The European Union has lived through a deep crisis and young people were among those most affected by its consequences, like the rise of youth unemployment and the significant cuts of educational budgets. According to a latest Eurobarometer survey, 90% of young Europeans believe in the importance of learning about the EU and how its institutions work. However, 57% of them feel marginalised and excluded from the political, economic and social life in their own countries. As a consequence, many young Europeans have shown little motivation to participate in democratic life. Only 28% of 18-24 year olds voted in the 2014 European elections. Polls show that the main reason for abstention was a lack of trust in politics. Moreover, different studies have shown that apathy and low election turnout among young people are also the consequences of the strong lack of information on how EU policies affect their lives. The years to come will determine the future of the EU and its citizens. Therefore, strengthening young citizens’ involvement in the EU decision-making process should constitute one of the most important goals of the European Union. Aware of these challenges, BETA network has, since its creation in 2008, aimed at fostering a European identity and consciousness based on pluralism, tolerance and cooperation between individuals, as well as strengthening European civil society by further developing democratic processes at the national and international levels. BETA believes that by acquiring leadership skills and knowledge of how the EU institutions work, young people will become more interested in the EU and contribute to the strengthening of European identity and the values upon which the European Union is founded. Model European Union (MEU) events have been the main instruments through which BETA has provided young people with opportunities and means to discover the founding principles behind Europe, enabling hundreds of young Europeans each year to better understand the functioning of the EU institutions and the political system in which they live while enhancing a sense of European identity and intercultural dialogue. With an unprecedented amount of new MEU conferences springing up, there has been an increasing demand for expertise on how to best organise conferences of this type, insofar as all organisers are always young volunteers. Especially founding a new civil society association and setting up an educational project can be a challenge in the early stages. In cooperation with BETA, through strong and helpful leadership, our partners facing such difficulties were able to develop a sustainable strategy to organise their own educational events and conferences. In 2015, BETA organised its first MEU Symposium. This event brought together organisers of the many Model European Union conferences currently being implemented across Europe and beyond, as well as participants interested in setting up an MEU conference on their own. The first three editions of the MEU Symposium have been extremely successful among participants and BETA aims at guaranteeing the sustainability of the project for the years to come. The MEU Symposium 2019 took place in Mainz. The fundamental objectives of this activity were to share best practices, ideas and experience amongst experienced organisers as well as teaching those wishing to start organising a MEU conference the crucial aspects and requirements of setting up such a project. The MEU Symposium provided both workshops for beginners and discussions for experienced organisers on different topics related to setting up and running MEU conferences, in order to ensure an increase in the number and quality of such projects. An additional aim was to jointly develop the "brand" MEU, ensuring its quality and also diversify it to the new group of participants from countries neighbouring the EU. Given our number of partners committed to implementing the MEU format, we believe to be best equipped to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and experience among the many MEU associations, while assisting them in the development of their professional skills (project management, effective leadership, time and team management, fundraising, communication, analytical skills). These competences will enhance the employability of participants on the current competitive market as it is also aimed to empower youth and raise their confidence. The objectives of the project are perfectly in line with those of the Erasmus+ and, in particular, the KA1. The MEU Symposium contributed to: - improve the mobility of youth across Europe - enhance the international dimension of youth activities - improve the level of key competences and skills of young people - disseminate good practices - promote participation in democratic life in Europe as well as active citizenship, intercultural dialogue, social inclusion and solidarity - promote European values and raise awareness of EU institutions and policies.