ECHOES Final Conference and Political Dialogue in Brussels

Closing Conference in Belgium: Young People, Climate & Political Engagement

On 8 April 2026, CERA Europe and Coordination CRH hosted the closing conference of the ECHOES project in Belgium at Silversquare Delta in Brussels. The event brought together 36 participants from 15 organisations for an afternoon of presentations, debate, and networking around a central question: how can young people engage with climate politics when it feels distant or daunting?

Setting the scene

The afternoon opened with a welcome from Elif Kalan of CERA Europe, followed by a detailed presentation from Ana Etxaburu of Coordination CRH. Drawing on the needs analysis conducted with young people and youth workers across partner countries, Ana outlined the project’s key findings, from the prevalence of eco-anxiety among young people to the theoretical and practical approaches the ECHOES project developed in response.

Inspiration from the field
The session that followed was led by Adélaïde Charlier, co-founder of Youth for Climate and The Bridge, alongside her associate Valentine Hendrix. They took the audience through some of the most significant moments for climate action in Belgium in recent years, spoke honestly about eco-anxiety, and shared practical advice on how to get involved. They also introduced their newest initiative: the Women Wave Project, in which a crew of six female activists sailed to COP30 to advocate for climate and social justice – with a documentary currently in production.

A roundtable that sparked real debate

The highlight of the afternoon was a roundtable discussion moderated by Nicole Cabezas Loja, Youth Delegate to the UN. The panel included Stéphane Gurbuz, President of Jeunes MR Brussels, Oskar Bonte, Ambassador of the European Climate Pact, and Marie Eenens, Communications and Project Assistant at CERA Europe and co-founder of Degrowth Copenhagen. Coming from different parts of the political spectrum, the panellists offered genuinely contrasting views on how best to approach climate action as a young person, leading to a lively and at times challenging discussion that continued well into the networking session that followed.

Why this mattered

The event wasn’t just an opportunity to present the ECHOES project’s outcomes. It was, above all, a space where people with different backgrounds and political perspectives could sit together, listen, and think critically about shared challenges. Participants left with concrete resources and platforms to support their civic engagement – and, perhaps more importantly, with a reminder that climate action is everyone’s issue, regardless of where you stand politically.

Thank you to all speakers, panelists, and participants for making this closing event a meaningful conclusion to the ECHOES project in Belgium.