This month has been marked by LEVEL UP “I Care I vote”, an event organised by the European Youth Forum, aimed at gathering over 1000 youth activists in the European Parliament. With the upcoming elections in sight, this edition placed a specific focus on fostering youth participation in the democratic process.
As an active member of the European Youth Forum (YFJ), YEU seized the opportunity to engage ten people in this crucial event. Beyond being a learning and educational opportunity, such events serve as avenues for networking and connecting with people from across Europe and beyond. Among the YEU team, Yağmur and Nikolina, as Board Members, together with our two volunteers and 6 participants from our member organisations, had the opportunity to attend this exciting event.
At YEU, reaching out to young people and encouraging them to become active citizens is one of the key areas of our work. For that reason, YEU is honoured to have been invited to organise a workshop on the event's first day, facilitated by our team from the Governing Board and the Office. Drawing on YEU experience cultivated through various projects, the workshop introduced participants to “GamifyEU”, an innovative online platform featuring learning games about elections, which were created in the frame of the previous ones of 2019. Through engaging with the “MEP for a month” game, participants had the chance to delve into the journey of a Member of the European Parliament, while understanding and getting more familiar with the challenges and tasks associated with their job.
Events like this underscore the importance of speaking up and actively participating in democratic processes. Using our vote matters: it is how we decide the kind of world we want for today and tomorrow.