The development of personal leadership cannot simply be seen as a byproduct of one’s commitments. Rather, it is a distinct area of competence that should be intentionally cultivated. This realisation led to the conception of advanced leadership courses for volunteers, designed to enhance quality and progress within the Youth For Understanding (YFU) network by equipping youth workers with the skills needed for value-driven leadership. These courses also address ongoing challenges, such as youth workers being placed in leadership roles without proper training or experiencing burnout, which is a frequent risk in values-based volunteering. Beyond the YFU network, the insights gained from these courses have the potential to inspire a wider range of civil society youth organisations, as the challenge of fostering strong leadership in value-driven NGOs is a shared and widespread issue. The precursor of this project was the Advanced Leadership Education for Value-driven Youth Workers that began in 2024. It combined two training course modules with a six-week period of experimentation in the middle, and involved 21 youth workers in leadership positions in the nonprofit sector. The project focused on personal leadership, and our plan has been to organise a follow-up project that would shine a light on the flipside of the coin, remote leadership - hence, “Value-Driven Leadership for Youth Workers Navigating Digital and Remote Environments” was born. PROJECT AIM The activities aim to contribute to capacity building for quality youth work in non-profit organisations across Europe, by empowering youth workers to become more aware, skilled, and value-driven leaders. Here, they are challenged to examine and build on their own leadership experiences, as well as to integrate the newfound insights continuously into their youth work context. After participating in the project, 22 youth workers are empowered to foster transformative experiences of values-driven activism, self-leadership and mental well-being for the youth they support. The course seeks to positively impact young people through: - strengthening youth workers in their leadership and youth work by acquiring tools and developing competencies in the fields of self-leadership, working with values, management of group dynamics, conflict resolution, motivation, communication, and virtual teamwork, that they can immediately apply in their daily youth work - strengthening the participating youth workers’ roles as leaders, innovators, and shapers of best practices in their organisations - enhancing the participants’ understanding of remoteness and the realities of rural youth in the periphery of Europe, and through that, have them seek opportunities to better involve youth from remote areas e.g. through virtual opportunities, in line with EU Youth Goal #6 - creating opportunities for networking, sharing of best practises, and a space for connecting with other European youth workers - developing more innovative, dynamic, responsive, resilient, and, ultimately, stronger organisations and enhance the effective spread of key attitudes and values related to civil engagement and activism among youth in Europe in line with the EU Youth Goals - increasing the quality of leadership, inspiring growth and renewing motivation in partner organisations and through that supporting youth better through their educational activities and volunteering programs - raising awareness of the importance of the role of empowered youth as leaders and changemakers working towards a peaceful, inclusive, and sustainable world