Location: SouthBank, London
Venue: the British Film Institute, Blue Room
Date and time: 25 April 2014, 14.00hrs to 16.30hrs
Please RSVP to the event here.
We are pleased to invite you to the final event of the Reconnecting UK Youth to Europe Project. This event is an opportunity to debate, discuss and discover what young people really think about the EU and to meet other likeminded youth participation groups and organisations engaged in supporting young people's civic action across the country.
The event will also see us announce the winner of our youth video competiton, 'How do you imagine Europe in 2050'. There is still time to enter the competiton, just head over to our Facebook page for more information and to see the current entries.
There will be a number of travel bursaries available for young people to attend the event, please contact Dr Darren Sharpe at darren.sharpe@anglia.ac.uk for more information.
Confirmed Speakers:
- Andrew Hood, Deputy Director Balance of Competences and EU Strategy European and Global Issues Secretariat, Cabinet Office.
- Tom Spencer, Deputy Chairman Pro Europa, The Brussels Council of the British European Movement and also chaired the Youth Campaign in 1975
- Filippo Addarii, Director of International Strategy and Head of EuropeLab
- Dr Belinda Brooks-Gordon, Lib Dem Candidate for European Elections
Background:
The gap between citizens and European Institutions is growing constantly, with young people showing an especially low interest in EU affairs. Citizens’ low level of political engagement not only has a serious effect on the quality of the EU’s democratic life, but also means citizens’ interests and views are likely to be under-represented in the decision-making process.
As a result, this EU Representation in the UK funded project has specifically mobilised young people in the UK, engaging them in EU affairs and creating an understanding of how Europe influences their daily lives. The aim now is to connect these young people and their views to policy-makers in Brussels, giving them a forum to voice their opinions and shape the Europe they want to see.
At the event, we will debate the results from our video competition and online poll with the help of our guest speakers and audience. This will be an interactive event and an opportunity to share your own work and ideas on how to engage citizens and make the European agenda relevant to young people in the UK.
