The 52 young people set to participate in the 2025 Youth Cooperation Programme have received their tickets and travel documents.

• These young aid workers will take part in projects run by various Basque NGOs in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Peru, Guinea Conakry and Senegal.
• The programme will run during July, August and September with participants aged between 22 and 30.

• Now in its 31st year, the Youth Cooperation Programme has seen more than 2,500 young people take part in this initiative.

The Basque Government has launched a new edition of the Basque Youth Cooperation Programme. The programme, led by the Basque Government’s Youth Directorate and eLankidetza, aims to raise awareness among Basque youth about cooperation initiatives in southern countries. It also seeks to foster a culture of solidarity between peoples and cultures among Basque youth. This is a long-standing programme, with the first edition held in 1993. In 2025, 52 young Basques will carry out cooperation work in several countries: Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Peru, Guinea and Senegal. They will participate in 21 projects led by different Basque NGOs.

Some participants will work with migrants on the border between the United States and Mexico in Tijuana. Others will be in Guinea Conakry, Guatemala and Honduras, focusing on women’s empowerment and ensuring health rights. Further participants will work on education for young children with disabilities in Colombia. Peru will host the largest group of young aid workers (20), who will collaborate on projects led by the Alava-based association Asociación Servicio de la Solidaridad San Viator (SERSO). Among these is Hogar Belén, a project providing care for women who have experienced sexual violence in a shelter in La Esperanza.

All these cooperation projects are organised and managed by the following Basque NGOs: Salesianos, Ayuda en Acción, Solidaridad Internacional, Medicus Mundi Bizkaia, Halipular, Asociación Africanista Manuel Iradier, Serso San Viator Euskadi, Asociación Jorge Adolfo Freyter, Misiones Diocesanas de Álava and Hermanas Pasionistas de Irun.

The Gazteak Lankidetzan programme is open to young people aged 22 to 30. If selected, participants can carry out cooperation activities with NGOs for three months, allowing them to take part directly in development cooperation projects across America, Asia and Africa, gaining first-hand experience of how these initiatives are delivered. The Basque Government will cover the travel costs and, where necessary, visa expenses for the selected participants. At a ceremony held yesterday in Lakua, participants were presented with their plane tickets and backpacks. In its 31-year history, more than 2,500 young people have taken part in the programme, which has collaborated with over 100 NGOs.