Shaping Europe’s future – with the voice of youth!

Europe needs committed citizens. And it needs impetus from young people who are prepared to transcend boundaries and think as visionaries. In Jugend denkt Europa [youth conceives Europe], an initiative by the Robert Bosch Stiftung, schoolchildren from across Europe are engaging in dialogue about the future topics of Europe and are drawing up their own political programme, online and offline, which they will then submit to today’s politicians. The high level of interest shows that Europe is the “in thing” for the voters of tomorrow!

In European elections, young adults regularly make up the largest proportion of non-voters. Through school alone, pupils often do not receive the preparation they need to help them shape Europe’s politics, economy, and society. This is where Jugend denkt Europa comes in: By combining the strengths of traditional partnership projects for youngsters with genuine participation, it has been possible to create a new platform for young people that brings politics to life for them. In four-day, Europe-wide workshops, participants took on the role of tomorrow’s generation of politicians: Their task was to find common ground on a selected area of politics, acquire an understanding of methodology, and, on the final day, discuss the ideas with members of the EU Parliament and national parliaments. An important element of Jugend denkt Europa is networking between the various locations in Europe: The schoolchildren in the partner countries use a shared online forum to exchange their visions and therefore gain a broader understanding of Europe’s cultural and social diversity. After the successful launch of the initiative in 2008, it is clear that within the shortest space of time, IFOK has been able to establish a broad partner network that brings together institutions, politicians, and young people under one roof. Important disseminators from European, national, and federal state government support the initiative, as do renowned organisations. With systematic development in 2009, the successful project is embarking on round two – with even more participants, more partner companies, and more online activities. In short: With Jugend denkt Europa 2.0, the voice of Europe’s youth will continue to be heard in the future!