DEAR at the European Youth Event (EYE)

Three DEAR projects added a global dimension to the European Parliament’s flagship Youth Event, the annual EYE held on 8-9 October. The European Commissioner for International Partnerships, Mrs Jutta Urpilainen, greeted the “Youth for Global Change” workshop participants in her video address: “I want to build bridges between you and young people in partner countries – and to give you a seat at the decision-making table.” Watch the highlights on video here.

The DEAR Programme animated the International Partnerships session at #EYE2021, giving center stage to three projects, facilitated by one of their partners: “I am European” (Mundo), 1Planet4All (Cesvi) and MindChangers (Piedmont Region). Participants reflected on migrations and created an e-collage, shared their knowledge and opinions about the Sustainable Development Goals, and collaborated in other global citizenship education activities. They emphasised that the migration narrative should highlight the added-value of intercultural learning. SDG 13 on Climate ranked as the top “most important to me.” And governments, followed by companies and the general public, were called upon as the most “relevant” actors to take responsibility for global change. Participants also stated that all SDGs are very important and linked to each other.

Despite a fully booked session, with over 190 registered participants, the final participation rates were disappointing - as in many of the other EYE sessions. DEAR projects however appreciated the chance for pan-European peer-learning. “It was an opportunity to learn from other DEAR projects and see their approach to global citizenship education methods and tools.” They also informed the young participants about opportunities to get involved through their local project partners. The “I am European” project described their work: “Using music, creative writing, photography and art to start discussions about migration is something that we are constantly doing.”

Most participants stated that their interest in getting involved in global issues increased “a lot!”, and they positively commended the workshop interactivity, surveys and creative tools: “It made the learning more fun… and the speakers felt particularly engaged too.”

Commissioner Urpilainen highlighted the European Commission’s commitment to youth. She looked back to how her own past youth activism launched her political career and concluded: “DEAR has empowered European citizens – and especially young people to take action. I hope that what you learn today empowers you to keep working for change.”

Two EYE participants and youth representatives presented the “top 20” Youth Ideas report at the October plenary of the Conference on the Future of Europe (22-23 October).

EYE participants had proposed concrete ideas for a better EU, including solutions for easier recycling across the EU, more effective ‘Article 7’ procedures to protect EU values, and more multilingualism in schools. They expressed their concerns with the EU’s greatest challenges: climate change, COVID-19 and international security. They called for a more federal Europe and more accountable companies to mitigate environmental damage.

See some of the DEAR EYE highlights in an animated audio-visual [link available soon].

And continue following DEAR: #EuDEARprogramme #MindChangers #1Planet4All https://jagatudteekonnad.ee/en/; Twitter: @DEARsupportTeam @1P4A_ACTED and Facebook: @DEAR Programme @mindchangers