Have their hopes and dreams for an enlarged EU come true? And how do young Europeans view the future of their Europe? These and other questions have been answered by the EURO<26 project Europe for a Change, which started in 2003 (EFAC I) and continued in 2005 (EFAC II). Slovenian EURO<26 youth card took part in both project as a member of Europe for a Change project team. Also 4 cardholders from Slovenia participated in these projects.
EUROPE FOR A CHANGE II
Like the first campaign in 2003 the Europe for a Change II campaign also had an amazing success: from October 2005 until May 2006, the campaign was broadcasted throughout Europe, reaching an impressive 35 million people!
The Campaign
Over 12 million young people read about the campaign across various print media; 14 million encountered the campaign online; 1 million received the information through electronic newsletters; nearly 500,000 people viewed the video presentations in schools, youth clubs, and at festivals and road shows across Europe, inspiring discussion and provoking thoughts; the campaign also reached over 800,000 people by radio, reaching out to young people without internet access and letting them feel part of something young, fresh and European.
The cross-media campaign used short television documentaries, print layouts, video/audio files of young participants’ statements, viral clips and the enormously popular website www.change-europe.org.
You can still get the feeling of Europe for a Change project at www.change-europe.org, which features weblogs, video snippets, a guestbook and much more. An interactive European values vote and win contest, which ended in May 2006, invited young people to create their own ‘Staircase of Values’ for the future of the European Union. The debate continues online today at www.change-europe.org, as young people continue to actively contribute to the project by discussing European topics in their blogs and guestbook.
Values of Young Europeans
So, what is most important to young Europeans? What do they believe is necessary to the continued strength and growth of the European Union? For the 7,396 young people living in 41 European countries who voted online, Peace and Freedom are the top priority values for the future of Europe – for without peace and freedom, the other important values of Education, Communication, Mobility, Different Cultures and Equal Opportunities cannot exist.
Above all, the project revealed that young Europeans see EU expansion as a natural, necessary and positive development – a development that can only be of benefit to all Europe, but one that requires active participation by all young people to ensure its success.
What do YOU think should be No. 1 priority in Europe? See what other young people think should be the most important values for the future of the EU! www.change-europe.org
