Greetings from Spain, where we took part in “Organizational Development for Preparedness: Fostering Resilience in Youth NGOs”, an Erasmus+ training course focused on building stronger and more resilient youth organisations.
Together with participants from 17 different countries, we explored the crises and challenges that NGOs can face, from funding gaps and staff turnover to cyber threats and sudden changes in the political or social environment, and how to be better prepared for them.
What do preparedness and resilience mean for an NGO?
Preparedness is about planning ahead. It means identifying possible risks before they become problems, creating clear procedures, sharing responsibilities within the team and making sure everyone knows what to do when something goes wrong. A prepared organisation does not wait for a crisis to decide how to react.
Resilience is the ability to adapt, recover and keep working towards your mission after a disruption. It is not only about surviving difficult moments, but also about learning from them and coming out stronger. Resilient organisations stay flexible, maintain trust within their teams and partnerships, and are able to adjust their way of working when circumstances change.
The two concepts complement each other: preparedness helps you face a crisis, while resilience helps you recover and grow after it. For youth organisations, which often rely on small teams, volunteers and project-based funding, both are essential. Strong preparedness and resilience protect the young people we work with, the partnerships we build and the long-term impact of our work.
What we did during the course
Besides interactive workshops, group collaboration and sharing of good practices, we visited the Oracle office in Málaga to gain a better understanding of cybersecurity and digital preparedness in NGO work. In a world where organisations store more and more sensitive data online, including information about young participants, protecting digital spaces is an important part of being prepared.
Throughout the week, participants exchanged practical tools, discussed real situations from their own organisations and learned from the different approaches used across Europe. These conversations showed that, although our contexts differ, many of our challenges are shared, and so are many of the solutions.
More than just learning
It was also more than just a training course. We made new friends, shared experiences and grew our European network. The connections built during this week will continue to support future cooperation, new ideas and joint projects.
Because resilience isn’t built alone. It’s built together.
Take a look at some highlights from our unforgettable week in the gallery below.
Thank you
A big thank you to GEYC and EuroMuévete for making this experience possible.
Co-funded by the European Union through the Erasmus+ Programme.
