Young people and youth participation are at the forefront of European democracy, activism and engagement. Young people make up one third of Europe’s population, thus their voice, ideas, perspective and opinions must be heard in order to stimulate the creation of more inclusive and resilient societies. However, young people are also the most underrepresented when it comes to decision-making and policies that directly affect their lives, leading to decisions that do not reflect the realities of their lives. The EU Youth Strategy (2019-2027) sets 11 Yough Goals and focuses on three core areas of action: Engage, Connect, Empower. Additionally, the European Youth Action Plan promotes meaningful youth participation and empowerment globally for sustainable development, equality and peace.
The youth exchange Youth for Democracy aims to engage and empower young people to be active citizens and through their actions to promote the common EU values, foster youth participation in Europe’s democratic life and engage young people for sustainable and inclusive Europe. The project will implement civil and non-formal activities and learning to highlight the importance of youth participation through the exploration of the EU Youth Strategy (2019-2027), particularly YG #1 Connecting EU with Youth, YG #3 Inclusive Societies, YG #9 Space and Participation for All. Additionally, the youth exchange will explore the views and opinions of young people from across Europe through storytelling techniques and interviewing processes to raise awareness of the importance of active participation and youth engagement.
The specific objectives of the youth exchange are:
- To raise awareness of the importance of youth participation for the creation of sustainable, inclusive and peaceful societies across Europe
- To connect, engage and empower young people to be active citizens and to strengthen democratic processes across Europe
- The raise new knowledge and skills on active participation, activism and campaigning
- To raise awareness of the common EU values and provide ways to promote them and safeguard them
- To raise skills and new knowledge on storytelling and interviewing
- To explore the EU Youth Strategy (2019-2027) and to promote ways and means by which youth’s voices can be heard in decision-making processes
Venue: Varna, Bulgaria
Duration: 22-28 May 2024
Countries: Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova and Slovakia
Participants: 24 young people
Infopack is available here.
Apply to 5 May: Registration for Bulgarian participants
The project is funded by the European Commission under the Erasmus+ program.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.