How do we foster a European identity among young people? This was the question posed by Tina Hocevar, Vice President of the European Youth Forum at the EU Regions Week 2019. On Tuesday, Tina introduced the assembled attendees to the European Youth Capital (EYC) initiative that has shown a positive impact in achieving this aim.
With Tina on the panel were representatives of the current award-winning EYC city and two upcoming winners. The EYC title, awarded annually by the European Youth Forum, is designed to empower young people, boost youth participation and strengthen European identity. To enter, cities across the continent make submissions that show how they intend to engage with and include young people. The judging of applicant cities comprises how well they address these 7 pillars:
- Strengthening Youth Organisations
- Fostering European Identity
- Championing Diversity and Inclusion
- Increasing Opportunities
- Boosting the Local Economy
- Developing Spaces for Youth
- Linking outside the City Walls
The current European Youth Capital 2019 is Novi Sad in the Vojvodina region of Serbia, the 11th city to hold this title. Opens 2019 (Omladinska Prestonica Evrope Novi Sad 2019) is the 3-year programme devised in collaboration with young people and experts, via conferences, workshops and talks. The goals of Opens 2019 are to:
- Celebrate young people’s energy
- Increase youth participation and boost innovation and creativity
- Promote Europe and its values
- Celebrate diversity and its potentials
- Strengthen youth NGOs and develop more inclusive youth policy
Yukašin Groydanovič, the OPENS 2019 Coordinator, showed a video and outlined for the audience some of the exciting and innovative activities involving young people that have taken place this year at regional, national and international levels. He believes the impact on Novi Sad from becoming European Youth Capital 2019 has been extensive. Across all activities, the sense of European partnership and shared values have been promoted. Young people are engaged in networking that has also fostered their awareness of cooperative approaches in tackling and overcoming their issues.
Next year, the title of European Youth Capital 2020 will be held by Amiens, the first French winning city. In Amiens, the number of young people comprises 53% of its population, while youth unemployment stands at 24%. Anaïs Fabvre and Joseph Delahaye from Amiens For Youth explained the intended benefits for Amiens of implementing the programme next year: increased youth employability and collaborative youth city policy, the inclusion of excluded youth and an affirmed European citizenship.
Engage young people in Lithuania
The EYC 2021 winner is Klaipėda in Lithuania. Greta Tautavičiūtė of the Klaipėda2021 Working Group explained that they intend to apply the theme of CHOOSEKLAIPEDA to become an open, e-solutions based city. They want to overcome the challenges identified by young people; that the city is boring and unattractive, with a lost identity and no youth participation or opportunities. The programme will offer over 200 capacity-building activities to engage young people in organising around 400 events.
Data from the European Youth Capital Report shows that there are significant beneficial outcomes for cities and municipalities that win the European Youth Capital title:
- Opens up new opportunities and brings positive change
- Turns the city into an international meeting point
- Encourages active participation and promotes volunteering
- Fosters European identity
- Champions diversity and inclusion
- Strengthens youth organisations and boosts Investment in youth
- Amplifies the city's voice in Europe
- Connects young people
The winner for 2022 will be announced next month in November 2019. The five shortlisted cities of Baia Mare (Romania), Kazan (Russia), Poznań (Poland), Tirana (Albania) and Varaždin (Croatia) are still in the running. The call for European Youth Capital 2023 will open soon, and cities across Europe are invited to engage with their young people and to apply for this transformative opportunity to #YouthUp their city.
Simon Ahern (Ireland)
