Debrecen4U
March 11, 2026
I. Youth Forum
The first youth forum was held in Debrecen, at the DEMKI Youth Center, on March 10, 2026. The guests of the forum were the cities of Odorheiu Secuiesc and Lublin.
“For a long time, many people in the city have wanted to have a youth forum, a platform where young people can think about how to make Debrecen a more livable and lovable city,” Deputy Mayor István Puskás said at the opening of the forum.
He recalled that last year, when Debrecen competed for the title of “Youth Capital of Hungary,” there was no question that such a forum should be part of their application. Although they did not win the competition, this is an important issue for all of them, so they are implementing key elements of the application this year.
The deputy mayor said that their intention is for the youth forum not to be a one-off event, but to become a regular meeting place for Debrecen’s high school students in the future. He noted that there are other platforms in the city as well. A few weeks ago, for example, the EKIP workshop, developed in international cooperation to help build strategic capacity in the creative industries, welcomed participants from the music industry in Debrecen.
He emphasized that it is important for the excellent ideas born out of collective thinking to be passed on and incorporated into the life of the city. In line with this, another competition awaits students on Wednesday. The theme of the Hackathon is to rethink and develop the city’s creative community spaces. Young people can share their thoughts on how, in their opinion, the flower market could be made more attractive as a community space for them.
Csilla Papp, member of the Hungary Youth Capital 2026 competition team and host of the day, emphasized that the workshops were largely held by members of the competition team. The guests of the forum were the cities of Odorheiu Secuiesc and Lublin, with representatives from the latter joining the youth forum online.
Mayor László Papp also visited the young people at the event.
Source and photo credit: debrecen.hu
