This project was the first stage of what we hope will be a three stage project combining Key Action One's Mobility of Youth Workers with Key Action Two's strategic partnership. The overall aim of the project is to train and mentor 20 citizen journalists from Ireland, Finland and other European countries to cover EU affairs with their work being aimed at the youth demograph. This project will loosely follow on from the work that EM Ireland has developed with our Youth Media and the Irish Presidency and My MEP – My Voice projects that we ran with considerable success in 2013 and 2014. The first stage of the project involved a seminar and study visit for youth workers and partner organizations in Dublin, this seminar and study visit took place in January 2015. This seminar saw the partners discuss and plan out the overall project as well as look at how previous projects have gone, hearing from participants and trainers. On the first day of the study visit and seminar, the participants took part in a series of ice breaking and introductory activities aimed at breaking down barriers and creating a sense of common purpose. The participants gave a thorough introduction to their areas of work and what projects they were currently implementing. At the end of the day, our foreign aprticiapnts were taken for a walking tour of Dublin to look at some the city's cultural offerings. The second day saw the participants come together for a detailed day of planning, brainstorming and best practice sharing. A key focus of the second day was on sharing the experiences of the youth workers with working in the fields of youth advocacy, development, media and engagement. We went through various aspects of youth work and how this project could fit in with current activities as well as looking at what obstacles might arise. Led by an external facilitator, Alan Hayes, the day was an intense all day session located in the boardroom of 8 Lower Fitzwilliam Street. As part of this day's training participants also met with Tim Hayes from the European Commission Representation in Ireland. Mr Hayes gave an important introduction to the EU decision making process to the participants as well as discussing the areas of the Commission's work that touch upon the youth work sector. On the third day, participants took part in a study visit to the offices of the European Commission in Ireland and the European Parliament information office. Participants used this as an opportunity to build upon the introductory remarks given by Mr Hayes the previous day before meeting with young people who had previously participated in both the Youth Media and the Irish Presidency and My MEP - My Voice in both a formal an informal setting. We arranged for some of the previous participants to talk through some of the work they produced particularly looking at the usage of social media and also newer technologies. By getting the original participants to break down the work they produced and explain the process of production, publication and ultimately dissemination of the work, we felt that the participating youth workers will be able to focus on what worked well before and question how that can be developed and even improved upon. We also received a briefing from the head of the Fine Gael press office, Stephen O'Shea, who gave an interesting insight into his current work as well as roles he previously held in the Department of An Taoiseach where he had engaged with YMIP during the Irish Presidency. On the fourth day of this seminar we began the day with a study visit to the Houses of the Oireachtas where the participating youth workers will be able to see first hand how the decision making process works in an Irish context with the opportunity to meet key decision makers from both Dail Eireann and Seanad Eireann. The afternoon of the fourth day saw the morning's activities built upon with a series of meetings in the Department of An Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) with key officials and relevant political leaders. Not only did this allow us to introduce the wider plans of the project to the highest echelons of Irish government but it further developed the knowledge and understanding of the decision making process. The final day of the study visit and seminar was an intensive work shop with the participating youth workers. The aim of this workshop was to agree on an outline of the second stage of this overall project which will become part of the application for funding under Key Action Two's Strategic Partnership funding line and the creation of a training manual to accompany this project. By drawing on the experience of each participant's professional knowledge of youth work and advocacy; combining this with the relevant feedback from the sessions with the young people that had been involved in prior projects; added to the insight gained into the various decision making processes, we produced a thorough follow on project plan and application.