Together for Inclusion: From Brussels to Action Across Europe

National Online Events, Trainings, and Conferences Preparing the Next Level of Self-Advocacy

Following the first transnational meeting in Brussels, the Together for Inclusion: Fostering Self-Advocacy Across Europe project moved into a new phase of implementation, bringing the discussions and ideas developed at European level directly into national contexts.

In the months that followed, partners combined continued online coordination at consortium level with a series of national online events in each partner country, ensuring that the reflections from Brussels were shared, discussed, and further developed with self-advocates, trainers, and local stakeholders.

National Online Events: Bringing the Brussels Discussions Home

In addition to regular online partner meetings, each partner organization hosted online events in their own country to extend the Brussels discussions to a wider audience.

These national online events created space to:

• Share key ideas and reflections from the Brussels meeting

• Discuss how European self-advocacy approaches connect to national realities

• Involve self-advocates directly in shaping the next steps of the project

• Explore how self-advocacy can move closer to engagement with European policies

By opening these discussions at national level, partners ensured that learning from Brussels became a shared process—grounded in local experience and shaped by the voices of self-advocates themselves.

Trainings and Self-Advocacy Conferences Across Europe

Building on these online exchanges, partners are now implementing self-advocacy trainings in their countries, followed by self-advocacy conferences at national level, running through April 2026.

These activities aim to:

• Strengthen self-advocacy skills among a wider group of participants

• Support self-advocates in gaining confidence, knowledge, and experience

• Create opportunities for dialogue between self-advocates, organizations, and professionals

• Prepare participants for engagement at European level

The national conferences will also serve as important moments of visibility and exchange, showcasing self-advocacy work and connecting local experiences to broader European discussions.

Preparing for the European Level: Network and Advanced Training

All of these national activities feed directly into the next European milestones of the project.

In March 2026, the European Self-Advocacy Network will be launched, providing a space for self-advocates to connect across borders, exchange experiences, and engage collectively on European issues.

This will be followed by an advanced European-level training in July 2026 in Madrid, hosted by Universidad Rey Juan Carlos. The training will bring together self-advocates and professionals from across partner countries, focusing on deeper engagement with European policies, participation, and peer learning.

A Continuous European Process

From Brussels to national online events, from local trainings to self-advocacy conferences, Together for Inclusion is unfolding as a continuous and interconnected process.

Each step builds on the previous one, ensuring that self-advocates are supported at every level—local, national, and European—and are equipped to take part in shaping the conversations and policies that affect their lives.