Dear VSE Members, VRComNet Members and Colleagues,

We are pleased to share the upcoming 2026 webinar calendar of the Victims’ Rights Communicators Network (VRComNet)—a carefully designed programme that reflects the Network’s shared priority: moving beyond visibility toward engagement, learning, and action.

A needs-driven agenda for 2026

The 2026 calendar was developed in direct response to members’ needs to strengthen outreach, deepen professional knowledge, and engage more effectively with key audiences. Each session is practical, interactive, and application-oriented, ensuring that communication professionals leave with tools they can immediately use in their national contexts.

This approach directly supports the 2026 VSE Communications Strategy, aligning VRComNet activities with the shift from awareness-raising to meaningful engagement and impact. By strengthening the capacity of communications professionals, the Network contributes to mainstreaming victims’ rights and translating legislation into effective practice across Europe.

📅 Upcoming VRComNet Webinars

20 March 2026 | 10:00–11:30 (Brussels time)

The TikTok Culture Generation: Online Vulnerabilities and Opportunities for Victim Outreach
Speaker: Jorn van Rij
Registration: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/uJufEGqtQC69–tcNRBYXw

Event description:Young people increasingly live, connect, and socialise online—through gaming platforms, closed groups, and emerging digital communities. These spaces shape new norms, values, and risks, influencing trust in offline institutions and creating new forms of victimisation.This session explores how victim support organisations can adapt outreach strategies, language, and tools to resonate in digital environments and build trust that enables real-life intervention. Practical examples, including innovative prevention tools, will illustrate what is possible.

About the speaker
Jorn van Rij is a Senior Researcher on human trafficking at the Netherlands National Police and Visiting Professor at the University of Pécs. He is also a committee member of the Dutch Victims of Serious Crimes Compensation Fund and co-founder of the Reshape Foundation, which developed the Escapetruck prevention tool. His current work focuses on online and cyber-enabled victimisation.

17 April 2026 | 10:00–11:30 (Brussels time)

Using LinkedIn Strategically in Association Communications
Speakers: Simona Romeo, Associate Director, and Konstantina Makrydaki, Communications Manager at Kellen Europe
Registration: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/bXqPJS4XTFufNjuzb4FftQ

Event Description: LinkedIn has become a key platform for NGOs and associations to shape narratives, engage stakeholders, and build credibility. This webinar will provide hands-on guidance on using LinkedIn strategically—understanding algorithm changes, creating engaging content, and positioning organisational leadership effectively. Participants will leave with concrete tips to increase reach, relevance, and impact.

About the speakers

Simona Romeo joined Kellen in 2023 as Associate Director. She brings strong expertise in strategic communications, with experience spanning external and policy communications, media analysis, event organisation, EU affairs, advertising, media relations, and communications campaigns. Simona holds a BA in Foreign Languages and Communications and an MA in International Relations from Hult Business School, alongside certifications in Policy Communication from the College of Europe and Marketing from SDA Bocconi.

Konstantina Makrydaki is a Communications Manager at Kellen, where she leads communications for various European trade associations. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communication, Public Relations, and Advertising from Panteion University in Athens, with part of her studies completed at the Université Catholique de Louvain, and a Master’s in European Policy Communication from Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). She also completed academic training in International Relations in Yalta, Ukraine. Her experience spans the private sector, EU institutions, and European associations, and she is also an instructor of rhetorical art with the EU’s Social Solidarity Corps.

13 May 2026 | 10:00–11:30 (Brussels time)

How Narratives Can Bridge or Break Responses to Secondary Victimisation
Speaker: Kim Covent
Registration: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/ezeCsKyCSNiZ1r9lbjqaug

Event Description: The stories institutions tell can either reduce or reinforce secondary victimisation. Using a four-quadrant model that examines awareness and sensitivity, this webinar explores how narratives shape trust, misunderstanding, and harm. Through practical examples, participants will learn how communication choices can unintentionally reproduce—or prevent—secondary victimisation for victims and their families.

About the speaker
Kim Covent is a police advisor with over 15 years of experience in communication, policy, and accountability within Belgian local law enforcement. As Customer Coordinator at the Ghent Police Department, she works at the intersection of victim protection, institutional trust, and professional responsibility, while training frontline professionals across multiple sectors.

Join us

We warmly encourage all members to register, participate, and share these sessions within your organisations. Together, these webinars form a practical toolkit to strengthen victims’ rights communication and support meaningful change at national and European level.

For more information, please contact m.lepida@victimsupporteurope.eu

We look forward to welcoming you online.

Warm regards,
Victims’ Rights Communicators Network (VRComNet)