From May 13 to 15, 2026, the Leaders4Future consortium gathered in Athens, Greece, for an intensive 3-day Capacity Building Mobility. Hosted by our Greek partner, ReadLab, the event brought together a diverse delegation of 21 youth workers, three from each of our partner organisations across Spain, Norway, Greece, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Albania.

The main purpose of the mobility was to translate the project’s theoretical frameworks into practical, hands-on application. The activities were carefully designed to equip youth workers with essential mentoring, coaching, and gender-sensitive methodologies to effectively guide young women aiming to become entrepreneurs, particularly those facing socio-economic barriers or from marginalised backgrounds.

The dynamic agenda combined interactive workshops, strategic discussions, and field visits to key local organisations in the historic centre of Athens:

• Ecosystem Exploration at Impact Hub Athens: The delegation visited this renowned social enterprise and incubator to learn about community-building and specific programmes focused on equity and rural innovation.
• Supporting Vulnerable Groups: A field visit to the Municipality of Athens Job Centre showcased how EU-funded services provide crucial employment, legal, and psychological counselling to vulnerable residents, including migrants and refugees.
• Women's Empowerment at WEN Hub: Participants spent a full day at the Women Empowerment Network Hub, diving into personalised job counselling programmes for women navigating the labour market. A key highlight was an inspiring session with Sana Ahmad, founder of ProLearn Academy, who shared her first-hand challenges as a migrant woman entrepreneur in the EU, emphasing the critical need for structured mentorship and a supportive community.
• Academic Networking & Civil Society Capacity: Hosted at the Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB), the final day featured expert insights from the Bodossaki Foundation's Social Dynamo on capacity building for NGOs, alongside a deep dialogue led by AUEB faculty on the structural and cultural barriers hindering women's professional growth.

The mobility successfully concluded with an action planning session and a formal closing ceremony, where all 21 participants were awarded Europass Certificates to formally validate their newly acquired competencies.

These certified youth workers will now act as crucial multipliers in their home countries. As a direct next step, in June 2026, each partner organisation will officially launch a dedicated Leaders4Future Support Point. Operating continuously, these permanent hubs will provide tailored workshops, individual mentoring, and entrepreneurship guidance, ensuring long-term support to empower young women across Europe and the Western Balkans to turn their business ideas into reality.