SYNAPSE - Systems Shift EU-Africa: Empowering Youth through Systems Thinking and Transcontinental Exchange

SYNAPSE - Systems Shift EU-Africa: Empowering Youth through Systems Thinking and Transcontinental Exchange

Empowering EU-Africa youth leaders with systems thinking skills to tackle complex societal challenges through intercultural dialogue and transcontinental collaboration.

SYNAPSE

Call: ERASMUS-EDU-2025-VIRT-EXCH

Type of action: ERASMUS-LS

Proposal number: 101252622

Proposal acronym: SYNAPSE

Duration: 36 months

Proposal title: Systems Shift EU-Africa: Empowering Youth through Systems Thinking and Transcontinental Exchange

Project Overview

In an interconnected and fast-evolving world, the ability to think systemically has become essential for young people striving to address complex societal challenges.

SYNAPSE — Systems Shift EU-Africa: Empowering Youth through Systems Thinking and Transcontinental Exchange — responds to this need by fostering intercultural dialogue, systemic skills, and leadership among 2,500 young participants from Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Through an innovative blend of online people-to-people exchanges, experiential learning, and solution-focused collaboration, SYNAPSE equips youth with the tools to:

  • Critically analyse local and global challenges
  • Build sustainable solutions
  • Shape policy discussions

Approach

Led by a diverse consortium of 13 partners across Europe and Africa, SYNAPSE places young people at the centre of the action — not only as beneficiaries, but as co-creators.

It uniquely applies a Systems Thinking approach to key themes like:

  • Climate action
  • Digital transformation
  • Social inclusion

This enables participants to explore the interconnected nature of today's issues.

Inclusion

The project prioritises inclusion by:

  • Ensuring the participation of young women
  • Including youth with disabilities
  • Reaching youth from rural areas
  • Making virtual learning environments fully accessible

Methodology

SYNAPSE's methodology is rooted in flexibility, ownership, and experiential engagement:

  • Young people will select topics of interest
  • Co-design activities
  • Lead dialogues that culminate in a youth-driven virtual festival
  • Develop policy recommendations

Expected Impact

Ultimately, SYNAPSE aims to:

  • Strengthen youth organisations and universities
  • Foster intercultural understanding
  • Create sustainable networks that amplify young voices in governance and development processes
  • Leave a lasting impact well beyond the project's end

Partners

  1. UNIVERSITA TELEMATICA DEGLI STUDI IUL - Italy
  2. SYSTEM DYNAMICS ITALIAN CHAPTER - Italy
  3. ASOCIACION MUNDUS - UN MUNDO A TUS PIES - Spain
  4. UNIVERSIDAD DE ALMERIA - Spain
  5. PAN-ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION - Nigeria
  6. African University of Science and Technology - Nigeria
  7. Blue Sapphire Hub Foundation - Nigeria
  8. THE TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF KENYA - Kenya
  9. Science Horizons Kenya - Kenya
  10. National Youth Climate Action Network Association - Namibia
  11. APODISSI TECHNOLOGY AND KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER CC - Namibia
  12. CENTRE FOR HUMANITY AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT ORGANISATION - Malawi
  13. Ethiopian Catholic Church Salesians of Don Bosco Ethiopia - Ethiopia
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