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The Future of the European Union Connecting over the Atlantic The purpose of ‘Strasbourg Calling’, a videoconference moderated by Andreas Galanakis, Policy Director at the American Chamber of Commerce to the European Union, was to investigate and discuss relations between the EU and the United States. On the European side were participants of the EYE, while American students represented the USA. Together, they discussed the issue of surveillance in light of the NSA revelations, what measures to take in order to end poverty, joining forces to thwart terrorism, and how to respond to the threat of Russia. While there was an agreement that the NSA affair had become, in essence, a media circus, the issue of ending poverty sparked a lively debate across the Atlantic; in the end, the consensus was that pooling resources with the US was fundamental in tackling global poverty. Dealing with Euro-scepticism With large areas of Europe struggling with soaring youth unemployment - as high as 60% in some regions - there are fears that growing political disillusionment in young people, coupled with the proliferation of Euro-scepticism, may serve to undermine the future of European integration. There are, however, those who make it their business to engage young people with the workings of the EU, striving to stem the tide of political apathy. Alesandra Kluczka, coordinator of the ‘Y Vote 2014’ campaign, is one of them: “With the European election of 2009, the turnout was only 29% among young people. The main problem is a lack of information - they don’t feel represented, they don’t feel understood. Workshops like ours inform young Young participants taking the seats of MEPs in the plenary chamber people about how the EU functions, which encourages them to participate directly. Also, if you start voting when you’re young, you’re more likely to continue to do so when older”, she said. Alesandra Kluczka was still carefully optimistic about the future of the EU: “There are threats of nationalism, Euroscepticism, and radical movements; but when I look at young people in countries like my own, Poland, I realise that we are the generation with the opportunities our parents didn’t have. Now we have a border-less system, and are enjoying a longer period of peace than any other continent. We shouldn’t be so pessimistic; Europe has achieved a lot”. Working together to resolve youth unemployment With the present economic and societal crises, the need for citizens’ cooperation seems to be more crucial than ever. In this context, non-governmental organisations which seek to cultivate proactive attitudes among young 32 Ideas for a better Europe – EYE2014 Report
people play a crucial role in European society. Youthnet Hellas, for example, which was awarded the European Citizens’ Prize in 2013, encourages young people in Greece to be more proactive in seeking out opportunities for work. Due to a youth unemployment rate approaching 60%, two choices emerge for the country: take action, or languish in the status quo. In this sense, voluntary action appears as a way to overcome the barriers which prevent an active participation in community life. Becoming a volunteer does not necessarily mean working without getting paid; rather, it is a matter of adopting a positive attitude towards society. Manos Pavlakis from Youthnet Hellas pointed out that young people can improve their situation by taking one or more of three paths: education, employment, and voluntary action. To tackle the problem, Youthnet Hellas has taken an active part in 172 projects over the last five years: “It is important that young people understand that they have a lot of options by getting involved in activities, Manos Pavlakis said, and continued; young people in Europe share common needs, interests, and concerns”. Board games for understanding the EU The use of games for learning about the European Union and the diversity of the member states was a prominent feature of the EYE. The Eurocracy game, developed by Jaap Hoeksma, aims to explain the Lisbon Treaty: “The EU is a democracy consisting of 28 smaller ones; it is a new form, which is complicated, and therefore it can best be explained through a game”, he said. Hans Christian John, co-founder of Move On Europe, an online platform promoting greater co-operation and integration in Europe, led the ‘More Democracy Please!’ discussion. In this game, each participant came up with a word or phrase that represents what Europe means to them; family, freedom, opportunity, and multiculturalism were all invoked, and as Hans Christian John noted down the words, he observed that: “Nobody knows what Europe is - it’s messy, but it’s nice!” Participants watching and cheering during a spectacle in the flower bar Ideas for a better Europe – EYE2014 Report 33
Page 1: IDEAS FOR A BETTER EUROPE EUROPEAN
Page 5 and 6: Forewords Foreword by Anni Podimata
Page 7 and 8: Report Introduction Ideas for a bet
Page 9 and 10: Similarly, the EYE related activiti
Page 11 and 12: Youth Unemployment Youth Unemployme
Page 13 and 14: Programmes to gain more experience
Page 15 and 16: Thinking out of the box - Youth Une
Page 17 and 18: A first step to quality jobs could
Page 19 and 20: Digital revolution Digital Revoluti
Page 21 and 22: Technology versus content During th
Page 23 and 24: #EYE2014 word cloud Simply put; eve
Page 25 and 26: Thinking out of the box - Digital R
Page 27: • A transversal and comprehensive
Page 30 and 31: The Future of the European Union A
Page 34 and 35: The Future of the European Union Ba
Page 36 and 37: The Future of the European Union A
Page 38 and 39: 38 Participants and an EYE voluntee
Page 40 and 41: Sustainability “The EU has the po
Page 42 and 43: Sustainability Sustainable organisi
Page 44 and 45: Sustainability Young people holding
Page 46 and 47: Sustainability • Significant shif
Page 49 and 50: European Values European Values Glo
Page 51 and 52: against in the past, and this play
Page 53 and 54: Thinking out of the box - European
Page 55 and 56: innovation, cohesion and youth. Spe
Page 57 and 58: Report Conclusion Ideas today, acti
Page 59 and 60: Facts & figures 5,380 total number

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