Second prep meeting for the YO!Fest @ the EYE2016 in Strasbourg: youth engagement for a positive change

Over three days, more than 40 YO!Fest partners and 20 volunteers met in Strasbourg with the Youth Forum team to prepare for the YO!Fest @ the EYE2016 and ensure it is a truly inclusive, participatory and sustainable event.

Dozens of YO!Fest partners worked closely together last weekend (19th-20th March) to create synergies, develop and finalise an exciting and interactive hubs’ programme, designed and led entirely by them and the Youth Forum. Co-created and co-shaped by young people and youth organisations, the thematic hubs will offer a wide range of innovative workshops and thought-provoking debates, tackling burning issues concerning young people in Europe.

• War and Peace hub will focus on the refugee crisis and education for peace-building, the impact of austerity on human rights, the recognition and protection of youth rights, and the ways to tackle discrimination and achieve equality

• Apathy or Participation hub will promote the social value of youth organisations, explore existing ways to participate in decision-making at EU level, share inspiring examples of active participation and how to “youth up” the current political systems, thus how politicians can better engage with young people.

• Exclusion or Access hub will address quality education, employment, volunteering, mobility and inclusion, some of the issues that are closest to young people.

• Stagnation or Innovation hub will explore the world of social entrepreneurship and co-operatives as an alternative, sustainable model for business to tackle the issue of youth unemployment.

• Collapse or Success hub will tackle global issues impacting our daily lives such as climate change and protection of the environment, social inclusion and inclusive and sustainable economic policies.

• Health & well-being hub will highlight the importance of young people’s well-being by exploring a range of issues from basic life support to mental health and the importance of sport.

These young people and youth organisations have and will have a fundamental role to play in the success of the YO!Fest at the EYE2016, and they will be supported by the commitment and enthusiasm of the team of volunteers also present at the preparatory meeting in Strasbourg. Volunteers were briefed on the event and gave their expert contribution on how to make the event even more inclusive, sustainable and engaging!

Our Secretary General Allan Pall is thrilled when looking ahead of the event: “How else can we make a change if not by involving people? When it comes to achieving positive change in our society, I put my trust in youth organisations. We see that day in and day out that when young people come together and organise, their impact is direct and long lasting. This is exactly our ambition with YO!Fest – to bring youth from across Europe together, but more importantly, to leave with common plans and ideas. We are so grateful to work with such amazing YO!Fest partners and volunteers, we can surely look forward to a great event!”

Find out more about the YO!Fest at http://www.yofest.eu and the EYE at www.eye2016.eu

Full programme of the EYE2016 http://bit.ly/1Uki3iL

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