On 22-26th August 2016, the 36 young people and group leaders involved in the project 'Youth political participation: Level up!' gathered in Bernburg, Germany, for the last step of the project.
After an intensive learning week in last May in Strasbourg, concluded with their participation to the European Youth Event 2016, the young participants met a last time to focus on political participation at local, regional and national levels.
In the beginning of the week, the participants took stock of the event in Strasbourg and their participation to the EYE 2016, and reflected about how it changed their view of European politics, how it has impacted their own civic involvement, and how it can further help them be active European citizens. To learn more about local political participation, the young participants met several political stakeholders during the following days. A meeting with Bernburg’s mayor, another with representatives from the German Federal Environmental Agency and debates with local politicians led to fruitful exchanges – and very challenging questions to the speakers – about why it is important for young people to engage in civic and social life in one’s local and national community, and how to do that. Thanks to this last youth exchange, the youngsters concluded the project by thinking about how to implement what they learnt in their everyday life.
Through this first experience abroad for several young participants, and this first Erasmus+ Youth Exchange for almost all of them, they learnt how to become active national and European citizens, and how to have a positive impact thanks to political and civic involvement. The young participants were also empowered in many other ways: they gained social, communication, linguistic and intercultural skills, all that through new European friendships! To see photos from the event, click here.