European Self-Advocates Project Concludes After Two Years of Cooperation Across Europe

Brussels, 1 December 2025

The European Self-Advocates Project (2023–2025), co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union and coordinated by EU Trisomy 21: lle, has officially come to an end after two years of cooperation between partner organisations across Europe.

The project brought together organisations from Belgium, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Malta, Romania, Greece and the Czech Republic, working closely with self-advocates, educators and youth workers to strengthen self-advocacy among young people with Down syndrome. Through a shared commitment to inclusion and co-creation, partners collaborated across national and cultural contexts to develop accessible and transferable training tools.

The project aimed to empower young people with Down syndrome by supporting them in expressing their views, understanding their rights and participating more actively in their communities. Central to the project was a co-creation approach, involving self-advocates and professionals throughout all stages of development, testing and refinement.

Over the course of the project, partners jointly developed a self-advocacy curriculum, a trainer’s handbook, video resources and an online learning platform. The training programme was piloted in partner and associated partner countries using a teaching-pair model, combining the lived experience of self-advocates with professional support. Feedback from participants and trainers played a key role in shaping the final materials and ensuring their accessibility and relevance.

In addition to local implementation, the project placed strong emphasis on dissemination and European exchange. Project results were shared through national multiplier events, online campaigns and a final European-level event in Brussels, where self-advocates, partner organisations and stakeholders reflected on the outcomes of the project and its future potential.

While the project formally concludes in November 2025, its impact will continue beyond its funded period. Partner organisations have committed to further implementing the training programme, and the curriculum and supporting materials remain freely available online to encourage transfer and use by organisations across Europe. Already new partners from Croatia and Poland are working on translating the curriculum for a local implementation.

The European Self-Advocates Project demonstrates how inclusive, co-created training initiatives can strengthen self-advocacy and contribute to greater participation of people with Down syndrome in social and civic life.

For more information and access to the training materials, please visit our online platform.