"Inspired by Europe"
Dear Readers,
For two days from 21 to 22 March, the meeting rooms and hallways of the Jacques Delors building were filled with the laughter and smiles of 102 16-18 year olds from the 28 Member States and 5 candidate countries. These young people – shy at times, but mainly curious – were asking "What's the aim of this event?", "Can I answer questions that adults haven't been able to?" and "How can we make people want to vote in the European elections?"
And then they realised that their answers would be feeding into the debate on the future of Europe at a crucial time, just a few weeks before the European elections on 26 May.
I spent several hours with them, and was very surprised at what I heard. "If we want to change the world, we need to start by asking ourselves what isn't working." And they have demands: they want, first of all, to be informed, and then to understand and believe in the project – to identify with it – in order, in the end, to engage with it, promote it and become its ambassadors.
But there is something else they need as well. It was a young man from Poland, Mateusz Tyszka, who suggested it, talking about passion and urging the other participants to "never give up on their dreams". We also need to join forces, and to dare to dream. And thus these young people take on a visionary role.
Our "Your Europe, Your Say" event gives them the opportunity to discover the participatory democracy that is so important to the EESC, and to learn about dialogue, listening and compromise.
"Your Europe, Your Say" has been running for 10 years now. It was Irini Pari, the vice-president for communication in 2009, who initially had the fantastic idea of bringing these young people to the EESC, and the Visits and Publications Unit then took up the baton. If we are to build Europe with our young people, we need to talk to them, let them talk, and listen to them. Each year, the event covers a different topic: culture, peace and diversity (2018), the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome (2017), migration (2016).
What conclusions did the young people reach in 2019? Of the ten recommendations proposed and voted on by the 100 young participants, a shortlist of four was selected (including two tied for third place); the ultimate winner was "#Future is now: an EU syllabus on politics and voting to increase knowledge".
I am a teacher myself, and I am very aware of the role that school plays in young people's lives. And I fully support the idea of a mandatory syllabus for learning about Europe and 60 years of European integration.
One of the participants from the United Kingdom told us that, just after the Brexit referendum, people in her country had turned to Google to finally find out what the European Union actually was. As she said, it was a pity that it had taken the referendum for people to... discover Europe!
The project has expanded. Year after year, it has brought together young people to inspire them with a passion for Europe. They can not only become dedicated EU fans but, above all, set their own priorities for the EU and make this unique project a part of their future.
See you next year for the 2020 edition of "Your Europe Your Say" and for a new adventure!
Isabel Caño
Vice-president for communication
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