21 – 23 September, Halle (Germany)
Are you ready to explore youth participation and agency, intergenerational and bring your own salt to the table with colleagues from all over Europe?
Join us in Halle, a lively cultural city shaped by its salt-making past, for a gathering that promises to be just as sharp, energising and interactive. For its third edition, this two-day event will dig into why, and crucially how, European community foundations can champion young leadership, opening the door for meaningful participation in decision-making and helping build fairer, more resilient and democratic communities.
Organised by ECFI in collaboration with Halle Community Foundation, this interactive gathering brings together practitioners from community philanthropy, youth organisations, and the wider philanthropic world. Expect lively exchanges, fresh thinking, and honest reflection on how to better engage, involve and empower young people (not just in theory, but in practice!).
Table of Contents
Objectives
- Empowering young leaders: Supporting the development of leadership skills that navigate uncertainty and foster creativity, empathy, and collective decision-making.
- Fostering meaningful youth agency: Encouraging community foundations and related organisations to create structures and pathways where young people are not merely participants, but active contributors to decisions and organisational strategy.
- Promoting intergenerational dialogue: Building bridges between youth and more established practitioners to foster mutual learning and shared approaches that respond to contemporary challenges in community work.
- Sharing experiences and good practices: Facilitating exchange of ideas, tools, and models from across Europe to strengthen the broader ecosystem of community philanthropy.
Agenda in a nutshell
The agenda will be developed by a Steering Committee, comprising people under 35 from across the community foundations field. We will share more information with you soon but in the meanwhile, you can get the first details to organise your trip.
21st of September
Time | Activity |
17:00 – 19:00 | Let’s (re)connect Location: WUK Theater Schiff About the place: Since its christening on July 2, 2021, the »WUK Theater Schiff« has served as the floating stage of the independent »WUK Theater«, hosting theater performances, readings, and concerts, as well as serving as a venue for exhibitions and rehearsals. And on our first evening, it will be an unforgettable place for us to come together and get to know one another. |
19:00 – 21:00 | Dinner |
22nd of September
Time | Activity |
09:30 – 09:40 | Welcome & Grounding |
09:40 – 09:55 | Setting the Scene Presentation of Halle Community Foundation |
09:55 – 10:20 | Networking Activities |
10:20 – 11:50 | Session 1 |
11:50 – 12:30 | Coffee Break |
12:30 – 13:15 | Session 2 |
13:15 – 14:30 | Lunch |
14:30 – 16:00 | Session 3 |
16:00 – 16:45 | Coffee Break |
16:45 – 18:00 | Session 4 |
18:00 – 18:15 | Closing of the Day |
18:15 – 20:00 | Free Time |
20:00 – 22:00 | Dinner Where? Schwemme e.V. Built in 1718, the Schwemme Brewery is one of the most significant surviving examples of the historic Klaustorvorstadt district in Halle (Saale). This half-timbered building is an inspiring place of remarkable charm, thanks to its high historical and architectural value, its distinctive design, and its central riverside location. The non-profit association “Schwemme e.V.” has purchased the historic brewery and, with great dedication and the support of donations, is now restoring it step by step in accordance with heritage conservation guidelines. The building is already hosting a variety of events. The aim is to preserve this historic landmark and make it permanently accessible to Halle’s arts and cultural community. |
23rd of September
Time | Activity |
09:30 – 12:15 | Site Visits The occasion to meet and deep dive into local projects supported by Halle Community Foundation |
12:15 – 13:15 | Session 5 & ending |
13:15 – 14:30 | Lunch |
First suggested accomodation
In addition to the main booking platforms (AirBnB, Booking), here some useful recommendations to book your stay:
- HalleSaale HandelStadt: local platform that aggregates suggested hotels
How to get to Halle
By plane:
- Lipsia-Halle Airport is the closest one to the city (approx. 18km) however is not heavily served, with some key connections to Vienna and few other cities.
- Berlin Airport is approx. 1.30 hour away by train or some direct Flixbus heading to Halle directly
- Nurenmberg Airport is approx. 2 hours away by train
By train:
- Halle (Saale) Hauptbahnof is connected with some night trains mainly from Switzerland and Germany itself
- However, it is frequently connected with Berlin (central hub for night trains from different capital cities), Dresden and other main cities in Germany
Registration
To partially cover the direct organisational cost (meals, transfers, venues, other costs), we ask participant to pay a participation fee that is:
- 100€ for community foundations and community foundations support organisations
- 100€ for youth organisations With youth organisations we mean organisations youth-led (with majority of young people, aged under 35, in the governing body) who focus and work with young people
- 200€ for philanthropic organisations, other civil society organisations and individual consultants
If you have any doubts in which category your organisation falls into, do reach out to Francesca Mereta (francesca@communityfoundations.eu)
You can register through this form. Once you have registered; you will receive from the ECFI team the invoice for the fee payment.
Note that tickets are not refundable; however, they can be transferred to someone in your organisation.
Registration closes on the 4th of September or up to venue capacity.
