Head’26: International workshop “Institutionalising Youth Co-Governance in University–Territory Innovation Ecosystems”
On 15 June 2026, the international workshop “Institutionalising Youth Co-Governance in University–Territory Innovation Ecosystems” took place in Valencia, organised by the DiTES Research Centre – Digital Technologies, Education & Society as part of the 12th international conference Head’26 – Higher Education Advances.
The initiative, promoted in collaboration with the European project RESKILL (Reskilling for the Digital and Sustainable Tourism and Hospitality Workforce), provided an important opportunity for dialogue between scholars, researchers, professionals, representatives from the academic world and stakeholders involved in educational, social and regional innovation processes.
The workshop focused on youth co-governance in university contexts and within regional innovation ecosystems, with particular attention to universities as spaces for participation, dialogue, and collaboration among young people, institutions, local communities, and civil society.
During the meeting, topics related to student participation, co-decision-making models, collaboration between universities and local communities, social innovation, non-formal education and practices for involving young people in processes of institutional and community transformation were addressed.
The discussion confirmed the importance of promoting interdisciplinary and international spaces capable of harnessing the contributions of younger generations to build innovation ecosystems that are more inclusive, participatory, and geared towards change.
In the coming weeks, the workshop proceedings will be published on the website of the journal Quaderni di Comunità – Persone, Educazione e Welfare nella Società 5.0, bringing together the contributions presented and offering further food for thought on the themes that emerged during the workshop.
The DiTES Research Centre would like to thank all the authors and participants for their valuable contributions to the discussion and for the quality of the reflections shared.
