As part of the presentation of the training and volunteering project “Youth for Youth: Educating on Human Rights and Sustainable Development Goals“—an initiative by Helsinki España—students enrolled in the “Documentary Sources” course (part of the first year of the International Relations degree at the Universidad Europea) were introduced to the organization’s core commitments: promoting the defense of human rights, building a culture of peace, and advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Since 2001, this project has been active across 15 autonomous communities in Spain, targeting university and vocational training students aged 18 to 30. Grounded in the Service-Learning (SL) methodology and peer-to-peer education, the initiative empowers young people to act as agents of social change. Following intensive training with experts, participants lead awareness-raising workshops in educational institutions on key topics such as gender equality, the prevention of cyberbullying, mental health, inclusion, and sustainability. In this context, the visit to the Universidad Europea aimed to introduce the project and invite students to join as active volunteers.
Following this institutional presentation, a session was held on information bias and tools for fostering critical thinking. As a result, the students gained the skills necessary to begin a practical exercise over the coming weeks: a news-clipping project focused on climate change. Through this activity, they will examine and compare how various media outlets address the environmental crisis, paying close attention to the narratives, journalistic biases, and editorial approaches used in covering climate action (SDG 13: Climate Action). Once the documentary analysis is complete, the students will present their findings, which will then be evaluated by Helsinki España.
The project’s first stop will take place in Santiago de Compostela from October 13 to 16. During this time, volunteers—hosted by the Faculty of Law at the University of Santiago de Compostela—will participate in workshops and presentations led by Helsinki España and its partner organizations. The goal is for them to develop into agents of change, bringing the knowledge they have gained into classrooms to work with children and adolescents through workshops and participatory activities.
This new cycle marks the beginning of a training program focused on key areas essential for building an inclusive, peaceful global society committed to human rights. The topics covered include human rights, the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals, gender equality, migration and refugees, cybersecurity and cyberbullying, homelessness, addiction prevention, and mental health.
Throughout the academic year, the project will be implemented across 15 autonomous communities, strengthening its nationwide reach and its educational and social impact within universities and schools throughout the country. With a 25-year history and thousands of young volunteers, “Youth for Youth” has established itself as one of Helsinki España’s flagship programs in the field of global citizenship education and youth participation.
Helsinki España expresses its gratitude for the support of its partner institutions and its technical and training team, as well as for the dedication of all the volunteers who ensure that education, social awareness, and transformative action continue to go hand in hand.”
Helsinki España has today launched in Madrid a new edition of the Youth for Youth 2026 programme, an educational and volunteer initiative that this year brings together 85 university students committed to building a more just, sustainable, and inclusive society.
The opening session and first training day are being held at the School of Industrial Organization (EOI), with the support of the Ministry of Social Rights, and mark the beginning of a learning pathway focused on key issues for the present and future of our society. The programme addresses topics such as human rights, the environment and sustainability, gender equality, migration and refuge, cybersecurity, the healthy and conscious use of mobile phones, applications and technologies, diversity and inclusion, addiction prevention, and mental health.
The programme combines specialised training with direct social action. Volunteers not only acquire knowledge and practical tools, but later pass them on to children and adolescents in educational centres, creating a multiplier effect that contributes to prevention, values-based education, and the strengthening of community networks.
“Youth for Youth is not just a training programme; it is a transformative experience that turns university students into agents of change within their own communities,” said María Jaén, President of Helsinki España.
This opening session in Madrid represents the first milestone of the 2026 edition of the Youth for Youth programme. Throughout the academic year, the project will be implemented in most of Spain’s autonomous communities, consolidating its nationwide reach and its educational and social impact in universities and educational centres across the country.
With 25 years of experience, Youth for Youth has become one of Helsinki España’s flagship programmes in the field of global citizenship education and youth participation. Over the years, thousands of young people have taken part in the initiative, actively contributing to the defence of human rights and the promotion of a more aware, critical, and engaged society.
Helsinki España would like to thank the supporting institutions, the technical and training team, and all the volunteers whose commitment makes it possible for education, social awareness, and transformative action to continue moving forward hand in hand.
Volunteering is one of the most enriching experiences a university student can have. By dedicating part of your time to others, you not only help build a more just society but also transform yourself.
Volunteering is an opportunity to develop empathy, learn to see life from different perspectives, and connect with realities different from your own. It is also a way to contribute to reducing inequalities, adding your grain of sand to creating a fairer world.
But the benefits aren’t only collective: volunteering allows you to learn new skills, discover hidden talents, improve communication, and work effectively in teams. Additionally, it’s a natural way to socialize and expand your network with people who share your values.
At the heart of volunteering is altruism: the genuine impulse to give without expecting anything in return, often becoming the source of the most rewarding experiences..
An Experience That Boosts Your Professional Future
More and more companies value candidates who have participated in volunteering activities during the hiring process. Why? Because volunteering demonstrates social commitment, initiative, and teamwork skills, essential qualities in any professional environment. It also reflects resilience, empathy, and leadership, highly appreciated in an increasingly diverse and global world.
On your CV, volunteering experience speaks for you—not just about what you know, but who you are and what values drive you.
Youth for Youth: A Program with Real Impact
With this philosophy, the “Youth for Youth” program by Helsinki España was created in 2001, a project that has since reached almost all regions of Spain and has also been organized in other countries around the world.
Every year, the program trains university students in human rights and other highly relevant topics, such as:
Gender, diversity, and inclusion
Environment and sustainability
Migration and intercultural realities
Emotional psychology
Risks of social media and new technologies
After the training, volunteers bring this knowledge to schools, teaching children and adolescents the importance of building a more just, equal, and respectful society. This creates a multiplying effect: young people learn and, at the same time, educate others.
This September, a new course begins, offering the perfect opportunity for more university students to join as volunteers.
Why Join?
If you are a university student looking for an experience that combines learning, social commitment, and personal growth, this is your place. Being part of Youth for Youth means joining a community that believes in a better future and works every day to make it a reality.
Volunteering doesn’t just change lives: it changes yours too.
Are you ready to join?
In 2022, Jóvenes para Jóvenes, with the support of the Madrid City Council, returns to the city of Madrid, addressing the university youth who find in Human Rights education a tool for the promotion of values related to tolerance, equality and respect for diversity.
“Youth for Youth: Educating in Human Rights and Sustainable Development Goals” gives you the opportunity to train and then sensitize children in schools on issues related to the environment, mental health, gender and other issues related to human rights.
How? The project consists of two phases. During the first, the volunteer receives, for a week, training in Human Rights and SDGs from people and entities that are experts in these issues. The training sessions for this edition will take place between February 21 and 25 in person at the School of Industrial Organization (EOI). In addition, during the training, we will work with the volunteers in the development of tools and skills that, later, allow the sessions in the schools to be executed dynamically and through recreational activities. In addition, the days serve so that the volunteers get to know each other, form links and find the partner with whom they will later attend the school.
Thus, during the second phase, the university youth volunteers go to the classroom of the school that has been assigned to them to work on the contents seen in the training sessions with children or adolescents during 4 sessions.
In Helsinki Spain we have been launching the Youth for Youth project for more than 20 years and helping to create a conscious, active and responsible youth, involved in education for and for Human Rights.
Youth for Youth is back in Toledo for this 2022, a project supported by the Ministry of Social Rights and Agenda 2030 and aimed at university youth who find in Human Rights education a tool for the promotion of values related to tolerance , equality and respect for diversity.
If you are interested in issues related to the Sustainable Development Goals, mental and emotional health, social exclusion, the migratory phenomenon, gender, bullying and more topics related to Human Rights; If you consider that there is a lack of knowledge about them and you believe that education is the best instrument to change the situation, this is your volunteer service! Through the program “Youth for Youth: Educating in Human Rights and Sustainable Development Goals” you will have the opportunity to learn and teach about these issues to school-age boys and girls.
What is this program about? Once registered, the young volunteers receive in the first phase a week-long training on human rights and SDGs from various experts and civil society organizations. In Toledo, the training will take place between January 24 and 28 at the University of Castilla La-Mancha (Toledo Campus) and various topics will be discussed, all of which are related to human rights. In addition, during the training, strategies and tools will be acquired to adapt this new knowledge to the classroom through participatory dynamics and methodologies.
Are you afraid to go alone? Do not worry! The training also tries to create a learning and meeting space so that young people with the same interests meet and establish links, forming couples with whom they later go to schools. In the second phase, the youth volunteers will go to a classroom in a school in Toledo to transmit the knowledge they have learned to children and adolescents. Couples will carry out 4 sessions in the assigned classroom.
