The FUSION project uses festivals as platforms to drive social innovation and empower youth as agents of change. FUSION seeks to transform these cultural events into spaces for non-formal learning, broadening their scope beyond entertainment to become drivers of social inclusion, sustainable development and creativity. In addition, the project prioritises the use of digital technologies to foster youth participation and support recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, integrating young people facing educational, economic or social difficulties.

FUSION has developed a guide: ‘All you need to know: A guide to social innovation’, which deepens the definition of social innovation by presenting 15 good practice cases of inspiring initiatives from across Europe, representing different approaches, methods, collaboration models and cultural variety. In addition, the ‘FUSION Toolbox’ was created, a collection of digital tools and pedagogical resources designed to train both festival organisers and youth professionals or members of youth organisations to implement social innovation projects at festivals. These tools have been adapted to support festivals and educational entities in their role as learning incubators for young people.

The use of the tools generated through partnerships with festivals and youth organisations was encouraged, as well as the participation of these youth organisations and their volunteers in festivals or local cultural events.