How Can We “Youth Up” Europe?
We want to hear your voice – give us your take!
Anna Widegren addresses audience at “All EU Need is You(th)” conference – July 3rd, 2017 © European Union / Nina Paukovic
“We need to ‘youth up’ Europe!” – Anna Widegren, Secretary General of European Youth Forum, on the necessity of including youth in EU policymaking.
In Brussels, there’s a tendency to debate on the future of the EU in terms of economic policy, enlargement, or migration – but what about the youth? Sure, they get a quick mention in terms of educational policy or a lack of voter turnout, but they are not a constant factor in the conversation.
Why is this when the youth will be the ones actually carrying out these future reforms of the European Union?
Jeroen Lenaers, young Dutch EPP MEP, emphasizes importance of youth engagement. © European Union / Nina Paukovic
There is a reason at the Centre for European Progression that we focus on getting the young professional’s voice heard, but this article is not meant to be a pat on the back for us – more so a question to ponder on how we all can better mobilize and tap into the potential of youth in the EU.
I spent my Monday at the “All the EU needs is You(th)” conference put on by the Committee of the Regions, surrounded by brilliant and diverse youth and young professionals sharing innovative ideas to better their EU. Together, the conference participants formed an advisory policy opinion that will be presented to and voted on by the CoR in plenary in two weeks. This conference acted as a capstone to an EU Trainee initiative in the Y Factor Project. Trainees had been sent to five different countries to talk to high school students about the EU and get their thoughts. The lack of information was astonishing, most students only had a very rough idea of what the EU was or how it operated.
Participants of “All EU Need is You(th)” Conference vote on policy proposals for a draft opinion for the Committee of the Regions.
© European Union / Nina Paukovic
It has already been shown in the past that voter turnout for European Parliament elections is low among youth. In the 2014 parliamentary elections, youth had the lowest voter turnout at only 27% of eligible voters 18-24 casting their ballot. Some argue, however, that youth are still actively engaging with politics, just not through the traditional method of voting and more so through means like protests and advocacy.
On a more positive note, the trainees explained that once the students understood the system – they were thrilled to have an opportunity to give their opinion on issues that mattered to them. This is to say that, when you engage people with things they already care about, it is easy to get them to interact with the EU if they can see it is as a resource.
It became apparent to me that education and open discussion about the EU is crucial among all EU citizens, regardless of age. Education policy is somewhat out of the EU’s competencies, but there are still initiatives that can be undertaken or strengthened. Participants at the conference agreed that existing programs like ERASMUS, Comenius, and town hall style debates all help contribute to a sense of european identity and education.
I would argue that open forums for innovative thought among youth needs to be expanded past the Brussels bubble. Seminars, travelling museums, and social media campaigns were all mentioned as being possible avenues to increased youth involvement. If the Union is serious about wanting to discuss the future, they need to be including youth in the conversation. Initiatives like European Horizons, and the various youth political groups all seem like a good start towards spearheading youth involvement, but there is still more to be done. As an NGO focusing on having the voice of youth and young professionals heard, we would like to know your thoughts. So tell us:
- Does the EU need younger MEPs for youth to feel represented?
- What actions do you think the EU should do to better include the opinion of youth?
- What needs to happen in order to raise youth voter turnout for EP elections?