok, where partners gained first-hand insight into local approaches supporting vulnerable groups through educational, social and youth-focused services.
HÉTFA participates as a partner in the COOPOWER project, implemented with the support of the Interreg Danube Region Programme and co-funded by the European Union and the Széchenyi Programme Office. The project aims to strengthen employment opportunities for vulnerable young people across the Danube Region and to support cooperative approaches involving local actors, service providers, educational institutions, employers and communities. The Bratislava meeting confirmed the importance of building on local experience while developing solutions that can also inspire action in other territories.
For further news, professional content and events related to the COOPOWER project, subscribe to the project newsletter: https://interreg-danube.eu/projects/coopower.