Circle U. has selected eleven projects for its 2025 seed-funding round, supporting new academic, professional and student-led initiatives across the alliance. The funded proposals reflect the alliance’s commitment to interdisciplinarity, sustainability, inclusion and long-term cooperation among its member universities. Each month, we spotlight one of these projects.
Supporting the next generation of democratic leaders
Many young people today want to play an active role in shaping society. They want to influence politics, organisations and civic initiatives, yet often feel they lack the practical training and clear pathways to do so.
The seed-funded project Young Influencers: Empowering Leadership for Democracy (YIELD), led by Dan Banik, brings together four Circle U. universities to address this challenge. The initiative will develop a shared course on leadership and democratic engagement, combining academic knowledge with practical experience.
The course will explore three main areas:
- leadership in theory and practice,
- how political and organisational decisions are made,
- how to communicate ideas persuasively.
Students will learn from academics and practitioners across Europe while applying their knowledge to real issues that matter in their own communities.
In this article, Dan Banik explains the ambition behind the project.
Why does your research project matter?
YIELD matters because it gives young people practical tools to engage with democracy at a time when participation, trust and representation are under pressure across Europe. While many students are motivated to contribute to social and political change, they often lack structured opportunities to learn how influence and leadership actually work. YIELD responds to this gap by offering a shared, interdisciplinary course that connects academic insight with real-world practice.
By bringing students together across universities and countries, the initiative strengthens democratic skills, encourages cross-cultural dialogue, and helps build a new generation of informed and confident leaders. Its student-led origins also ensure that the project is grounded in real needs, making its impact both relevant and sustainable within higher education.
Dan Banik, Project leader
What will you achieve within the project this year?
The main activity of the project is the development and delivery of a new interdisciplinary leadership course within the Circle U. alliance. Through this course, students from different universities and academic backgrounds will learn how leadership works in political, organisational and societal settings. Teaching will combine lectures, case studies and practical exercises led by academics and experienced practitioners.
Participants will work on real issues connected to their own environments, such as student organisations, civic initiatives or institutional decision-making processes, and design strategies to influence change. This applied approach helps students turn theory into action.
By studying and learning together across borders, participants will also gain international perspectives and build lasting networks. Overall, the course will equip students with practical leadership skills, greater confidence in democratic engagement, and a clearer understanding of how they can make their voices heard.
