Reports and resources
We write a report after every big moment. Here are the short versions.
Final report 2024 to 2026
Two years, forty young people aged 16 to 26, three countries, nine nationalities. GoodPlanet Belgium and HZ University of Applied Sciences ran the project with Erasmus+ funding, from September 2024 to August 2026.
The report covers recruitment, online training, four exchanges, research projects on ten themes and the presentation in Tournai. It is honest about what was hard:
- aligning calendars across three countries
- keeping forty people engaged for two years
- communication that came in bursts around milestones
- an evaluation tool that was only introduced at the third exchange
The conclusion: the group moved from caring about water to taking part in cross-border decisions, backed by facts.
Ghent exchange report, May 2026
Fourteen participants met in Ghent from 8 to 10 May to work on floods, climate adaptation and citizen participation.
- Friday: Filip Watteeuw, deputy mayor of Ghent, on putting people at the centre of political decisions
- Saturday morning: Max Verdonck of De Vlaamse Waterweg, the Flemish waterways agency, on the history of the Scheldt and its flood defences
- Saturday afternoon: by bike past flood defences and nature-based solutions
The report ends with the work of the three groups, the letter to policymakers and the recommendation posters.
Read the letter and the recommendations
International Scheldt Commission report, June 2026
On 25 June 2026 the commission invited us to its plenary assembly in Tournai. Mathieu, one of our participants, represented us throughout the session.
On the agenda: the 2040 vision for the Scheldt basin, cross-border flood management and sponge landscapes, which let soil soak up water.
The conclusion: giving young people a seat at the table works, and it opens the door to taking part in future meetings of the commission.
Periodic report 2024 to 2025
The first year, September 2024 to September 2025:
- forty participants recruited through schools and universities in the three countries
- online meetings in January and February 2025 on river-basin management, citizen science and climate change
- the first two exchanges, Scheldt walks in France and Belgium
- the start of the research projects, on ten themes
The hardest part: aligning school and university calendars across three countries, and keeping everyone on board through exam periods.
Go with the flow: the water game
A free, printable board game about water, made with Join for Water. Sail down the river to the sea and take on water challenges together. For 2 to 8 players, from age 9.