Youth: builders of Europe” “

“Young people are the driving force of Europe and the second European Youth Action Week will give them the opportunity to participate in the construction of their own Europe and their own future”, declared European Commissioner JAN FIGEL in summing up the aims of the European Youth Week (from Monday 5 to Sunday 11 December). Promoted by the EU, the Week is intended to “explore, discuss, participate in and contribute to European integration”. It is aimed at citizens aged between 18 and 30, and had a prologue in recent weeks in the form of some projects decentralized in the territories of the 25 member states and the candidate countries.INVOLVING YOUTH IN BUILDING THE EU. “The 2005 Youth Action Week will give young people the chance to contribute to the implementation of Plan D of the Commission, focused on democracy, dialogue and debate”, explained Figel, Commissioner for education, culture and multilingualism within the Executive led by José Manuel Barroso. In these seven days, the Union “will invite 200 youth, sent to Brussels from all over Europe – add the organizers -, to participate in a conference dedicated to the development of ad hoc policies, with the title ‘The young take the floor’. Three main issues will be the focal point of discussion: the involvement of youth in the European project; the campaign against unemployment and social exclusion; and the promotion of active participation”. Apart from the Brussels Conference, the national youth agencies and the Eurodesk networks have organized events at the national and local level (further information on the European portal, http://europa.eu.int/youth ). YOUTH PRIZES. The aim of the “decentralised” events is to “place in relief the results of the Youth programme through concerts, campaigns, workshops and debates”. Each country “will therefore contribute to the global objective of the Week, by giving youth the chance to participate and make their voice heard”. The events on the calendar include, not least, “the ceremony for the award of the Youth Prizes awarded to the best examples of projects realised by youth and supported by the EU Youth programme”, which “enables the young to participate in exchanges, activities of voluntary service and local projects throughout the Union and beyond”. The Commission explains that “the projects chosen for the award are those that have best achieved the objectives of the EU programme, i.e. to develop the skills and the capacities of youth, enable them to discover other cultures, and reinforce the concept and sense of belonging to Europe, in particular by promoting the participation of disadvantaged and uninvolved youth”. INITIATIVES IN EACH COUNTRY. The variety of events planned in the various countries is striking. In Bulgaria, for example, two meetings on youth issues are to be held in Sofia on 11 December, while events dedicated to “graffiti” and music were planned for Monday 5 and Wednesday 7 December; other cities involved are Rousse, Varna, and Silvane Plovdiv. In Estonia, the capital Tallin was the venue for a seminar on youth policies, while workshops were held at Tartu, Narva and Pärnu. Information on the opportunities offered by the EU to young citizens and students was presented as part of the programme of events “Come with me to Europe”, promoted in Spain in collaboration with youth associations and regional and municipal administrations. Various meetings were held in Slovenia, Portugal, France, Sweden, and Great Britain. A “conference for youth” is announced for 11 December in Ankara (Turkey), while in the Netherlands workshops were held in The Hague and other cities. A hundred or so events, debates and info-points linked to the European Youth Week were planned in Germany during the week; a special website (www.youthactionweek.de) was also activated, as also in other countries.OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE UNDER 30s. The Youth Action Week is of course just one of the many forms of attention that the EU devotes to citizens “under 30”. Programmes such as Socrates, Comenius and Erasmus, in the educational sector, or Leonardo, for professional training, are well known. Many projects are aimed at promoting employment and job training, transcending national frontiers, including targeted programmes such as Now, aimed at women, Horizon, for the disabled, and Youthstart, for teenagers without vocational qualifications. The EU itself offers internships at its institutions in Brussels, Strasbourg and Luxembourg, and opportunities through the European Volunteer Service. The Action Jean Monnet is addressed at universities, while the Raphael, Arianne and Kaleidoscope programmes fund events in the cultural field. In short, the EU provides opportunities to study abroad, seek jobs, learn foreign languages, travel and live in various countries of the EU.