10 DAYS UNTIL THE YO!FEST 2017: What can you expect?

YO!Fest is the annual youth festival organised by the European Youth Forum. The event is a groovy combination of politics, debates and workshops with live music and a variety of artistic performances, creating the perfect mix for an enjoyable and meaningful experience. This year’s 8th edition of the event will be held in Maastricht on the 7th of February 2017.

It's FREE! Register here !

We focused on the six themes of the YO!Fest, six principles that we believe Europe should be built on:

• Participation: How to build a more participatory Europe?

• Inclusion: How to build societies that are fair and tolerant for all?

• Rights: How do we ensure people have access to their rights?

• Sustainability: How do we move to sustainable lifestyles and economic and political systems?

• Peace: What needs to change to ensure we live in peaceful societies?

• Health: How do we ensure the future of Europe is one that considers our health?

Your best ideas will be voted on that day, presented to experts and decision makers for feedback, and eventually will be included in a Youth Manifesto on the future of Europe.

We will be running workshops according to the six themes for the first time with YOU! Those zones will be split in two different parts, one dedicated to ongoing activities. The zones are truly the core of the YO!Fest but do not forget that we have much more activities in store for you!

You can join ongoing activities at anytime. For example you can discover the Human Library - a library where books are people and reading consists of an actual conversation. Exciting!

The YO!Talks: join the thinkers, doers and idea-generators

Are you a fan of the TED talks? Well we have something for you! YO!Talks at the YO!Fest 2017 are influential conversations from expert speakers on education, business, science, tech and creativity.

Bring your open mind and join the thinkers, doers and idea-generators on the topic “The Future of Europe”:

Dr. Alaa Murabit With humor, passion and a refreshingly rebellious spirit, Dr. Alaa Murabit speaks up for women using verses from the Koran.

Sarah Ezzat Mardini Sarah is a public speaker for refugees, including being a human rights activist and a producer for “She is Syria”, the movie.

Ketan Makwana Ketan inspires everyone either in his close surrounding or on the opposite end of the world, which makes him a renowned international speaker, distinguished coach and mindset master.

Erwin Van Waeleghem Erwin has made it his life’s mission to inspire as many people as possible, across the globe, by introducing them to the next stage social innovative paradigm

Dr. Shyama Ramani Shyama V. Ramani is a Professorial Fellow at the UNU Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (UNU-MERIT).

Michael Green Michael’s TED Talks have been viewed more than two million times, and his 2014 Talk was chosen by the TED organization as one of the ‘most powerful ideas’ of 2014.

Speakers who do more than just speak

YO!Fest will not only mobilise young people, but will also bring together many policy-makers and influential people. Go on a speed date with the European Commission Representative, Charlotte Guggenheim, or have a conversation with the Vice President of European Affairs of EPSA, Jan de Belie.

Here you can find all the speakers joining the YO!Fest:

Julie Ward (MEP), Alaa Murabit (UN), Rune Brandrup (UNFPA), Marietje Schaake (MEP), Marius Jitea (Council of Europe), Charles Price (European Commission Directorate General for Health and Consumers), Yacine Kouhen, Kata Mathe (remarker and a graphic recorder), Brando Benifei (MEP), Nadia El-Imam, Maria Freitas (FEPS Advisor), Judit Batlló Kooijmans (Volunteer in SCI Catalunya), Captain Europe (Europe’s super hero), Frank Schwalba-Hoth (former MEP), Mathieu Orphandies (DG EAC), Charlotte Gugenheim (EC Representitive in Belgium), Rupal Maru (Religions for Peace International Youth Committee member), Steven Wintjes (Focolare youth member), Julia Kerbel (President of Dutch Jewish Union of Students), Yara Hummels (Humod), Denise van Eekelen (Secretary General, IVSA), Jan de Belie (VP of European affairs of EPSA), Femke Govearts (EuroYouth MH Volunteer), Marko Grdosic (Chair of the Advisory Council on Youth of the Council of Europe)...

After the sun sets, the party continues…

The concerts are free, as long as you participate in the festival during the day. Although if you are not registered for YO!Fest and you did not attend the festival during the daytime, you need to pay the ticket fee 10 euros at the gate.

Taste the vibe of our concert stage with these names:

6 February

Tout Va Bien (BE)

FARA (NL)

Kakkmaddaffakka (NO)

Effervescence (FR)

Power To The Pipo (NL)

Callum Stewart (UK)

Climbing Trees (UK)

Weekend Safari (NL)

7 February

Merdan Taplak Orkestar (BE)

Coely (BE)

Bounty Island (DE)

Efecto Venturi (ES)

Steve ‘O Sullivan (UK)

Roy Habets (DJ – NL)

VOLTMAR (DJ – SW)

Find more information HERE.

If you have any questions, feel free to have a look to our FAQ's section. You might find your answer from there.

There’s so much more to come. Join the festival, get involved, enjoy the buzz and help make a change. Register for the YO!Fest 2017 and let’s #YouthUp Europe together!