EU/UK Youth Dialogue 2026

EU/UK Youth Dialogue/4th edition/Manchester 2026

200 young leaders. One and a half days.

Young people from every part of the UK in the room with the people who make policy, discussing the decisions that affect them and being heard by those who shape them. This year, the conversation is Erasmus+.

Register your place See the programme
When
Thursday 5th and Friday 6th November 2026
Where
The Oxford Road Corridor, Manchester
Who
200 young people, mainly aged 18 to 30

200young leaders, aged 18 to 30/ EveryUK nation and region/ 4thedition, after UCL, LSE and Newcastle/ 2days on the Oxford Road Corridor

Delegates around the round table at the 2025 Dialogue in Newcastle
A young delegate speaking at the microphone beside the European Affairs Societies Network banner
Delegates taking a group selfie at the 2025 Dialogue
The plenary hall at Newcastle University during the 2025 Dialogue
Delegates in discussion around a table
A speaker addressing delegates at the 2025 Dialogue
The audience seen from above during a plenary session
A delegate speaking in front of the EU Delegation banner
Newcastle 2025/The third Dialogue

Photos from the 3rd EU/UK Youth Dialogue, Newcastle University, 2025

Background/What this is

Flagship youth event in the UK

Each year the EU Delegation to the United Kingdom organises the EU/UK Youth Dialogue under the EU Youth Action Plan, creating opportunities for young people in the UK to interact with representatives of the EU institutions and with each other. The 2026 edition comes to Manchester.

The generation that will inherit the relationship, with a formal channel to shape it.

This edition runs on Erasmus+: what it funds across five sectors, who can apply, and how a young person or an organisation actually takes part. See the Erasmus+ section

EU Youth Action Plan/Three partnerships

  1. 01
    Partnership to Engage

    Increasing young people's voices in policy and decision-making.

  2. 02
    Partnership to Empower

    Tackling inequalities and giving young people the skills and tools they need to thrive.

  3. 03
    Partnership to Connect

    Fostering opportunities for young people to network and exchange with their peers worldwide.

Overarching theme/Erasmus+

The UK is back in Erasmus+

This year's Dialogue takes place in the context of the UK's association to Erasmus+, and focuses on the opportunities the programme will create for young people across every sector it reaches.

8weeks

between the Dialogue and the UK rejoining Erasmus+ in January 2027. Delegates meet at the exact moment the biggest change in youth mobility in a decade takes effect.

Erasmus+ is not only a university scheme. A substantial part of the programme is practical: what it funds, who can apply, and how to lead a project of your own.

The British Council, the UK Erasmus+ National Agency, is in the room to answer the practical questions.

Erasmus+/Five sectors

  • Higher education

    Study and traineeship mobility, joint programmes, and cooperation between universities.

  • Further education and adult learners

    VET mobility, apprenticeships, and opportunities for learners returning to education later.

  • Schools

    Pupil and staff exchanges, school partnerships, and eTwinning.

  • Youth

    Youth exchanges, participation projects, and mobility for youth workers outside formal education.

  • Sport

    Grassroots cooperation projects and mobility for sport staff.

Draft outline/Programme

A day and a half in Manchester

    /

    Service informationThe detailed programme will be finalised in October 2026. Times are not yet set; the sequence above is the shape it is expected to take.

    Host city/Manchester

    The UK's youngest major city

    Manchester is the UK's youngest major city and home to one of the largest student populations in Europe. Hosting the Dialogue here continues its journey across the UK's nations and regions: the first edition ever held in the North West of England, and only the second outside London.

    The host university on the Oxford Road Corridor opens its doors for the plenary session on the 6th. The day before, the Dialogue spreads across the city so that it reaches young people who would not usually come onto a university campus.

    Who you will be talking to

    High‑level representatives of the European Commission and the UK Government are expected, alongside MPs, MEPs and members of the European Economic and Social Committee. Convened by the Delegation of the European Union to the United Kingdom, with the European Parliament Liaison Office and the European Economic and Social Committee, and hosted by the Manchester European Society.

    Partner organisations

    British Council and UK Erasmus+ National Agency, European Parliament Liaison Office, European Economic and Social Committee, Education and Training Foundation, National Youth Agency, UK Youth Council, Young European Movement UK, and the TUC Youth Forum. Further youth organisations are welcome.

    Previous editions

    1. 2023University College LondonFirst
    2. 2024London School of EconomicsSecond
    3. 2025Newcastle UniversityThird
    4. 2026ManchesterFourth, first in the North West
    A fountain in a Manchester square
    People sitting on a lawn in Manchester
    A Manchester street lined with red-brick buildings
    People walking past a brick building in Manchester
    Reflections along a canal in Manchester
    A Manchester road in autumn colours
    Manchester city buildings under a white sky
    People walking on a Manchester street
    Oxford Road Corridor/Manchester

    Photos by Chris Curry, Nibin Matteo Dani, Jonny Gios, Surya Prasad, Jason Jeandron, Merve Selcuk Simsek and Zach Rowlandson on Unsplash

    Manchester, 5th and 6th November

    Come and build it with us

    Places are limited and delegations are balanced across nations, regions and sectors. Registering early helps us hold a place for you.

    Register your place