THE VALE FORUM 2026
In early December 2026, The VALE is launching a brand new format focused on hybrid leadership. The VALE Forum is a peer-to-peer format added by a one-day public Symposium. Together, we will be exploring what it means to lead authentically across blended spaces, shifting boundaries, and an ever-changing world.
Happening from the 2nd to the 6th December, near Hamburg.
The VALE Forum
In a Nutshell
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What: four-day event of peer-to-peer learning with participation at the public Symposium on the 5th December
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Topic: value-driven leadership in a hybrid age
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For: youth workers, NGO and civil society leaders, practitioners, and partners
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When & where: 2nd to 6th December, near Hamburg, Germany
Forum
The VALE Forum 2026 takes place from 2nd to 6th December, just outside Hamburg. During five days, we will bring together 50 alumni and other youth leaders from across Europe to work, think, and build together.
The theme is hybrid leadership: what it genuinely takes to lead with purpose when teams connect across screens, time zones, and borders. The Forum is not a conventional training. It is a space where experienced young leaders bring their own questions, learn from one another, and develop answers that travel well beyond the week itself.
The Forum culminates in the public VALE Symposium on 5th December in Hamburg, where Forum participants join a wider audience of youth workers, NGO leaders, and civil society for a shared day of keynotes, workshops, and dialogue.
The application will open in mid-August. The information on this website will be updated gradually.
Symposium
The in person The VALE Symposium takes place on 5th December 2026 in Hamburg. This year's theme is value-driven leadership in a hybrid age, an honest look at what it means to lead with purpose when teams are spread across screens, time zones, and borders. The day brings together youth workers, NGO leaders, civil society practitioners, and invited guests for keynotes, peer-led workshops, and collaborative dialogue, all in a single carefully crafted day.
Whether you come to learn, to teach, or simply to think out loud with people who take these questions seriously, you are welcome here.
Date and Location
The Forum happens from the 2nd to 6th of December.
We will come together in a very cosy location near Hamburg, Germany. The excact location will be revealed to the participants after their application is accepted.
Programme
The Forum is focused on peer-to-peer learning and will be created with and by the participants. Therefore, will there be no workshop and session plan until after the participants are selected.
Wednesday 2.12.2026
Evening: Arrival
Thursday 3.12.2026
Workshops and sessions at the forum location
Friday 3.12.2026
Workshops and sessions at the forum location
Saturday 5.12.2026
Symposium day in Hamburg
Sunday 6.12.2026
Late morning: Departure
Team
Funding
The VALE Forum 2026 is financially funded by
Erasmus+, and we extend our gratitude to the European Union for the support.
