#Ensemble: Franco-German Youth Exchange

The initiative was set in the frame of the German and French EU Council Presidency, in 2020 and 2022 respectively as well as the federal and presidential elections in Germany and France. The familiarisation of France and Germany in a cooperative context was a turning point in European history and part of the foundation of the concept of the peaceful Europe that we know today.

In the spirit of a united and democratic Europe, the project aimed to foster intercultural exchange and mutual understanding. A key factor of this is languages, which is why Ensemble: Franco-German Youth Exchange took place in French and German, with simultaneous translation of key programme elements.

Ensemble 1.0 conference

From the 27th to the 29th of November 2020 the first-ever #Ensemble session gathered more than 60 young people in an innovative digital format. Under the theme “Youth Perspectives on the Effects of COVID-19“, the participants discussed topics such as education, economy, climate change, political education, human rights and political education.

Roundtables

In a series of roundtables in 2021, young people from France and Germany had the opportunity to exchange with young experts and decision-makers on current debates:

• September — EYP Germany Roundtable: “How can Germany and France, in light of their historic cooperation, lead the renewable energy transition in the EU?”
• October — EYP France Roundtable: “Citizenship education, a major challenge for our societies.”
• December — Schwarzkopf Foundation Roundtable: “After the German parliamentary elections, before the French presidential elections: What Role for the Franco-German Tandem in Europe?”

Ensemble 2.0 conference

From the 22nd to the 24th of October 2021, the three-day bilingual conference #Ensemble 2.0 took place in a hybrid format, with the overarching topic “The Future of Europe and the Democratic Participation of Youth in the Political Process”. During a high-level panel debate, participants had the opportunity to engage with Christophe Arend, President of the board of the FGPA, member of the Assemblée Nationale for La République en Marche, Katarina Peranić, Co-President of the Deutschen Stiftung für Engagement und Ehrenamt, Maxime Boitieux, working for the French association Peuple et Culture and representing the CNAJEP as well as representatives of the FGYO and the Schwarzkopf Foundation. You can watch it here.