Young Ideas for Europe

In public discussions, the young generation is often accused of being politically disenchanted and displaying a general disinterest towards Europe. However, in classical political forums it is rather difficult for young people to join the discussion. “Young Ideas for Europe” wants to ensure that the voice of European youth is heard. The project’s aim is to get more young people interested in European topics and to prepare them to help shape Europe politically, economically, and socially.

At the heart of “Young Ideas for Europe” are the European political project weeks taking place in schools throughout Germany and EU partner countries. In Germany, the project will be conducted with students in their final years at state-run secondary schools and with high school students in grades ten and eleven. During the project weeks, the young people receive support from academic and business professionals as well as from EU Parliament representatives. The topics - this year on the subject of environment policy - are coordinated with the individual EU council presidency. During the closing event, young people exchange their findings with students in the partner country. Their concepts are subsequently uploaded to a moderated Internet platform where the findings from all participating countries are discussed, summarized into one common statement, and prepared for presentation to the EU council presidency.

Introduced as a pilot project in 2008, “Young Ideas for Europe” has grown from initially seven to now all 27 EU member states.

The project is run in cooperation with IFOK GmbH, Bensheim.