26.03.2004 - Seminar on Youth Issues and the European Parliament Election 2004
The significance of youth voices - conclusions from the seminar
Seminar on the Youth Issues and the European Parliament Elections 2004 took place on the 25th of March at the venue of the Romanian Embassy in Brussels. Organized by AEGEE in co-operation with JADE (European Confederation of Junior Enterprises), it gathered almost 50 representatives of youth NGOs, students and activists, and gave them the floor to meet and personally discuss the issues connected with policies and funding for youth activities in the light of the upcoming European Parliament Elections 2004.
The discussion was carried out in two panels, the first of which dealt with the future of the EU Education Programmes (mainly Youth and Erasmus) relevant for supporting student NGO activities and projects. Mr. Pierre Mairesse, head of the Youth Unit at the DG Education and Culture of the European Commission, discussed with the participants the possibilities the developed Youth Programme offers to student NGOs. "The priorities of the Youth Programme should derive from the grass-root level and should stem from the needs in youth communities. The decision makers should carry on a continuous dialogue with the members of the student NGOs in order to find out what these needs are and take them into consideration while deciding upon the budget lines." - says Karsten Wenzlaff, the MEP candidate from SPD (Social Democratic Party of Germany). Another panelist, Giacomo Filibeck, the President of the European Youth Forum, spoke about the significance of youth participation in the upcoming EP Elections and tapped onto the issue of the Manifesto - "A promise to the Youth, a promise to keep" issued by the EYF, elaborated in order to point out the important reasons for young people to vote in the European Elections. "What will be decided now as framework will determine our future life" - concluded Filibeck.
The second panel was led by the representatives of JADE and touched upon the issues connected with the youth employment and entrepreneurship. The Secretary General of the European Movement, Mr. Henrik H. Kröner, bravely though controversially tackled the subject of youth employment opportunities in the Enlarged European Union, stating that the open position towards equal opportunities on the job market should be treated as a factor not threatening but boosting competition and raising Europe's economy to a higher level.
The outcome of the seminar was first and foremost strengthening the bonds of co-operation between student and youth NGOs and the necessity to stand together united for the issues of utmost importance for young people nowadays. Personal relations and a face-to-face dialogue should be given a chance and ground to occur and develop.
" It was a great experience to participate in the seminar - reflects Manue J. Kripp, one of the participants of the seminar, young representative of JADE Network - "It gave an overview on different aspects of youth development in Europe in the next years, the Educational Programmes and the activities of the European Institutions in the field of Junior Entrepreneurship. Students and young entrepreneurs in Europe are facing a bright future. Furthermore this event was a great platform to establish new contacts among European students and young entrepreneurs".
In preparation to the seminar, a movie concerning the European Parliament Elections 2004 was prepared by AEGEE-TV.
You can view it under: http://www.aegee.org/movie/movie.htm.
AEGEE is one of Europe's largest interdisciplinary and voluntary student associations, operating without being linked to any political party, promoting a unified Europe, cross-border co-operation, communication and integration in academic environment, and at the same time striving to create an open and tolerant society by involving students and young graduates in valuable projects and discussions over the topics of importance for the communities they live in It is represented in 260 university cities, in 42 countries all around Europe and has about 17000 members.
More information:
Ewa Solarczyk
Vice-President / Director for Public Relations
European Students' Forum - AEGEE
Rue Nestor de Tiere 15
1030 Bruxelles
Phone: +32 2 245 23 00
Fax: +32 2 245 62 60
Web: www.aegee.org
Email: [log in to unmask]
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