The first day the event began with a speech by Peter de Bruyn, Policy Officer for school education at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Education and Culture (DG EAC), welcoming the almost 1000 new eTwinning Schools.

Keynote speaker Loredana Popa, representative of a long-experienced eTwinning school, discussed challenges and best practices for empowering students as agents of change.

In the second keynote, Valeria Cavioni, developmental psychologist at Universitas Mercatorum and the University of Pavia, explored the link between student agency and wellbeing, and highlighted the role of student empowerment in promoting inclusion and active participation.

On the second day, keynote speaker Sabrina Vorbau, project manager at one of the ESEP supportive partners, presented the Better Internet for Kids (BIK+) Youth Ambassador programme as a model of effective youth participation.

Workshops covered topics including mindfulness, engaging students in radio and podcasting, media literacy, entrepreneurial education, design thinking for social innovation, reading and video-making methodologies, leadership and self-regulated learning.

On the third day, the panel discussion focused on the importance of empowering students and how to incorporate pupils’ agency in teaching practice. The session included representatives from the European School Heads Association (ESHA), Parents International, eTwinning teachers and pupils who gave their opinions on student agency.

The last keynote speaker, Kathrin Morasch, explained how her role as Better Internet for Kids (BIK) Youth Ambassador helped her to develop and shape her future.

Ulrike Storost, Head of Sector for school education at DG EAC, concluded the conference by agreeing with the view proposed by participants that eTwinning Schools should continue to prioritise the empowering of students to be protagonists of their own learning journeys.