RISE Academy is a civic leadership program for high school students across Eastern Europe who want to turn ideas into real community impact.
Interest Form Our EventsToo many motivated young people across Eastern Europe have ideas about how to improve their schools, communities, and countries, but no clear structure to act on them. RISE fills that gap: we bring high school students together for workshops, mentorship, and a hands-on project incubator that takes real civic ideas from concept to reality.
Understanding civic systems and democratic institutions
Building community projects that address real local problems
Developing leadership, public speaking, and communication skills
Passion Project Incubator: coaching for selected civic initiatives
A free, full-day, in-person program for students who want to turn a civic idea into a real initiative, supported by Projects for Peace and held in multiple cities across Romania and online.
Through short presentations, hands-on team exercises, and direct feedback from mentors, participants define a community problem, map the people and resources needed to address it, and build and pitch a concrete project. Winning teams receive prizes and are invited to a follow-up online bootcamp for continued support in developing their project.
We open with a reflection on peacebuilding, then dive into participatory democracy, global citizenship, and civic leadership through a hands-on exercise.
Participants build a stakeholder map for their chosen problem: potential partners, funders, and institutions, along with an estimated budget.
Mentors share their own experience, and participants craft their own civic story to weave into their final pitch.
Teams pitch their projects to judges. Winners receive prizes and continued support through our online bootcamp.
Spots are limited in each city. Head to our Linktree to see all the dates and locations and register for this summer's Lab.
Our EventsEvery participant starts somewhere. We help you get to where you want to go.
Workshops on civic systems, leadership theory, public speaking, and social entrepreneurship, led by practitioners, not just lecturers.
Every participant works on a real community project. You won't just study civic leadership, you'll practice it, with support at every step.
Selected students get dedicated coaching to develop and pitch a civic initiative. Real mentors, real feedback, real stakes.
Connect with peers, mentors, and partner organizations across Eastern Europe, a community that lasts far beyond the program.
You don't need experience. You need curiosity and drive.
Any student currently enrolled in high school across Eastern Europe. Our lab runs across different cities, we come to you.
You don't need a polished project idea, just genuine interest in making things better for the people around you.
Whether you're going into medicine, engineering, law, or the arts, civic leadership is relevant to every path.
RISE is hands-on. If you want to sit in a lecture hall and take notes, this isn't for you. If you want to do the work, welcome.
Interest registration takes 2 minutes. We'll follow up with details about upcoming programs, including this summer's AGORA Civic Leadership & Action Lab.
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