YO!Fest 2015: Bringing youth policy to Parliament’s doorstep

The European Youth Forum’s biggest annual event YO!Fest returned again this year for its 6th edition to Brussels on 6th of May. This unique event combines politics with musical performances and showcase the work of the Youth Forum and its member and partner organisations. The theme of this year’s event was ‘grow together’, and was organised in close interconnection with European Youth Week and the European Year for Development.

The festival brought together more than seven thousand young people from across Europe to the heart of the European Union on the Esplanade of the European Parliament in Brussels. Workshops, activities and high-level debates were organised throughout the day, creating the opportunity for dialogue between young Europeans and politicians by allowing participants to pose their questions to the policy-makers as well as directly express their concerns and ideas.

Key issues raised at these discussions included the role of youth participation in society, at local as well as at the European level, the impact of quality jobs on development and how cities can encourage youth engagement after the economic crisis. Featuring on the panels of these debates and workshops were Members of the European Parliament including some of the youngest members Terry Reintke and Eva Paunova, Co-Chairs of the EP’s Youth Intergroup, and Brando Benifei.

The European Youth Forum is proud to have organised this year’s event that allowed young people to interact directly with EU representatives and shine a light on issues youth is facing today. It is important that the work of the Youth Forum and its members reaches out not only to young people but also decision-makers to demonstrate its positive impact on creating a fairer, more inclusive society for youth, and show why at a European level these issues must be placed at the forefront of policy making.

The Youth Forum would like to thank all the young people, activists, politicians, and friends who took part to the YO!Fest as well as our partners for their strong support. Special mention to our premium partners: European Commission, Council of Europe, Interrail and visit.brussels.

Full list of artists here