Government launches “You are European” project supported by the European Commission
In the context of the Youth in Action programme, the Government of the Azores, through the Regional Directorate for Youth, promotes the project “You are European - How can you influence the decisions of the European Union” on July 1, 2 and 3.
Youth in Action is a programme promoted by the European Commission for youth which aims to raise the awareness of youngsters for European citizenship, solidarity and tolerance in order to involve them in the construction of the future of the European Union.
This project, presented at a press conference in Ponta Delgada on Friday, aims to develop efficient and innovative ways of involving young people, raising their awareness and encouraging them to reflect on their rights in order to strengthen their role in public life. Providing of a space for discussion, active participation and information; stimulating the exchange of knowledge, ideas, experiences and methodologies as well as the creation of partnership projects with other youngsters are another goals of this project.
According to the Regional Director for Youth, “this is the first step towards the promotion of these projects so that they may be present in the daily life of Azorean youngsters as something systematic and continuous.”
The project is addressed at youngsters aged between 18 and 30 from of all Azorean islands. “This is one of the novelties of this project as this type of projects was mainly addressed at youngsters under 18,” stated Bruno Pacheco.
Participants will be selected through the submission and assessment, carried out by experts, of written work that must focus on the following topics: “European Citizenship in Outermost Regions”; “Youngsters’ Participation in Regional Policy”; “Youth Public Policies, Entrepreneurship and Volunteer Work”; “Regional Diversity and Policies for Equality of Opportunities” and “Youth Mobility in the European Union.”
The project activities will take place on the islands of Pico and Faial, counting upon the participation of young Parliament Members from the Legislative Assembly of the Azores, aged up to 35 years, who will moderate the panels.
Participants will have the opportunity to become better acquainted with operation of political and democratic institutions, to become aware of the individual role in the exercise of citizenship both at an individual and collective level, to reflect on the similarities and differences between formal and non-formal education, and on their advantages.
Bruno Pacheco reinforced the idea that “such projects are intended not only to increase the visibility of European issues in the Region in order to meet the challenges that Azorean youngsters have proposed to the Azorean Executive, but also to enhance the knowledge and information of European decision-makers on the reality of the archipelago.”