Young people are important change-makers and are essential to build peaceful and democratic societies. Europe wants and needs to help build our future, and young people increasingly want to be part of this process.
Young Europeans face distinct concerns, e.g. youth unemployment, changing labour markets, climate and ecological crises etc., which impact young people’s current and future lives. Simultaneously, there are signs of tangible challenges to European youth quality of life in areas of personal rights, freedoms, and choice and in navigating the growing digital sphere. COVID-19 has not only highlighted but enhanced these said issues.
'Make Your Voice Heard' is a collection of advocacy tours, where we will discuss why and how young people should be listened to and how access to democratic practices should unfold in the coming years. Young people are at the forefront of the digital world, and with the awareness of how the digitalization brings both opportunities and challenges, we will discuss how EU legislation and initiatives can secure the democratic participation among young people and strengthen youth rights.
!act!
With the initiative ACT, which consist of mobility and advocacy tours around Europe, where the youth will present their visions for Europe to different stakeholders, at the same time learn about the political context and its complexity. These collection of advocacy tours, where we will discuss why and how young people should be listened to and how access to democratic practices should unfold in the coming years. Young people are at the forefront of the digital world, and with the awareness of how the digitalization brings both opportunities and challenges, we will discuss how EU legislation and initiatives can secure the democratic participation. The youth has already now connected with each other from different European Countries and connect with stakeholders and decision makers.
Beyond Growth Conference, Brussels
From the 15th-17th of May, Members of the European Parliament will host a Conference about the future of our economic system. The purpose of the Conference is to bring together politicians and civil society to envision alternative ways to measure and value progress in our societies, thinking beyong GDP growth.
During the 3-day Conference there will be keynote speakers, panel debates and break-out discussions, and you will get to meet and interact with other peers from Europe who are interested in rethinking our current economic models and policies.
Hungary
In collaboration with Friends of the Earth Hungary, we invite you to come along on an adcovacy tour where we will engage with nature protection, environmental policy and advocacy on national and local level.
During the first day we will be staying in Budapest, where we amongst other planned activities will visit the Parliament and meet with decision makers. On the second day we will travel together to Székesfehérvár where we will meet with local governmental actors and visit Sóstó, a Protected Nature area.
The topics of the tour include:
- national forestry regulation
- nature protection vs destructive development projects
- rule of law in environmental policy
- local positive green solution on municipality level
- concrete tools for systemic change
Democratic Festival 'Folkemødet', Denmark
Participants will travel to the Danish island of Bornholm to participate in the biggest people's meeting of the year in Denmark. The people's meeting is a large democratic festival held every year, and is visited by over 60.000 people counting politicians, civil society organisations, stakeholders and engaged citizens.
Participants can take part in panel discussions related to youth issues in the EU and visit different talks, workshops and tents during the days to interact with decision makers, stakeholders and other young people from Denmark and abroad.
There will be possibilities to participate in panel discussions as youth representatives and potentially self-organize a workshop on the learnings and potentials of gathering youth based on your experiences from Young Europe.
Brussels
In December 2022 we were in Brussels to visit the different EU institutions and stakeholders in Brussels, to advocate about issues close to our heart.
Madrid
In November 2022 we visited Madrid where we discussed challenges of the Spanish youth with youth organisations and learned about current political priorities from the Danish Embassy in Spain and the Ministry and Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Florence
From November 10th – 13th, ten youth representative were in Firenze, Italy to join along in the European Social Forum 2022, which was held for the 20th time.
Peoples Democracy Festival
Participants from Young Europe Sustainable Democracy Builders travelled to the Danish island of Bornholm to participate in the biggest people's meeting of the year in Denmark. The people's meeting is a large democratic festival held every year, and is visited by over 60.000 people counting politicians, civil society organisations, stakeholders and engaged citizens.
YESBD-participants took part in panel discussions related to youth issues in the EU and visited different events and tents during the days and interacted with decision makers, stakeholders and other young people from Denmark and abroad.
Lisbon
This Advocacy Tour was open for participants of the Academy of Change who wanted to express their views and test their political recommendations in debates with politicians and other decision makers. In collaboration with the Portuguese Platform for Women's Rights, participants took part in different meetings and events. On the 9th of May, Europe Day, participants took part in an event to discuss Gender Equality and Rights in Europe. Furthermore, the exhibition Art of Fundamental Rights, based on the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, was exhibited in Lisbon being the center for debates about rights, values and democracy in Europe.
Copenhagen
The conference, Participation, Democracy and Rights in a Digital World, focused on strengthening young people across Europe in discussing and participating in political processes. We invited young people from across Denmark and a smaller group of young people from different European countries to participate in the conference and discuss democracy in a digital world with a variety of high-level political decision-makers.
Brussels Economic Forum
Participants participated in Brussels Economic Forum in Brussels which was marking the European Year of Youth and had a spotlight on youth in the program. Participants listened to the opening speech, and to panel discussions on accelerating the green transition in time of crisis, securing the future for Europe’s Youth with Kira Marie Peter Hansen, macroeconomics, and sustainable economic models.
Brussels 2019
Representatives from ‘Young Europe is Voting’ went to Brussels for the official launch of the ‘Ungdomsøen Manifesto'. Here they presented their demands to politicians and representatives from the European Parliament, the Commission, the Danish representation and lobby organizations. Both Danish members of Parliament and Commissioner for Competition, Margrethe Vestager, spoke at the official presentation. In Nyt Europa, we are fighting for citizens, and especially young people, to have more say in the debate. The Young Europe representatives were also given the opportunity to present the ‘Ungdomsøen Manifesto' to important decision makers.
Berlin 2019
This is how Anna, from Young Europe, described the demands of the European youth on the climate agenda when she was with Nyt Europa in Berlin in 2019 and spoke to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. Anna was subsequently allowed to comment on Ursula von der Leyen's speech at the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall, on behalf of Nyt Europa.
