On 27 October 2026, El Meridiano L’Horta, the newspaper of the Horta area around Valencia, published a feature on I-STEP Network. It tells how the network, promoted from Quart de Poblet by Gilberto Martínez, Director of BACKSLASH, has grown to 95 member organisations in 43 countries on six continents.
What the article covers
- Why the network exists: to help associations, companies, training centres, universities and public authorities find partners in other countries, share ways of working and apply together for European calls.
- Who is in it: civil society organisations, SMEs, public administrations and universities such as the Universidad de Málaga, with members in Europe, Africa, Asia, North and South America and Oceania. Two of them, KENUS and A3SIDES, are based in Paterna, in the Horta area itself.
- What members bring together: 79 shared projects, and a direct reach of more than 2.5 million people a year, according to the figures members report.
- How to join: membership is free, and the Board assesses each application for its fit with the network’s mission.
An invitation close to home
The article is also an invitation to organisations in l’Horta that do excellent work with young people, unemployed people or vulnerable groups but do not yet know where to start with Europe. “I-STEP gives them what is hardest to get: trusted partners in other countries to build real projects with,” Gilberto Martínez told the newspaper.
Thank you to El Meridiano L’Horta for telling the network’s story to its readers.
Does your organisation want to join? Apply to become a member.