Od października 2018 roku Fundacja “Barka” jest partnerem w międzynarodowym projekcie Vote4Euope (Głosuj za Europą).
Projekt Vote4Europe ma na celu zachęcić zagrożonych wykluczeniem społecznym młodych ludzi (w wieku 16-35 lat) do uczestnictwa w europejskiej debacie, pozwalając stać się dobrze poinformowanymi obywatelami europejskimi. Celem jest również zwiększenie świadomości młodych ludzi na temat korzyści wynikających z bycia obywatelami Unii Europejskiej, a także uświadomienie odbiorców o wpływie ich głosu na codzienne życie oraz zachęcenie do głosowania w wyborach europejskich w maju 2019 r.
W ramach projektu stworzone zostały odpowiednie narzędzia i warunki, w których młodzi ludzie będą mieli szanse wyrazić swoje zdanie, stanowisko i oczekiwania wobec UE. Aby to było możliwe zorganizowane zostały debaty i spotkania z partnerami projektu, z posłami do Parlamentu Europejskiego oraz przedstawicielami instytucji europejskich. Jedną z możliwości poznania działań PE były dwa wyjazdy do Brukseli dla osób młodych (finansowane ze środków projektu).
Poniżej znajduje się opis działań w języku angielskim.
The project Vote4Europe? was funded with the support of the European Union under the Programme „Europe for Citizens”
Applicable to the Strand 2 Measure 2.3 „Civil Society Projects”
Event 1: Transnational Steering Committee (TSC) and Transnational Seminar Poznan, Poland
Participation: It brought together 64 citizens, including 48 from the city of Poznan (Poland), 2 from Ajaccio (France), 3 from the cities of Brussels and Liège (Belgium), 1 from Barcelona (Spain), 5 from the Netherlands, 1 from Romania, 1 from Turkey, 1 from Lithuania, 1 from Georgia and 1 from Ukraine.
Location/Date: The TSC and Transnational seminar took place at the Barka Foundation in Poznan (Poland) on 14th and 15th of February 2019.
Description: At the beginning of the conference, each of the project partners presented the organization they represent (CEC, CIJ, CIVITAS, TRINIJOVE, ACFI). Guests from the Netherlands, Lithuania and Ireland were also invited to introduce themselves.
Next, Jadzia Sadowska, one of the representatives of the Barka Foundation, presented the results of a survey of 102 young people between 18 and 35 years old. The participants in the survey answered questions about their knowledge of the European Union, but also about their feelings about the Union. Most of the respondents are participants in projects run by the Self-Help Foundation, participants in social integration centres in Poznań and the surrounding area, and residents of training centres and social housing.
After presenting the results of the questionnaire, MEP Agnieszka Kozłowska-Rajewicz took the floor. The subject of her speech was „What is the strength of the European Union? After that there was a debate where participants asked questions to Agnieszka Kozłowska-Rajewicz.
In the second part of the seminar, a panel discussion was set up on the theme „Why do you think it is important to vote? ».
The speakers on this panel were DSc Filip Kaczmarek, Polish politician and university professor; Eric Degimbe, Director of the European Coordinating Committee (CEC); Ewa Sadowska, Barka Ireland.
After lunch, workshops were held. The conference participants were divided into 4 groups and discussed 4 issues facing the EU as a community.
At the end of the workshop, each group had to prepare written questions that CEC would send to the Members of the new European Parliament during the period July – September 2019.
Here are the prepared questions: Workshop 1 „Youth Unemployment
How can the image / attractiveness of VET be improved?
Workshop 2 „How to fight terrorism?
How could the EU achieve balance and mutual understanding between EU citizens and migrants from the Middle East in terms of religion, politics, values when it talks about terrorism?
Workshop 3 „How to fight against climate change?
How to reduce CO2 production and maintain a competitive economy?
Workshop 4 „Migration
How to develop a real and effective European policy for the integration of migrants in Europe?
Event 2: Transnational Steering Committee and Transnational seminar in Barcelona, Spain
Participation: The seminar was attended by 103 people. 93 came from the city of Barcelona (a majority of whom were young people from the Trinijove Foundation from the Trinitat Vella district and the Sant Andreu district in Barcelona), 3 participants came from the city of Brussels (Belgium), 2 from the city of Bastia (France), 1 from Cluj-Napoca in Romania and 2 from Poznan in Poland 1 from Milan (Italy) and one from Lisbon (Portugal).
Place and date: The TSC and Transnational seminar took place in Barcelona in the meeting room of the Trinitat Civic Centre on 6 March 2019.
Description: The aim of the seminar was to inform and raise awareness among young people about the importance of their participation and involvement in the European debate.
The young people present at the seminar asked these questions of a professional, social or personal nature, which are important in their daily lives but will be especially important in their future.
What issues were discussed?
– Unemployment
– Job security
– Gender Equality
– Inclusion of women in male domains
– Immigration
– Environnement
The opening of the transnational seminar in the reception hall of the Civic Centre Trinitat Vella was presented by the Trinijove Private Foundation.
In the second part, Laia Ortiz, second mayor of Barcelona, councillor for social affairs and councillor of the district of Sant Andreu de Paloma addressed the participants.
Then Ernest Urtasun (MEP – Greens/EFA) addressed the audience and stressed the importance of youth voting nowadays. He also answered young people’s questions about the European Union and the European Institutions.
He encouraged them not to be afraid to speak out and be heard by the European institutions.
In general, the results of the questionnaires are optimistic and positive, either in terms of the number of questionnaires completed or in terms of the content and messages they reveal.
Although the final evaluation is good, the information obtained should also be used to continue the hard work and find new ways to encourage young people who still have political disengagement, reluctance and/or disaffection to feel receptive and to participate in the European debate.
Event 3: Transnational seminar in Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Participation: The event brought together 56 people from 9 countries: 48 from the city of Cluj-Napoca in Romania, 1 from Barcelona in Spain, 1 from Budapest in Hungary, 1 from Bologna in Italy, 1 from Turkey, 2 from Poznan in Poland, 1 from Riga in Latvia, 1 from Brussels in Belgium, 1 from Bastia in France.
Venue and date: The seminar took place in Cluj-Napoca, Romania at the College of Political, Administrative and Communication Sciences on 22 March 2019.
Description :
At the conference, we presented the results of the questionnaire on how young people see the EU, what they can expect from the EU and what values the EU should stand for. We presented the results of the Romanian questions but also the results of the questionnaire carried out in the other 4 countries of the consortium in order to have an overview as well, because the elections will have an impact on young people in all European countries. At the end, we invited our guests from Italy, Latvia and Hungary to tell us what is the attitude of young people in their countries regarding participation in the elections.
After this section, we invited our two MEPs Daniel Buda and Iuliu Winkler to speak about their role in the European Parliament in order to give participants a better understanding of how the EU works. They also talked about the fact that as young people, if they want to have a political career, it is advisable to make a career in a practical field and, after understanding how things are done, to go into politics and make laws. They also talked about BREXIT and mass manipulation, the communication channels of politicians. After their introduction our young people started asking them questions.
In the second part of the seminar, we divided the group for the workshops which were:
1. The Power of Civic Engagement – The Declic Community – Cluj Napoca
2. Information and Power with Ciprian Cucu, Forum Apulum – Alba Iulia
3. Priorities and realities in the E.U. with Simona Bartiş, Civitas Foundation for Civil Society – Cluj Napoca
And at the end, we had a feedback and conclusion session where the trainers presented the topic of their workshops and their conclusions.
We considered the seminar a success, the young people were involved in the process, they asked questions to the MEPs, they participate in our workshops in order to develop their critical spirit, to increase their knowledge about the European mechanism and yet they want to know how to build their future. During the question and answer session with the MEPs, when asked about this reliable source of information they can use, an interesting debate started between the participants and they shared ideas on how they create their own opinions, which shows that a new generation of young people is being born.
Event 4: National seminar in Brussels (Belgium)
Participation: This seminar organised by ACFI, one of the Belgian partners of the project, took place at a national level in the Idea 53 Training through Work Workshop in Anderlecht. It brought together 27 people. Most of them came from ACFI’s centres.
Place and date: This event took place in Brussels on 23 April 2019.
Description: 3 working groups met to inform low-skilled young people about the initiatives taken by the European Commission in the areas of reception of migrants, training and employment, particularly for those furthest from the labour market, environmental protection and the fight against climate change. These working groups made it possible to briefly explain EU initiatives in these three areas and above all to give the floor to young people to give us their visions and prepare questions to put to the Member of Parliament Philippe Lamberts during the transnational seminar the following day.
Event 5: Transnational seminar in Brussels (Belgium)
Participation: The meeting brought together 76 participants of which 49 came from the cities of Brussels, Tournai and Liège in Belgium, 5 from the cities of Bastia and Ajaccio in France, 4 from the city of Barcelona in Spain, 4 from Poznan in Poland, 3 from Cluj-Napoca in Romania, 1 from Sofia in Bulgaria but also 1 from Italy, 1 from Syria, 1 from Afghanistan and 2 from Greece.
Place and date: The event took place at the „Idea 53” Training Through Work Workshop in Brussels on 24 April 2019.
Description: Presentation of the results of the 155 replies to the questionnaires on the functioning of the European Parliament and the topics to be discussed with MEPs.
Presentation of the open letter on the views of low-skilled young people on the EU and how it works.
Debate between young people and MEP Philippe Lamberts on the importance of voting in the European elections.
Event 6: National meeting in Ajaccio (Corsica)
Participation: 46 people from the city of Ajaccio and its surroundings were present for this national seminar organised by the ICJ, the French partner of the project.
Venue and date: The seminar took place on 6 May 2019 at the Centre Social des Salines in Ajaccio.
Description: The Coopérative d’Initiative Jeunes has worked with social and training centres to bring young people together. We have worked in round table format with a focus on dialogue and exchange.
Various topics were discussed: citizenship and the European elections, mobility, living together, the environment, but also the functioning of the European institutions.
Event 7: National meeting in Targu Mures (Romania)
Participation: The national seminar organized by the Romanian partners of the project, the Civitas Foundation, gathered 51 participants aged 17 to 21 years old.
Place and date: It took place on 7 May 2019 at the Traian Savulescu College of Agriculture in Targu Mures, Romania.
Description: Presentation of the project objectives. Feedback on the participation of the Romanian young people who took part in the transnational seminar of 24 April 2019 and their visit to the House of European History on 24/04/19. On the basis of these testimonies of young people, the organizers presented the advantages offered by the E.U. in terms of mobility in Europe as well as the possibilities to travel, study and work in Europe through the Erasmus+ programmes, the European solidarity body.
The opportunity and the importance of being able to participate in the European elections and the socio-political problems that Romanians are going through and the protest movements of the population towards their ruling class. Videos were also shown illustrating the importance of going to vote and especially the consequences of not going to vote and leaving this power to others.
Event 8: Transnational Steering Committee and Transnational seminar in Ajaccio (Corsica)
Participation: 51 people came together for this seminar, 41 of whom came from the cities of Ajaccio and Bastia, 3 from the cities of Brussels and Liège (Belgium), 1 from Barcelona (Spain), 1 from the city of Poznan (Poland), 1 from the city of Cluj-Napoca (Romania), 1 from the city of Považská Bystrica (Slovakia), 1 from the city of Linz (Austria) and 1 from Lisbon (Portugal).
Place and date: The seminar took place at the Maison de quartier des Cannes in Ajaccio on 14 May 2019.
Description : The transnational seminar of Vote4Europe? took place in Ajaccio, France, with the presence of Mayor Laurent Marcangeli and former MEP François Alfonsi. The TSC took place after the Transnational seminar.
The representatives of the different youth movements were also present to explain to the public their roles but also and above all the interest of going to vote in the European elections.
Event 9: National meeting in Barcelona, Spain
Participation: 40 young Spaniards from various districts of Barcelona gathered at this national meeting organized by our Spanish partner „Trinijove”.
Place and date: the meeting took place at the „Casa de les Aigues communitary center of Art – Trinijove”, on June 14, 2019.
Description: Selection of questions to be asked to European parliamentarians and selection of the young people who will ask the questions at the final seminar in Brussels and will be featured in the project video.
Event 10: TSC and Final European seminar „How to give a new European impulse to the social and professional integration of low-skilled young people” in Brussels (Belgium).
Participation: Final seminar in Brussels on 6 March 2020 with about 100 participants from Belgium, Italy, Great Britain, Spain, Greece, Romania, Poland, France, Portugal, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Slovakia and Luxembourg.
Place and date: European Economic and Social Committee in Brussels on 6 March 2020 but cancelled due to the Coronavirus crisis. The TSC took place the 5 March 2020 at the CEC office.
Description: Opening by Gilles PELAYO Head of the Europe for Citizens Unit Presentation of the results of the project and debate between young people, Commissioner SCHMIT, EESC Vice-President Isabel CANO and MEPs Ernest URTASUN (Greens/EFA), Leila CHAIBI (GUE/NGL), Sylwia SPUREK (S&D) and Cristian GHINEA (Renew).
Więcej o projekcie : www.vote4europe.org/en/
