FLB Herford / Aktivitäten / Europa / Erasmus-Akkreditierung / Youth in Europe - Europe in Youth

Youth in Europe – Europe in Youth

The aim of the partnership is to encourage students to gain a deeper insight into the attitude towards life and culture of young people in different European countries from 1950 to the present. Researching youth and its culture and how it reflects the political, economic and social conditions will enable students to understand their own situation, to define personal aims concerning their future at school, at work, in social and political life and to learn how to achieve these aims at home and in Europe.

Description of the Partnership

Active Young Citizens of Europe

Aim of Partnership

The aim of the partnership is to encourage students to get a deeper insight into the culture and democratic system of their home country as well as other European countries. Researching the system of national and European government as well as the function of voluntary associations enables students to understand how they can play an active part as a European citizen and influence their own future at school, at work, in social and political life.

All partners will research the situation in their country, with students meeting local, national as well as European elected representatives of different associations and visiting their national parliaments. Representatives from each partner school will visit other national institutions/ associations during the project meetings as well as the European Parliament and the partnership will culminate in a European Youth Parliament.

First Year of Partnership

In the first year of the partnership students will explore the different opportunities young people have to express their interests:

• The political structure of their home country and of the European Union

• Different associations of young people

• Voluntary Organizations e.g. Greenpeace

• In order to understand the attitudes of the other European peoples it is important to analyse the national identity of the participating countries.

Second Year of Partnership

In the second year students will visit the European Parliament and finally participate in a European Youth Parliament. They will discuss various possible issues and will choose a topic of concern to them which will be the subject of investigation in each country. They will draw up the agenda and finally some elected students will represent the views of the group in a plenary session of the European Youth Parliament. Their resolutions will be presented to Members of the European ParliamentAll partners will research the situation in their country, with students meeting local, national as well as European elected representatives of different associations and visiting their national parliaments. Representatives from each partner school will visit other national institutions/ associations during the project meetings as well as the European Parliament and the partnership will culminate in a European Youth Parliament.

First Year of Partnership

In the first year of the partnership students will explore the youth cultures of the participating countries from 1950 to 2010. They will work on different aspects e.g. music, literature, sports, fashion, food, technology, communication, media.

Second Year of Partnership

In the second year students will examine the present political, social and economic situation of youth in Europe using the internet and other sources. As youth unemployment is extremely high in many EU-countries, students will exchange information on the situation in individual countries and successful measures to solve this situation.

Project Objectives

In many EU countries the unemployment rate for young people is very high. On average, 20% of young people under the age of 25 do not have a job. Although they are very well trained, although they have a university degree, although they spent some time abroad, although they can speak several foreign languages, their opportunities on the European labour market are poor. Young people expressed their dissatisfaction, their frustration, and their anger in demonstrations from Madrid to London in summer 2011. As the economic situation is difficult in so many EU states, the European Union should be playing a major role in how to solve this problem. If the European Union were to play a more active role in fighting unemployment, it might be viewed more positively by young people.

The project has for its aim to support young people. They will learn about the participating countries, their society, culture, politics, economy etc. They will exchange information on how the EU countries help young people to be successful in the labour market and in European society. The project "Youth in Europe - Europe in Youth" will improve the life chances of young people in Europe.

Project Activities

The project activities include photos, presentations, reports and videos.

Photos:

Spain

Presentations:

Activities:

Reports:

Dissemination

In this section you find reports on the project activities in various meetings at school, reports from the student magazine on the partnership and the project meetings and reports from the local press and radio and TV (e.g. Neue Westfälische, Herforder Kreisblatt, Radio Herford, WDR).

Newspaper article I Germany
Newspaper article II Germany