The EHC Youth Leadership Workshop 2026 titled “Stand Up, Speak Out, Join the Conversation” will be held from 10 to 12 April 2026 at the EHC office in Brussels, Belgium. 

The 2026 workshop will seek to equip the participants with tools and strategies to be more actively involved in their EHC National Member Organisations (NMOs) in various ways. The workshop will be thematically built on three modules:

• Volunteering and youth engagement in the NMO,
• Strategic approach to the work of a patient organisation,
• Engagement with the pharmaceutical industry and other external stakeholders.

The programme will consist of a combination of interactive presentations by experienced trainers, alongside many practical and interactive exercises, which will help the participants to consolidate the knowledge gained.

The workshop is intended to be beneficial both to the participants as well as to the nominating NMOs by supporting the growth and development of NMOs’ volunteer communities. Therefore, we ask our NMOs to only nominate candidates who meet the following criteria:

• Are patients with, or carriers of, some of the rare bleeding disorders or have at minimum one-year demonstrated existing (or prior) commitment to the NMO;
• Are between 21-30 years old;
• Are fluent in written and spoken English, and can actively engage in the interactive training of the workshop;
• Are available to actively participate in the training and any requested follow-up activity or reporting;
• Have capacity to stay actively involved or become further engaged with their NMO, as well as ability to engage other youth; 
• Are available during the dates 10-12 April 2026 (please consult the preliminary programme for specific timings). 

There is no limit to the number of nominations each NMO can submit. However, there are only 16 slots available in the workshop. Candidates from NMOs with only one applicant will be prioritised. Additional candidates from the same NMO may be accepted if slots are available. The EHC Youth Committee will review all the applications. Candidates will be selected on the basis of merit, taking into account the criteria outlined above. Individuals who have already participated in previous EHC Youth Leadership Workshops are discouraged from applying. Individuals who have previously applied but were not selected and therefore did not participate in previous Youth Leadership Workshops are invited to re-apply if they still meet the criteria. 
 
Please send your complete nominations to Stefan Radovanović, EHC Patient Engagement and Community Lead, at [email protected] by February 13, 2026.

EHC NMO nominations must include:

• Duly completed Nomination Cover Form;
• Motivation letter written by the candidate, outlining their experience with the NMO or other relevant experiences, motivation to participate in the workshop and future aspirations with regards to the NMO and bleeding disorders community;
• A letter of recommendation from the NMO President.

For more information please contact Stefan Radovanović.