In this issue of the newsletter we go back to Stuttgart and discover the Mindchangers Youth Declaration, developed during the International Youth Meeting. Also, there are two new tips to engage young people, as well as a snapshot of the activities across Europe. Enjoy the reading!
_Focus on
Mindchangers Youth Declaration
Last September more than 100 young people gathered in Stuttgart for the Mindchangers International Meeting to find concrete proposals to address the barriers to youth engagement. The result is the Mindchangers Youth Declaration that puts forth appeals and recommendations for action as a strong statement from the European youth.
Mindchangers as main feature of the HOPE festival
On 13-15 October 2023, Mindchangers took part in the sustainable HOPE festival, hosted in the superb Gare Maritime building of the Tour & Taxis site in Brussels. It was a unique opportunity to showcase to a wide audience this European initiative carried out by Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles in Belgium, and the many projects it supports._Tips to engage young people
If you have always worked for youth, now’s the time to start thinking about working with them! Give young people the opportunity to plan and develop their own activities. Informal groups and newly created youth organisations struggle in finding funding. Adapt the criteria and reduce administrative burden of the calls for proposals to make funding more accessible. And consider providing capacity building and technical assistance before and during the implementation of activities.
The SDGs teach us that we are all interconnected: apply this also within your entity and create synergies. Many topics – for example the environment, health, food policies – can be addressed with a global approach, and linked to your organisation’s international cooperation activities (and vice versa!). Provide the right conditions for young people to understand the global dimension organising international exchanges or facilitating meetings with diaspora communities.
_Projects
Let's think together about how we can design a life that meets the challenges of the 21st century!
As part of “Feu sur la Banquise”, Graines de Soi asked 10 students and young workers to create a series of podcasts in which they could each voice their questions, and in response, give the floor to inspiring witnesses who are currently trying to adapt professionally to the ecological and social crisis we are going through.
Debates take young people from Dolj one step closer to youth empowerment
CEDRU continued to engage its volunteers in activities implemented as part of their sub-grated project EcoShades and hosted another stimulating debate in partnership with “Henri Coanda” Theoretical High School in Craiova.