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Brussels, 14 September 2008


The European Students' Forum (AEGEE) launches its Y Vote 2009 Campaign at a special 8-day convention starting on Sunday 14 September in Vienna, Austria.
Y Vote is a European wide campaign aiming to involving first time voters in the current issues of the European political society and encouraging them to cast an informed vote. The project activities will include a series of small and large-scale actions with local, regional, national and European dimensions. In 2004, voter turnout for the European Parliament Elections was lower than ever with approximately 1/3rd of the population taking part. The elections were fought out mainly over national issues, increasing the gap between the EU and its citizens.


Y Vote 2009 Campaign

Y Vote is a European wide campaign aiming to involving first time voters in the current issues of the European political society and encouraging them to cast an informed vote. Dealing with the democratic deficit of the European Union and the political apathy of its youngest citizens is of great importance for the future of Europe, and it is especially in the hands of young people.

The project activities, taking place from October 2008 until June 2009, will include a series of small and large-scale actions with local, regional, national and European dimensions. They will challenge political ignorance and disinterest among young people by providing them with information, competences and motivation to become informed voters and active citizens at the European scale.


Youth Agenda 2009 Vienna

The Youth Agenda 2009 convention is bringing fifty young activists from twenty countries together with experts and elected political officials on a unique platform for dialogue, analysis of best practices and drafting of new recommendations. These will result in the Youth Agenda 2009 – a thematic manifesto for the European Parliament Elections 2009 by young Europeans. It will then be multiplied throughout Europe in the next 8 months. Keynote speakers include MEP's Jean Lambert, Ramon-Nicole Mănescu, Marie Panayotopoulos-Cassiotou, Christa Prets, Karin Resetarits and Dusana Zdravkova.


AEGEE

AEGEE (Association des Etats Généraux des Etudiants de l'Europe / European Students' Forum) is a student organisation that promotes co-operation, communication and integration amongst young people in Europe. As a non-governmental, politically independent and non-profit organisation AEGEE is open to students and young professionals from all faculties and disciplines – today it counts 15.000 members, active in more than 250 university cities in 43 European countries.

If you would like more information about the Y Vote 2009 Campaign or AEGEE, or to schedule an interview with Dragan Stojanovski, initiator of Y Vote and President of AEGEE-Europe, please contact:

Robin Verschuren
Vice-President & External Relations Director of AEGEE-Europe

Phone: +32 2 45 2300 or mobile: +32 479 587634
E-mail: [log in to unmask]

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Robin Verschuren
Vice-president & External Relations Director of AEGEE-Europe

AEGEE-Europe / European Students' Forum
Rue Nestor de Tiere 15
B 1030 Brussels
+3222154068
+32479587634 (m)
[log in to unmask]
www.aegee.org