Youth Atlas is Meet & Map’s space dedicated to young people as active contributors to the present and architects of the future. Through the Humanitarian Compass Method™, we listen, accompany, and co-create with youth rather than prescribing fixed paths.
This area supports purpose-driven exploration, helping young people research and articulate their sense of purpose. It fosters personal development, accompanying the transition into adulthood with emotional, social, and civic tools. Youth Atlas also strengthens international community awareness, offering frameworks and competencies that allow young people to recognize themselves as part of a global human community. Finally, we actively support youth activism, acknowledging the growing number of young activists and committing to listen, learn, and stand alongside them in ethical and sustainable ways.
Youth Atlas is a space within Meet&Map dedicated to strengthening the voice, talent and action of young people. It is a living map of those who build, connect and transform their communities with ideas, purpose and humanity.
It is the cartography of a generation that does not wait for change, but draws it.
What have we experienced?
Over the past three years, Meet & Map has worked closely with young people through international youth exchanges and participation in youth-led networks across different countries. We have collaborated with young leaders from NGOs active in sports, non-formal education, and other community-based fields, witnessing both their creativity and their growing sense of responsibility toward global challenges.
What have we learned?
We have learned that international awareness initiatives that remain rooted in colonial mindsets or Euro-centric perspectives — and that fail to engage honestly with current realities of oppression and their consequences for the Global South — are not sufficient to build a truly new paradigm of ethical and sustainable inclusion. Without this awareness, “global community” narratives risk reproducing the very inequalities they aim to overcome.
What do we propose?
We propose to support young people in their personal development and purpose exploration before they are expected to embody global identities or take on high-risk forms of activism. At the same time, we commit to recognizing and supporting youth who are already designing new, creative, and sustainable ways of taking action, contributing to futures that are inclusive, conscious, and shared.
International Community and Shared Purpose
An international gathering with 35 young people from 8 countries, focused on building community and personal development.
Throughout the experience, participants explored themes related to individual growth, activism, and the creation of both personal and collective purpose. The involvement of young people from different parts of Spain helped reignite their motivation and commitment to shaping their own futures.
Collective Learning and Sense of Belonging
Within the framework of an international community, we participated in a gathering to exchange best practices among youth organizations with diverse approaches: sports, social and environmental volunteering, entrepreneurship, and more. This shared space strengthened a sense of belonging to a common purpose: supporting young people through more conscious and sustainable structures. Our role focused on reinforcing the capacities needed to sustain and expand opportunities for youth.
Capacity Building and Community for Youth Workers
An international training for youth workers supporting young people who are not in education, employment, or training.
Facilitators from 8 countries gathered through the coordination of Culti-Multi, a Greek initiative based in Kalamata. The participants shared challenges and strategies to motivate youth engagement, gained practical tools, and strengthened their sense of belonging to an international community with a shared purpose.
Designing Projects for Youth
A space for international community development focused on creating and funding youth projects. Participants exchanged methodologies, ideas, and tools for writing multidisciplinary proposals, strengthening the capacities of organizations committed to youth development and participation.
European Networks and Long-term Co-creation
We took part in a gathering at the Casa da Juventude de Amarante with the European Lead by Nature Network, a well-established youth development network. The experience deepened practices of active participation and long-term project co-creation, strengthening connections within a committed international community.
Personal Development and Systemic Transformation
The development of personal purpose is deeply connected to one’s relationship with oneself. In line with our approach to health and the role of the nervous system in systemic change, we supported a group of young people through a training and co-living experience focused on self-regulation, awareness, and well-being. An experience that integrated inner development as a foundation for more conscious participation in society.