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Too often, inclusion is reduced to symbolism one "diverse" face in a photo, a young person invited to the table without a real voice, an equality statement that never comes to life in practice. We call this tokenism, and recognising it is the first step toward real, authentic inclusion.

Inclusion is not a branding tool. Not a photo on a website. Not one representative invited to "cover the topic." Inclusion is an ethical practice and that is why we are opening the International Network for Genuine Inclusion, a pan-European network of 40 organisations that have signed the Declaration on Authentic Inclusion.

As part of the Beyond Tokenism project, an international testing session of the project’s eLearning course “Tokenism vs. Authentic Inclusion” was successfully organised with the participation of 14 youth workers from four partner countries. The activity represented an important step in the final validation of one of the key project results and confirmed the relevance, accessibility and practical value of the course for professionals working with young people.

A practical way to measure youth participation and move from “included” to truly youth-led

Spain, November 2025 — A group of future youth workers gathered for a pilot workshop within the Erasmus+ project Beyond Tokenism: Youth Leading Inclusion to explore a deceptively simple but deeply transformative question: when does participation become real, and when does it remain only symbolic?

Berlin, November 2025 — Between 31 October and 4 November 2025, fifteen youth workers, educators, and community practitioners gathered in Berlin for a five-day local pilot training titled “Tokenism in Youth Work: What, Where, How – and What Should Be Done to Avoid It.”

Philipsburg, November 2025 - From 10 to 14 November 2025, youth workers, educators, NGO staff, and community practitioners gathered in Philipsburg, Sint Maarten for a five-day local pilot training within the Erasmus+ project “Beyond Tokenism: Youth Leading Inclusion.”

Fifteen youth workers from different sectors completed an intensive five-day training that could change the way young people are involved in decisions that affect them.

In October 2025, an intensive five-day training was held in Pakrac as part of the EU project "Beyond Tokenism: Youth Leading Inclusion (BETYLI)". The training brought together 20 young participants with the aim of piloting and validating educational materials developed to combat tokenism in youth work.

In May 2025, our consortium embarked on a transformative study visit to St. Maarten as part of the Beyond Tokenism: Youth Leading Inclusion project.