BSRYF Working Groups for the 2026/2027 term

Why This Matters

Artificial intelligence is reshaping education, work, public services, and democratic debate. The Baltic Sea Region now faces practical choices about infrastructure, skills, governance, and adoption. Join the Artificial Intelligence Working Group to explore these choices and turn complex developments into clear, youth-led regional action.

Focus Areas / Planned Output & Activities

Our work will focus on: 

• AI capacity in the Baltic Sea Region, including compute infrastructure, energy, open-source technology, and digital sovereignty. 
• Responsible AI adoption in education, public institutions, civil society, and youth organisations. 
• AI literacy and practical guidance that help young people use and evaluate AI with confidence. 
• Expert dialogues and working sessions that connect technical developments with policy and regional cooperation. 
• A concise youth perspective or policy brief on a priority topic selected by the group. 
• A practical workshop, panel, or learning resource that shares the group’s work with the wider BSRYF network. 
• Joint activities with other BSRYF Working Groups on cross-cutting topics such as energy, democracy, education, and communication.

What Has Been Achieved

During the previous term, WG AI developed its agenda around AI sovereignty, European compute and GPU capacity, and the role of young people in shaping AI. These discussions created a strong foundation for focused work in 2026/27.

What You Will Gain / Goals

By joining this working group, you will: 

• Build practical knowledge of AI policy, infrastructure, governance, and adoption. 
• Learn to translate technical developments into clear recommendations and public communication. 
• Strengthen your research, writing, facilitation, and project-development skills. 
• Work with motivated young people and experts from across the Baltic Sea Region. 
• Help produce tangible work that contributes a youth perspective to regional AI discussions.

Who We’re Looking For

We welcome young people who: 

• Are between 16 and 29 years old. 
• Live in or are citizens of a CBSS Member State. 
• Can work comfortably in English. 
• Can participate regularly and contribute to the group’s activities. 
• Bring curiosity about technology, policy, education, research, communication, or project work. 

The group benefits from varied backgrounds and experience levels. Curiosity, reliability, and follow-through are the qualities that matter most.

Commitment & Logistics

• The working group will meet online about twice a month, with the exact schedule agreed together. 

• Members will participate actively in meetings and contribute to agreed tasks between sessions. 

• Additional opportunities may include BSRYF events, expert exchanges, partner collaborations, and regional activities. 

Amid rising geopolitical fragmentation and democratic backsliding, algorithms, narratives, and AI are being used to mislead, destabilise, and polarise at rapid scale. As civic life increasingly unfolds in digital spaces rife with disinformation, we face a new battleground over truth, trust, and the line between friend and foe. To leverage technology’s transformative potential and growing political attention, we’re closing the gap in meaningful youth inclusion. If you want to help innovate democratic governance, safeguard digital rights, and build regional resilience, this is your platform! 

Our Focus Areas 

1. Build Digital Literacy & Civic Resilience

• Mapping and evaluating responses to disinformation and Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI) 
• Designing scalable societal defences & digital and media literacy initiatives  

2. Demystify AI & Emerging Technologies

• Assessing the risks and opportunities of technological disruption 
• Promoting AI and platform algorithms responsible, ethical use 

3. Foster Digital Democracy & Protect Digital Rights

• Reimagining democratic institutions and public engagement with technology, and analysing its impact on civic rights, trust, and decision-making quality 
• Exploring citizen-driven innovation and mission-oriented policy approaches 

What We Achieved in Year One — and there’s more to come! 

• Authored a 30-page analytical policy white paper on the regional disinformation threat landscape, submitted to both the CBSS and foreign ministries
• Delivered a capacity-building workshop for a diverse group of young people 
• Produced recommendation papers on the EU Youth Strategy post-2027 
• Now developing our own podcast in cooperation with field experts 

Building on this success, we’ve become an established youth voice in the field. For the year ahead, we’ve been selected as a partner for several FIMI-response and civic-rights projects: incl. an international expert FIMI-mapping project with in-person workshops, EU-funded ACTIVATE BSR initiative, and a conference partnership in Norway (subject to change). We’re also well connected to a network of NGOs, with the possibility of small external seed funding for our own initiatives. 

What You Will Gain 

• A real seat at the table, shaping work that reaches CBSS and EU-level audiences 
• Expertise across diverse fields & transferable leadership skills  
• An international network of peers from 10 countries & Mentorship opportunities from experienced practitioners in the field 

Who We’re Looking For 

• Open to all backgrounds, aged 16–29, national or resident of a CBSS member state, and comfortable working in English 
• Passionate about the intersection of technology, policy, and democracy 
• Willing to critically engage with new technologies and their impact on society 

The success and direction of this working group depend entirely on the active participation of its members. Our meeting schedule is bi-weekly. 

Are you passionate about protecting the environment and tackling climate challenges? Do you want to turn your ideas into action and help amplify youth voices across the Baltic Sea Region? Then the Working Group on Environment and Climate Change is the space for you. 

Join a team of motivated young people working to raise awareness of environmental and climate issues. We share practical tools and knowledge for climate action and nature protection. We advocate for social and climate justice in local, regional, European, and international policymaking. And so much more, which you can help shape for the coming year. 

Examples of activities from next year include organising COP30 outcomes webinar, starting environmental justice social media campaign and launching a podcast about nature restoration. Potential topic to be explored this year include water security, resilient cities and many more. 

Together, we can inspire change and ensure young people’s perspectives help shape a more sustainable and just future in our region. 

The ideal candidate for this Working Group has an interest in climate and/or environmental issues and can, but doesn’t necessarily need to have, academic, volunteer or professional experience within the topics.  The goal is to create a group of people who are motivated to work together on enhancing awareness of the environmental and climate issues in the Baltic Sea Region, while advancing youth voices in the policy-making processes.  

The time commitment required depends on your capacity and level of engagement you are interested in, ranging between 4 to 20 hours per month. The number of meetings will be determined after the recruitment is finished. 

Are you interested in learning more about finance? Or maybe you are interested in helping youth get real-life work experience? If that is the case, then you should apply for the working group on finance.  

Our working group is focused on turning the numbers for youth unemployment in the Baltic Sea Region by learning how to write a CV, helping youth apply to jobs, and gaining basic knowledge of personal finance, something most people do not learn in school. This was a major problem for youth in the BSR, considering all of the numbers for youth unemployment are between 7% and 23%.  

We want to focus on teaching others, something we hope to do through lectures. Together with Nexus Biznesu, we want to reach the youth who struggle with unemployment and gaining the experience they need for every other job.  

Our goals  

• A better general understanding of finance for youth 
• Teaching about Job experience, Labour laws and Curriculum Vitae. 

We are looking for you who… 

• Are between the ages of 16 to 29. 
• A national or resident of a CBSS member state 
• Can comfortably understand and communicate in English
• Want to learn more about Finance. No need for previous experience. 

Commitments

We meet biweekly; meeting dates and times are to be determined by the whole group. We try to set a time that works for everyone. Extra meetings may be in order if needed in smaller groups. 

Set aside 2 hours for the work we do; we will try to keep it consistent.  

Why This Matters

Europe’s security is being redrawn and the Baltic Sea Region sits at the center of it. Most of our states border with either Russia or the Baltic Sea itself. Our undersea cables and pipelines have already been targeted and the region holds some of the world’s deepest traditions of total defence. The decisions being made now will influence the younger generation’s lives longest of all. Yet youth is too often talked about in defence debates rather than heard in them. This Working Group is where that voice becomes part of the conversation. 

Focus Areas / Planned Output & Activities

Our focus areas are broad by design. Together we will divide what to prioritize based on what members care about most: 

1. Defence Industry and Readiness

• Explore the region’s rearmament: spending, industrial capacity and military readiness.
• Become familiar with the EU and NATO frameworks shaping it (European Defence Industrial Strategy, Readiness 2030 etc.)  

2. Civil Preparedness and Total Defence

• Understand how whole societies ready themselves for crisis: civil-military cooperation, resilience and Nordic-Baltic total defence models. 
• Engage with the EU’s Preparedness Union Strategy and NATO requirements for national resilience. 

3. Hybrid Threats

• Make sense of sabotage, cyberattacks and general interference below the threshold of open war.
• Explore how open democracies build resilience without closing themselves off (Hybrid CoE and EU Hybrid Toolbox)

What You Will Gain / Goals

• Hands-On Experience: Explore the region’s defence and preparedness landscape and turn research into real output.
• Networking and Insights: Work with defence experts, CBSS officials and meet like-minded people at events.
• Career-Building Skills: Build expertise in security policy plus research, writing and briefing.
• Real-World Impact: Shape youth-led papers and recommendations that feed real regional and EU debates

Who We’re Looking For

• You are aged 16–29 and a national or resident of a CBSS member state
• You are comfortable working in English.
• You are curious, committed and have a willingness to learn. No defence background is required.
• You are ready to show up, dedicate time and take on responsibility – this group is driven by its members.

Commitment & Logistics

• The term runs from September 2026 to the end of June 2027. 
• Expect an average of 2–3 hours per week across meetings and project work.
• Meetings: online, bi-weekly, with the exact day and time set to suit the majority.

Are you interested in renewable energy, green shipping & sustainable ports?  

Join our Working Group, learn about EU climate policies, get introduced to EU funded projects and connect with professionals from the Policy Areas of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region and other macro-regional actors. 

Our discussions will focus on: 

• Green Energy Transition & Alternative Fuels – exploring renewable solutions; familiarising with EU and international policy and regulatory frameworks (i.e. EU Green Deal, Fit for 55). 
• Sustainable Maritime Transport – green shipping and emission reduction in shipping and ports. 
• Cross-border cooperation for sustainable transport and green energy (Macro-regional and pan-European cooperation; EU funding programmes) 
• Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation in Shipping and Ports 
• Energy security, energy infrastructure protection, preparedness for energy crises. 
• Feel free to come up with your own ideas.

We need your support with the following activities: 

• Participate actively in Working Group meetings by asking questions and sharing suggestions. 
• Write articles & policy recommendations 
• Represent the Working Group during the EUSBSR Annual Forum, to EUSBSR Policy Area Steering Groups & coordination meetings  
• Help with the organisation of events, including through cooperation with national and international actors, i.e. Ministries, Universities, International Organisations  
• Engage with EU funded projects (e.g. Interreg) supporting the green transition  
• Contribute to discussions on energy security at events hosted by the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) 
• Engage with other macro-regional and regional youth councils on green energy and sustainable transport, from the Danube and Adriatic-Ionian to the Alpine region. 

Why join? 

By joining, you will have the opportunity to connect with Policy Areas of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR): EUSBSR Policy Area Ship ; EUSBSR Policy Area Maritime Safety ; EUSBSR Policy Area Hazards ; EUSBSR Policy Area Energy ; EUSBSR Policy Area Transport. Additionally, you will get the opportunity to connect with the European Commission, Interreg projects on sustainable energy and transport, and with other Macroregional organisations , such as HELCOM. 

Members get a Certificate of Participation, chances to join professional meetings, influence EU policy, and network across the Baltic Sea Region and beyond! This is also a chance to discover career or academic pathways in sustainable transport and green energy. 

Time commitment: 

The WG will meet once per month (day and time will be agreed to meet the needs of the majority of the members). Additional meetings in smaller working teams may take place as needed, depending on your involvement in specific activities. 

Why This Matters

Are you passionate about making sure young people’s voices are heard and want to shape the future of the Baltic Sea Region? Join the Youth Advocacy Working Group to raise awareness, encourage civic participation, and create opportunities for young people to influence regional
discussions and decision-making.

Focus Areas / Planned Output & Activities

Our work will focus on:

• Raising awareness of Baltic Sea Region issues such as climate change, democracy, migration, and disinformation.
• Introducing young people to the work of BSRYF, CBSS, and regional cooperation in an accessible way.
• Collaborating with local youth organisations and the BSRYF Communications Team to organise campaigns and outreach activities.
• Organising youth debates, workshops, and panel discussions that encourage dialogue and civic engagement.
• Supporting the creation and strengthening of youth councils and participation opportunities across the Baltic Sea Region.
• Writing opinion pieces and creating engaging content that highlights youth perspectives and regional challenges.
• Cooperating with other BSRYF Working Groups to promote cross-cutting topics and joint activities.

What has been achieved

One of the main achievements was conducting a region-wide youth survey, which was presented to the EU Commissioner for Youth. This marked a significant milestone for BSRYF, as no initiative of this scale had previously been carried out. The survey successfully brought youth perspectives to policymakers and diplomats, strengthening the Forum’s visibility and credibility.

What You Will Gain / Goals

By joining this working group, you will:

• Learn more about Baltic Sea Region issues and regional cooperation.
• Gain practical experience in advocacy, communications, campaign planning, and event organisation.
• Develop leadership, public speaking, and teamwork skills.
• Connect with motivated young people and organisations from across the Baltic Sea Region.
• Help shape projects that increase youth participation and amplify young people’s voices in regional discussions.

Who We’re Looking For

We welcome young people who:

• Are between 16 and 29 years old.
• Live in or are citizens of a CBSS Member State.
• You are comfortable working in English.
• Can participate regularly and are committed to contributing to the group’s activities.
• Are interested in civic engagement, democracy, youth participation, communications,
  advocacy, or organising events.

Previous experience is welcome but not required—motivation and willingness to contribute are the most important qualities.

Commitment & Logistics

• The working group will meet about twice a month online (exact schedule to be agreed together).
• Members are expected to participate actively in meetings and contribute to ongoing projects between meetings.
• Additional opportunities may include supporting BSRYF events, participating in campaigns, collaborating with partner organisations, and representing the working group in regional activities.