The project Youth Employment and Participation (YEP) gathered 42 young people coming from France, Italy, Spain, Bulgaria and Croatia. It aimed at linking young people unemployment challenge and the crucial role of their participation to make things move and find solutions.
From 18th to 22nd February, ALDA held a transnational seminar in Strasbourg about Youth Employment and Participation within the framework of its YEP project. This project was co-funded by the European Commission under the Youth in Action Programme.
The main subject of this seminar was the discussion of the situation of youth employment in participants’ countries and alternative ways to tackle this issue such as youth collective actions defending young people’s right to find a job. Therefore, the project also consisted in exchanges of good practices, transmission of tools enabling young people to become more active in public sphere and aimed at facilitating the creation of new contacts between participants for future cooperations. In addition, the project had as cross-cutting features the understanding of the importance of the main European values, such as promotion of multiculturalism and tolerance. As a result participants had the possibility to practice their intercultural skills, to extend their network and to acquire tools to develop a structured and efficient dialogue with stakeholders related to youth policy. Being active shapers of the future of their own communities and of Europe, the participants got all necessary tools to contribute to the development of their societies and struggle against unemployment. The whole project helped the participants to develop skills and competences that they would be able to use during all their life.
Icebreakers, energisers, intercultural activities, working groups (in-door activities) and excursions at the Council of Europe and in Strasbourg city center (out-door activities) allowed the active involvement of the participants during this week. In addition, daily inputs from participants and trainers, a presentation about the European programme Youth in Action and exercises in transnational group about ways to encourage young people to participate in the social and political life and to plan collective action to defend the right of youth to employment provided participants with necessary knowledge to draft recommendations and action plan for initiatives at local, national and European levels aiming at increasing the youth’ opportunities to find a job.