Resilient Youth Civic Spaces for All

The project Resilient Youth Civic Spaces for All is implemented by the European Youth Parliament with the support of the German Federal Foreign Office and is a continuation of the Youth Dialogue for Strong Civic Spaces project from 2021.
The project aims to enable and empower more democratic, inclusive, and engaged societies. By bringing young people together to exchange opinions whilst providing safe spaces for these meaningful encounters, they are encouraged to partake in productive dialogues and foster peaceful coexistence in the region and a common future in Europe.
Some of the main goals of this project are to:

• Build resilience of the EYP National Committees by creating a safe space for the peer-to-peer exchange of best practices.
• Highlight the practical application of active citizenship and volunteer engagement values, also through concrete measurement of impact.
• Form a connected network of the next generation of young leaders, who are equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to positively shape society around them.

Events and activities

Resilient Youth Civic Spaces for All aims to contribute to prosperous, democratic communities by empowering the participants and equipping them with knowledge and new skills.
The following events are planned at the international, national, and regional levels all over the EYP network and will include participants from Eastern Partnership Countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.

Local EYP events

In Summer and Autum 2024, a series of EYP events will be hosted by the different national committees in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Moldova, Georgia, Ukraine and Germany. In these events, more than 550 delegates and volunteers will come together to work towards common democratic solutions.
Local EYP volunteers will also be supported to organise EYP sessions in remote regions, ensuring the involvement of youth form vulnerable, rural and marginalised regions.

Travel grants

A fundamental part of the project is to ensure that young citizens can come together and share their perspectives, regardless of their position in the social and political systems. This involves providing young people with opportunities to travel regionally and internationally to participate in trainings and events of the network that ensure intercultural exchange. In 2024, we will equip least 40 young multipliers and youth with fewer opportunities with travel grants to lower the barriers for Eastern Partnership Countries to participate in EYP events.

Rebuild Ukraine Ambassadors

At a time where Ukraine is facing serious challenges to its security, prosperity and way of life, it is essential that younger voices are included in the discussions about the future of their country and its relationship to the European continent. The Rebuild Ukraine Ambassadors are a group of young Ukrainian and European citizens that gather to discuss ideas on how to re-build post-war Ukraine in a way that is socially and environmentally sustainable.
In summer 2023, the Ambassadors came together and launched a policy paper that put together their visions and plans for greener and more inclusive Ukrainian Citizens. In Auttum 2024, the group will work on a new, updated version of this document.

Alumni events

EYP Alumni are at the forefront of political developments in their countries. Some are members of the state Parliaments, some are leading local NGOs or reporting for news outlets, some are organizing civic movements, etc.
Through a series of talks, in-person meetings and 4 months-mentorship programs, the project promotes, new connections between generations, allowing for the exchange of knowledge and experiences between EYP Alumni and younger members.

Understanding Europe 

Beyond the EYP, Understanding Europe, a project of the Schwarzkopf Foundation Young Europe, will support the project by providing outreach to school students through workshops aimed at strengthening the knowledge about European institutions and democracy to 250 pupils in the region. These workshops provide the opportunity to get to know and discuss Europe while reflecting upon its current challenges. Workshops will be organised in Summer 2024 in Armenia and Ukraine.

This project is supported by the German Federal Foreign Office.