Youth Leaders on Air: Leadership, Storytelling and Podcasting Toolkit

Aims of the tool

To equip youth workers, trainers and young leaders to use podcasting and digital storytelling as inclusive youth-work methods that strengthen youth voice, participation, leadership, collaboration and critical media literacy.
The toolkit helps facilitators to:

- create safer, participatory spaces where young people can develop and share their perspectives;
- turn youth needs and local issues into clear podcast topics, messages and stories;
- facilitate leadership, teamwork, public speaking, reflection and intercultural learning through non-formal education;
- plan, record, edit and share responsible podcast content; and
- adapt a tested seven-day learning journey, practical templates and coaching tools to a local context.

Description of the tool

Youth Leaders on Air is an open-access, practice-based toolkit for youth workers, trainers, youth organisations and young leaders who want to use leadership, storytelling and podcasting as methods for participation and learning.

It was developed from an Erasmus+ KA153-YOU mobility of youth workers held in Furnari, Sicily, Italy, from 27 October to 4 November 2025. The project brought together 28 youth workers and young leaders from Italy, France, Spain, Turkiye, North Macedonia, Austria and Greece. The publication turns the learning design and tested activities into a reusable resource, rather than a report of the mobility.

The toolkit combines:

- theory on youth voice, non-formal learning, leadership as practice, storytelling, podcasting, media literacy, consent, inclusion and reflection;
- a replicable learning journey covering arrival, group building, leadership, storytelling, podcast design, recording, editing, peer review, dissemination and follow-up;
- practical templates for podcast concepts, episode planning, interviews, production, peer feedback, reflection and local follow-up workshops;
- leadership coaching and printable conversational cards covering vision, obstacles, action and evaluation;
- a digital companion web app with learning modules, activities, podcast tools, planning support and reflection spaces; and
- examples of podcast outputs, participant testimonies and dissemination materials created during the project.

After using the resource, participants should be able to facilitate youth voice in a safer and more inclusive way; design a podcast around a youth need or local issue; support a team through the full production workflow; apply basic principles of consent, privacy and media literacy; and recognise learning through reflection and Youthpass.

The resource is modular. It can be used as a full residential training course, a local youth-work programme, or standalone sessions on leadership, storytelling, public speaking, podcasting, coaching or media literacy. Adapt the language, timing, technical level and examples to the real needs of the group.

Digital companion: https://youth-leaders-on-air-web-companion-app.ai.studio/

Project story and full learning journey: https://www.bethechangeitaly.com/post/youth-leaders-onair