The YE My yEUth Story 1.0 took place in Varna, Bulgaria, from 7 May to 11 May. A total of 26 participants from Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Romania and Hungary took part in the project aimed to introduce them to the European Youth Strategy and the 11 European Youth Goals and to empower them to become active young citizens, ambassadors of the voices of young people across Europe.
On the first day, the participants engaged in various “Get to know each other” activities. The team of FECE presented a short introduction of the European Union and its history and values, followed by an activity to help the young people explore the 11 European Youth Goals, part of the current European Youth Strategy (2019-2027). The Youth Pass Certificate was also introduced. The day concluded with free time with outdoor activities to foster the positive group dynamics between the participants.
On day two, the participants defined democracy and participation, brainstormed about various participatory tools and created captivating video campaigns, promoting active citizenship in various fields such as voting and democracy, sustainable lifestyle and gender equality.
The third day started with a session focused on storytelling and the creation of compelling stories. Divided into groups the participants created short written stories reflecting European Youth Goals #1 Connecting EU with Youth and #11 Youth Organisations and European Programmes. In the afternoon, they went to Varna where they gathered interviews from the locals regarding the Day of Europe and the significance of the European Union.
On the fourth day the participants explored the relationships between the most important actors in a utopian democratic society – government, citizens, media and NGOs and created role model personas advocating for the youth goals they consider most important. The Green Ethics board game Spaces for the Future was also introduced. The day concluded with intercultural evening – the participants presented their countries, traditions, dances and local foods.
The final day was divided into two parts – presentation of the Erasmus+ Programme and creation of sample Erasmus+ projects and final evaluation of the project (incl. YouthPass award ceremony). More info about the project, its goals and activities is available in the following report.
The YE My yEUth Story 1.0 is funded by the European Commission under the Erasmus+ Programme.
