Youngspace – new EU project to empower young people in society
2025-09-24
“Major societal challenges require us to focus on sustainable transition. To succeed, we need to involve young people, not least in rural areas,” said Ulrika Sjölund, head of Mötesplats Social Innovation at Science Park Borås and project manager for Youngspace. “With the Youngspace project, we want to promote inclusion, creativity and social innovation. We will do this by developing places where young people can be involved in community development using the New European Bauhaus toolkit.”
Key figures in culture and society gather
This week, stakeholders from municipalities, civil society, and business and industry gathered at Centralen in Tranemo to take the first step in the project. Sjuhärad’s municipalities, as well as the Region Västra Götaland and other actors in the public sector and civil society, were present and shared their thoughts and ideas. The aim was to build consensus on the project, which will last until 2029. The outcome of the project will be a stronger role for young people in society – socially, culturally and politically.
“When we meet across municipal boundaries and share experiences and good examples, we create the conditions for change at both strategic level and in concrete action,” said Johanna Gustafsson, cultural coordinator in Tranemo Municipality.
Collaboration, inspiration, and exchange of experience with Europe
The Youngspace project is part of a European collaboration between eight organisations in six countries through Interreg Europe. The Borås node for Mötesplats Social Innovation participates together with the Borås region and Science Park Borås at the University of Borås.
“By working together both at regional level and at European level, where we share experiences with other actors in Europe, we hope – together with the municipalities – to be able to think in new ways about place development and participation,” said Lisa Haeger, cultural strategist at Borås Region – Sjuhärad’s Municipal Association. “With so much combined expertise and experience, we expect to be able to achieve clear results that have a long-term impact on young people's influence in society.”
Beautiful, sustainable, together – New European Bauhaus values
“Several European countries have come much further than Sweden in involving young people's perspectives in sustainable community building and social innovation,” said Ulrika Sjölund. “The exchange with the other countries will therefore provide us with both concrete examples and learning of innovative approaches to social innovation in cross-sectoral collaboration. We will also use the new New European Bauhaus toolkit in co-creative activities.”
About Youngspace
Youngspace is a European cooperation project between eight organisations from six countries. The project aims to include young people in sustainable community building and develop places that strengthen their social, cultural, and political role in society. The focus is on exchanging experiences on governance and public policies that support these spaces, with the aim of fostering inclusion, creativity, and social innovation among young people. Youngspace is funded by Interreg Europe and Region Västra Götaland Culture.
At the regional level, the municipalities of the Borås region participate together with Borås Science Park. Within the region, the project will work with the policy area of designed living environment – that is, how the physical environment is designed and experienced. The project is linked to the EU's New European Bauhaus initiative and is based on a holistic approach that integrates social, ecological and aesthetic values to create attractive and sustainable living environments for young people.
Read more
Youngspace – an Interreg Europe project
Region Västra Götaland's cultural committee supports Youngspace (In Swedish)
More about Mötesplats Social Innovation at the University of Borås (In Swedish)
More about the National Social Innovation Meeting Place
More about the EU initiative New European Bauhaus
Want to know more?
If you have any questions about the Youngspace project, please contact
Ulrika Sjölund
Science Park Borås
ulrika.sjolund@hb.se
Lisa Haeger
Borås Region – Sjuhärad’s Municipal Association
lisa.haeger@borasregionen.se
Jennie Andersson
Jennie Andersson