Skills Boosters workshops at PES Congress 2025

As part of FEPS’ Training Programme, skill boosters workshops were fringe events within PES ‘Progressive Mobilisation’ Congress 2025 on Friday, 17 October. Find out more information about FEPS’ fringe events at PES Congress.

Sharpen your political toolkit in just 45 minutes! These fast-paced, hands-on sessions gave the participants everything they needed to be trained on three crucial skills in our movement’s present and future. Skill Boosters energised the message, strengthened the impact, and helped turn progressive ideas into real change.

How to Talk to Generation Next!?

Time? 14:25 – 15:25 Where? Derkinderenkamer 

With trainers: Magdalena Schrott, Lukasz Dudzic and Tarvo Sarmet

Once, being young meant being progressive by default. But in recent major political confrontations, it’s often the far right that has succeeded in connecting with young people. Are we missing something in the way we communicate?

In this compact, hands-on workshop, we explored the essentials of talking to young audiences:

• Where to speak – which channels really matter
• What to speak about – topics that cut through the noise
• How to speak – simple ways to make your message resonate

Through practical examples and quick exercises, we highlighted common blind spots and gave actionable tools to rethink the approach to political communication with young people. 

Let’s reconnect and start changing the pattern – one conversation at a time.

Creating a Progressive Narrative

Time? 15:35 – 16:35 Where? Derkinderenkamer 

 With trainers: Rowdy Boeyink, Inez Flameling and Giannis Mistridis

Our progressive movement often struggles to take control of the narrative. We often respond in reactionary or defensive ways.

In this skills booster workshop, participants experienced an engaging brainstorming method developed in the Netherlands (Loesje) for producing positive, thought-provoking, humorous narratives (or slogans) that can be used in (poster) campaigns. The slogans should stimulate people to look at these issues from a different (and progressive) perspective.

Confronting a populist in the wild

Time? 17:50 – 18:50 Where? Derkinderenkamer 

With trainers: Jelena Simic, Bram Joanknecht, Laura Paatelainen and Maria José Bueno Barriga

How do populists win people over, and how can progressives fight back effectively? This fast-paced and interactive FEPS Skills Booster enabled participants to learn how populists exploit our emotions and cognitive shortcuts and how they can turn that knowledge into strength. We proposed lively exercises, quick insights, and tools thatbe used can use right away – in debates, social media, or everyday encounters.

Participants are now able to:

• Understand how Kahneman’s System 1 and System 2 thinking shape political persuasion.
• Learn to spot and counter common populist fallacies.
• Practice a five-step model to respond confidently and constructively in real-life discussions.

Check out the Training Manuals, the latest addition to the toolbox of the Training Programme.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in contact with Ania Skrzypek, Director for Research and Training (ania.skrzypek@feps-europe.eu) and/or Céline Guedes, Coordinator of Partnership and Project (celine.guedes@feps-europe.eu).