The second season of the Liepāja 2027 youth training and mentoring programme begins

On Saturday, 8 November, the Liepāja 2027 Foundation launched the second season of its international youth training and mentoring programme for the 2025/2026 academic year. This year, 24 young people from Aizpute, Grobiņa, Krote, Kuldīga, Nīca, Priekule, and Liepāja have joined the programme.

Interest in the initiative has been remarkably high – 50 youngsters from Liepāja, South Kurzeme, and Kuldīga municipalities applied to take part. Due to limited places, candidates were invited to face-to-face interviews to assess their motivation. The selection process was carried out by Justīne Rusakova, Public Participation Project Manager at Liepāja 2027, together with four alumni of the first youth pilot programme and Elīna Briljonoka, representative of the association “Platforma YOU+”.

“No one understands young people’s interests better than young people themselves. It’s encouraging to see that the programme has already developed continuity – the alumni of the pilot project not only helped to evaluate new applications but are also shaping this year’s activities with their own ideas. They are now part of the implementation team, which gives them a chance to hone their organisational skills, build bridges, share experiences, and support one another,” says Justīne Rusakova, Public Participation Project Manager at Liepāja 2027.

The first training day in Liepāja introduced participants to one another and to the city’s cultural scene visiting places such as Pegasus Courtyard, Liepāja Theatre, the “Romas dārzs” gallery, and the cultural centre “Wise”. On 22 November, participants will travel to Aizpute and Kuldīga to meet with experts from the Kuldīga Museum and with “Brīvības osta” founders Meldra and Mārtiņš Gineitis, who recently opened the new cultural venue.

To open their international horizons, the programme also includes a cooperation component developed within the Estonian Interreg project “Youth Connect”. From 4 to 7 December, 24 young people from Tartu will visit Liepāja, where they will join the local participants in exploring the Liepāja – European Capital of Culture 2027 initiative, learning publicity skills, and developing ideas for future joint events.

After the initial introductions, the youth programme will continue with regular sessions until April 2026. Participants will attend classes on event production, marketing, financial planning, and sponsorship, as well as an evening of inspirational talks by professionals from the cultural sector.

At the end of the programme, young participants will present their own cultural event concepts, and the most promising ideas will be brought to life during the summer of 2026. Upon completion, participants will have the opportunity to join the European Capital of Culture Youth Club – continuing to build their skills and become active creators within Liepāja – European Capital of Culture 2027.

As previously reported, the Liepāja 2027 youth training and mentoring programme is designed for young people aged 14 – 24 from Liepāja, South Kurzeme, and Kuldīga. Working alongside mentors and cultural venues across the Land of (un)rest, participants gain practical knowledge and practical experience in cultural event organisation. The pilot project, which ran from October 2024 to August 2025, concluded with six youth-created event ideas. The most successful of these was the Kuldīga youth event “Ravegrieži”, held on 20 June 2025.

The 2025/2026 youth programme is organised by the association Development Platform YOU+. It is implemented by the Liepāja 2027 Foundation with the financial support of the Liepāja City Municipality, the South Kurzeme and Kuldīga municipalities, and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia.

For more information, please contact

Justīne Rusakova
Foundation “Liepāja 2027”
Public Participation Project Manager
Phone: + 371 26 668 571
E-mail: justine.rusakova@liepaja2027.lv