As the year winds down and festive lights start to appear across Europe, the OBESSU team has been full time busy — tracking policy developments, pushing students’ perspectives forward, and tying up the last loose ends before the holiday break. Here’s a glimpse of what we’ve been up to this month!

What we have been up to

The month began with Board Member Elodie representing OBESSU at the PulseZ Youth Festival in Brussels, where she connected with a vibrant community of content creators and aspiring media professionals to discuss some of Europe’s most pressing challenges.

 

On the 17th of November — International Students’ Day — we launched our annual social media campaign. This year’s theme highlighted students’ power to drive change and the fundamental role that school systems play in enabling it.

 

Students, and young people in general, were also at the centre of the European Parliament's annual Youth Network Event, which was attended by Board Member Alessandro and a delegation from the Secretariat. The event gathered input on how to best communicate the Multiannual Financial Framework to European citizens.

 

The European Parliament also hosted the EU Parliamentary Democracy Forum, where OBESSU stressed how the risks AI poses in education have an impact on European democracies.

 

Secretary General Rui also spoke at the ERGO Network's annual Policy Conference, to discuss Roma access to quality and inclusive education.

 

Throughout the month, the team worked closely with partners on the Teachers and Trainers Agenda consultations. The Secretariat took part in several European Commission webinars and submitted a survey that will help shape the upcoming Agenda.

 

On the Vocational Education and Training (VET) front, OBESSU participated in the Brussels Future Talks event, which explored how AI technologies in VET intersect with intergenerational fairness. Moreover, Board Member Kacper and Head of External Affairs Panagiotis brought VET learners’ perspective to the table at the European Education and Skills Summit, titled "Education and Skills: Fuelling Europe's Growth”. More broadly, the team continued working with the EAN to contribute to the VET Strategy set to launch next year.

 

Interesting Calls:

 

► The ELNE network is launching a Call for Inspiring Practices and Research Summaries that show how different actors take part in leadership and decision-making processes. If you have any interesting examples, find more info here and apply by December 15, 2025!

 

► The UNESCO Technical Committee of Sustainable Development Goal 4 (quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all) is collecting examples of good practice in using evidence and research for education policy and practice. Get to know more and submit one here. 

 

► The United Nations is launching the Big Listen, a global survey to gather views for the Second Independent Progress Study on Youth, Peace and Security (YPS). If you are a young person between 15 and 40 years old, you can share your perspective here before January 2026.

 

Mark your calendar:

  • Council of the European Union, Education, Youth, Culture and Sports Council (28-29 November, Brussels)
  • OBESSU, Council of Members (29-30 November, Cluj-Napoca)
  • OECD, 10th Meeting of the Group of National Experts on School Resources (1-2 December, Boulogne, France)​
  • EDEH, Unpacking Bias in EdTech webinar (December 2, 12:00-13:10)
  • SOLiDAR+, Global Citizenship Education Policy Exchange (2 December, European Parliament) 
  • European Climate Pact, Community Talk: COP30 Debrief (December 4, 12:30-14:00)
  • LifeLong Learning Platform, LLLWeek 2025 (8-12 December, Brussels) 
  • EDEH, Reaching Every Learner – Digital Skills in the Union of Skills webinar (10 December, 12:00-13:00)
  • Citizens International Youth Summit 2025 (12-14 December, online) - Register
  • EARLALL, Applied Arts & Craftsmanship Sector Skills Analysis: Understanding Skills Challenges and Opportunities Across European Regions webinar (December 16)