About us
Square of Youth Association (SOYA) is a Budapest-based youth NGO made up of young people with prior experience in international youth projects, brought together by a shared passion for Erasmus+. Many of us have transformed our lives through these projects: we have developed key competencies, built friendships across Europe, and shaped a truly European identity. At Square of Youth Association, we proudly consider ourselves the Erasmus+ generation.
We are dedicated to delivering youth work at the quality level we would expect from ourselves. We believe that the most effective approach to youth work is ‘young people for young people’, as our own experiences give us a deep understanding of the needs and challenges young people face today, and we are ready to address them.
Our mission is to connect Hungarian youth with Europe. We aim to provide learning opportunities that enable young people to connect with their European peers, engage in dialogue, explore Europe, and become active citizens. We encourage them to take initiative and contribute to their local communities, creating meaningful impact through our projects and generating a strong multiplier effect.
We also aim to:
support young people’s learning through non-formal education activities, helping them develop skills for both personal and professional growth;
connect young people with stakeholders and decision-makers, facilitating the channeling of youth voices and increasing youth participation;
promote dialogue among young people from different European countries;
democratize Erasmus+ and make its opportunities more accessible and visible to a wider range of young people.
Internationality is a core element of our work, as we believe that international opportunities and learning mobilities have a powerful impact on young people’s development and personal growth.
While we focus primarily on three key thematic areas, the diversity and ambition of our members allow us to remain open to additional topics. Our main focus areas are:
Young people as the leaders of the future: equipping the next generation, through our programmes, with key competencies such as leadership and entrepreneurial skills, the ability to engage in dialogue, and debating skills, preparing them to face future challenges;
Active citizenship and youth empowerment;
European-related topics, particularly young people’s European identity, the challenges young people face within the European Union, and what it means to be a European citizen.
As an active member of the Danube Youth Organization Network, SOYA is dedicated to fostering cross-border cooperation among youth organizations and young people throughout the Danube Region. Furthermore, we are proud to belong to the PRISMA European Network, joining a community of high-impact organizations within the youth sector.
Team
Bence Bíró
serves as President and Project Manager. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business and Management and a Master’s degree in International Business and Economics from Corvinus University of Budapest. Bence also completed an Erasmus+ exchange semester at the NOVA School of Business and Economics in Lisbon. Furthermore, he represented Hungary in the Danube Youth Council, advocating for young people within the Danube macro-region. He has completed an internship at the Global Water Partnership and has participated in numerous Erasmus+ youth mobility programs, both as an organizer and as a participant. He is passionate about youth advocacy and youth involvement.
Gergely Márk Monostori
serves as Vice President and Project Manager. He holds Master’s degrees in Sports Management and Finance from ELTE, alongside a Bachelor’s degree in International Business from BME. Having represented Hungary at the Global Youth Forum, Gergely has built extensive experience working with various international student associations. He is also highly skilled in writing and implementing Erasmus+ projects. His professional interests focus on non-formal education through sports and outdoor education.
Kristóf Veres
He is a volunteer at SOYA and is currently finishing his last semester in Economics and Management at ELTE. In his free time, he loves exploring the world, playing sports, and volunteering on various projects, which have taught him a lot about teamwork and community building. He also spent six months studying in Finland through the Erasmus program, an experience that truly broadened his perspective. He is a responsible, hardworking person who genuinely enjoys being part of a team. During his previous work in Hungary’s busiest electronics store, he and his team even managed to set new sales records. His favorite topics are sustainability and sports, and he is always looking for ways to build new, meaningful relationships in everything he does.
Noémi Katinka Kovács
She is a volunteer at SOYA, a recent graduate in International Business from Eötvös Loránd University, and currently works as a Junior Project Manager at a Hungarian Bank. Passionate about intercultural exchange and global collaboration, she enjoys discovering hidden places across Europe, trying unique cuisines, and connecting with people from diverse backgrounds. She has been actively involved in international projects and communities, especially Erasmus+, which she sees as a place where curiosity, culture, and meaningful connections come together.
Afeerah Noor
She's involved with social media at SOYA. She holds an Honours Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Women & Gender Studies from the University of Toronto and is currently pursuing a joint Master’s degree in Comparative Social Policy and Welfare at Johannes Kepler University in Austria and Tampere University in Finland. She has gained experience through internships with the United Nations Development Programme and Save the Children in Pakistan, where she worked on gender mainstreaming. At SOYA, she supports digital communication and outreach by promoting Erasmus+ projects. She is passionate about social policy, gender equality, and bringing a positive change in society.
Our activities
All the activities we implement are created, planned and realized by young people.
Our work focuses mainly on youth learning mobility programmes, providing young people with opportunities to develop skills, connect with their European peers, broaden their perspectives, and take part in impactful learning experiences.
We have organised five learning mobilities. Our “Entrepreneur in a Week” Erasmus+ Youth Exchange took place in April 2025, where participants from five different European countries worked on developing their own business plans through non-formal educational methods. Participants gained essential skills and knowledge related to entrepreneurial idea development, including the business model canvas, pitching, and financial planning.
Our second Erasmus+ Youth Exchange, titled “Earth and Youth”, took place in Eger, Hungary, in October 2025. Its aim was to enhance young people’s environmental awareness regarding the pressing challenges our planet faces at both local and global levels, while cultivating a generation of environmentally conscious individuals capable of creating positive change in their communities.
Our third Erasmus+ Youth Exchange, “Feel to Connect:EQ for Inclusion”, brought together 36 young people in November 2025. The project aimed to empower young people by offering practical tools and strategies to enhance emotional intelligence and foster inclusion. At the same time, it supported participants in developing the skills needed to thrive in diverse environments, act as change-makers in their communities, and contribute to building a more inclusive society within an intercultural setting.
Our fourth Erasmus+ Youth Exchange, “Unleashing Your Creative Voice through the Media” designed to equip young adults with essential media literacy and digital production skills to combat disinformation. Through interactive workshops and simulations, participants strengthened their critical thinking, public speaking, and ability to navigate today's complex media landscape.
We also implemented a Visegrad V4 Gen project titled “Policy-Making Hackathon for Young Entrepreneurs”, which took place in Budapest in March 2025. This initiative brought together young people for a five-day policy-making hackathon, during which they analysed barriers to entrepreneurship and proposed solutions. The outcomes of the project were compiled into a policy document and presented to decision-makers and stakeholders, ensuring that young voices contribute to shaping policies that support youth entrepreneurship.
We have a strong local presence in Budapest and regularly organise educational and social programmes. Moreover, we are strongly committed to inclusion and intercultural dialogue. Our ESC-30 Solidarity project, “Board Games for Inclusion”, implemented in 2024, focused on bringing together Hungarian and international students in Budapest through board games. This initiative created an informal space where young people from different backgrounds could meet and play together. The project supported international young people in settling into their new environment, while also providing local students with opportunities for intercultural engagement and community building.
Our second ESC-30 Solidarity project, “Access4Culture”, implemented in 2025 and early 2026 in Budapest, brought together young people with fewer opportunities and ordinary young people in order to demonstrate that culture is for everyone and should be accessible to all. Within the framework of the project, we regularly visit cultural institutions together, enabling participants to enjoy and understand culture through the power of non-formal education.
Promoting the active citizenship of young people is a key priority for us, including the development of critical thinking skills. We participate as a partner in the Erasmus+ KA220 project “Scientific Literacy as a Catalyst for Change”, launched in 2025, which aims to address pseudoscience and science disinformation in relation to human rights. Within the framework of the project, work on reaching young people in Hungary, developing a policy paper with youth-led recommendations for decision-makers, and contributing to the creation of an e-learning platform to support the development of young people’s critical thinking skills.
We also play an active role in democratising access to Erasmus+ opportunities. Many young people are unaware of the various mobility programmes available to them, so we organise Erasmus+ information sessions to introduce these opportunities in an accessible way. As part of these efforts, SOYA exhibited at the SZIGET Festival in both 2024 and 2025, engaging directly with festival-goers through interactive, non-formal learning activities to promote Erasmus+. Our presence at the festival enabled us to connect with a broad international audience, answer questions about mobility programmes, and encourage young people to explore new opportunities. Moving forward, we aim to expand our presence at festivals and public events to ensure that Erasmus+ reaches even more young people in informal settings.
In addition to our projects, all members of the association have extensive personal experience in Erasmus+ programmes, having participated in youth exchanges, training courses, Erasmus+ university semesters, and ESC volunteering projects. This deep personal engagement shapes our organisational approach and ensures that our projects are youth-centred, impactful, and directly responsive to the needs of young people today.