Young people eager to have their say

To mark 20 years of European youth programmes, 250 young people came to meet MEPs and set out their vision of Europe on 5 November. As part of European Youth Week across the EU, the EP event had workshops on education, employment, volunteering, social inclusion and the rights of young people. So what do young people think about the EU and will they be voting in next year's European elections?

Before talking to us, participants met Members of parliament's Culture Committee, who have a decisive role in the allocation of youth projects and of funding. The Chair of the Committee Katerina Batzeli noted that there is strong support for youth projects with “EU financing for 33 programs”.
 
Micha Poszvek, a 21-year-old Austrian from the Scout Movement spoke highly of the existing cooperation between the European Youth Forum and MEPs, notably EP support for an initiative with the Red Cross and the Scout Movement to make 2011 the “European Year of Volunteering”.
 
French Green Gérard Onesta raised a smile as he admitted to being bleary-eyed after staying up to watch the US presidential elections and called those present the first to “live in a Europe without frontiers” and the “first multilingual generation”.
 
Hungarian MEP Pál Schmitt (EPP-ED) stressed the importance of sports project, with 70% of young people doing no sports outside the school curriculum, and 25–30% of children overweight.
 
Bulgarian Julian (29), who is involved in a project to provide information about sexual diseases in orphanages in Bulgarian villages said, “The EP could vote for more programs like Youth in Action.” Slovenian Sonia (26) wants parliament to do more for young people entering the labour market and young families in need of housing.
  
Réka, a 21-year old Hungarian girl doing Communication and Media Studies said, “I would like to live in a Europe, where it is not only money and economic interests that matter, but also issues such as climate change.”
 
Paddy, a 22-year old Irish broadcaster, journalist, youth trainer and the official blogger of this year's European Youth Week, said, “The EP could do more explaining to people what goes on in Europe. The EU has a bad reputation, often seen as too interventionist, and at other times seen as having no jurisdiction. It’s like a king who cannot control the sea.” He added that “young people have to be evangelical and spread the word about Europe themselves.”
  
Paddy would definitely vote: “Barack Obama has been a great help. He has really made it fashionable to be involved.”
 
Sonia, who represents the Youth Forum of Social Democrats in Slovenia, is also eager to vote in June. Even 25-year-old Lithuanian Marta, who does not believe in taking part in political life  would cast her ballot. She wants a more participative democracy, “where you keep talking with your politicians”.
 
The Commission will take the conclusions from the event into account when it draws up a renewed framework of European cooperation in the youth field in early 2009.
 
The 20th anniversary of European Youth Week was celebrated in 31 European countries, November 2-9. This year's theme was “intercultural dialogue” in line with the European year of intercultural dialogue.