#EngagEUrCouncil — Youth exchange and youth participation in the upcoming Trio EU Council Presidency
Young agenda-setters for Europe
Protests against climate change and attacks on the freedom of expression in the age of digitization, or the promotion of the EU project countering rising populism and nationalism – young EU citizens increasingly set the agenda with political demands that are relevant to the broad spectrum of society. In the framework of the project, young citizens from Germany, Slovenia, and Portugal are invited to jointly formulate political demands based on knowledge and information they gain during the project. At the occasion of key political events, participants have the unique opportunity to present their demands to decision-makers of the Trio EU Council Presidency of Germany, Portugal, and Slovenia in 2020 and 2021, and to the public.
#EngagEUrCouncil: Youth participation in virtual think tank
Europe-wide discussions in times of contact barriers, border controls and travel warnings?
The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic have not passed on #EngagEUrCouncil. But the pandemic is just another reason to think about innovative European solutions based on knowledge. In 2020, #EngagEUrCouncil is thus hosting a virtual think tank, in which the young participants will jointly develop demands for the German and the Portuguese Council Presidency through interactive debates and webinars. The project team is counting on being able to organise the process of idea development in face to face events in 2021.
Germany, Slovenia, and Portugal – an innovative triangle
The upcoming Trio EU Council Presidency is geographically, historically, and socio-economically highly diverse and is likely to induce multilayered, constructive and critical debates about EU policy. This will lead to the development of new (young) ideas for the Future of Europe in the framework of the #EngagEUrCouncil project to integrate a constructive and sustainable youth dimension into the Trio EU Council Presidency.
The project is implemented by IEP in close cooperation with Instituto Português de Relações Internacionais, Lisbon, and Centre of International Relations, Ljubljana. The project partners also cooperate with the Trans European Policy Studies Association (TEPSA) in Brussels within the framework of the so-called TEPSA Pre-Presidency Conferences in order to ensure a Europe-wide coverage of the project and its activities.
Set the agenda with youth demands based on information and knowledge
#EngagEUrCouncil is based on a holistic proven and tested youth participation concept which builds on three interlinked methodological components.
In 2020, the concept is applied as follows:
#YoungCitizens’FutureLabs that aim at sharing knowledge on the European Union and at identifying first demands. The #YoungCitizens’FutureLabs take place in a virtual think tank.
#YoungExpertsLabs that aim at deepening the content of the demands developed. The #YoungExpertsLab take place in a virtual think tank.
#YoungIdeasPanel at TEPSA Pre-Presidency Conferences aimed at presenting the developed youth demands to political decision-makers.
These methodological components altogether establish a 6‑month cycle of youth empowerment and agenda-setting. This cycle is implemented for the German, the Portuguese, and the Slovenian Presidency respectively.
Timetable
Sustainability
#EngagEUrCouncil builds on the European youth participation project #EngagEU, co-funded by the “Europe for Citizens” program of the European Commission. In the framework of the project, over 850 participants from more than 51 countries were empowered to participate in political decision-making processes on a European level. The participants discussed and developed their visions and demands for the Future of Europe in several “YoungCitizens’FutureLabs”. These ideas were summarised in a multi-lingual Manifesto “Young ideas for the Future of Europe” and addressed to the decision-makers.
Follow #EngagEUrCouncil on Twitter and Facebook:
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@EngagEU |
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@EngagEU.Project |
Project term:
1 January 2020 to 31 December 2021
Project team:
Dr. Funda Tekin (Project Leader)
Jana Schubert (Project Manager)
Sara Kibler (Project Assistant)
York Albrecht (Project Assistant)
Languages of the project:
English, French, Portuguese and Slovenian
Youth Ideas:
Youth Ideas for Europe – Setting the Scene for the German EU Council Presidency
Youth Ideas for Europe – Setting the Scene for the Portuguese EU Council Presidency
Youth Ideas for Europe – Setting the Scene for the Slovenian EU Council Presidency
Project reports:
Final report on the first project cycle (March 2020 — June 2020)
Final report on the second project cycle (September 2020 — November 2020)
Final report on the third project cycle (April 2021 — June 2021)
TEPSA Pre-Presidency Conference:
Videos of the rapporteurs’ presentations during the Pre-Presidency Conference on 25 June 2020 are available here.
The project #EngagEUrCouncil: Youth exchange and youth participation is funded by Stiftung Mercator – with the kind support of the Federal Foreign Office for individual project activities on the German Council Presidency.
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