Youth Dialogue for Strong Civic Spaces
Supporting democratic, inclusive, and engaged societies in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova, and Russia and contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals, by focusing on climate, inclusion, and peace.
The project aims to contribute to the following Sustainable Development Goals:
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SDG 10 – Reduce inequality within and among countries. The partners will host local events in regions and rural areas, reach out to youth with fewer opportunities, and create safe(r) spaces.
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SDG 13 – Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. The participants will explore the topic of environmental sustainability, and partners ways to organize project events more sustainably, as well as address the solutions locally and internationally
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SDG 16 – Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions. The project will foster a dialogue on values and understanding through intercultural exchange and mobility. Local events and alumni talks will provide a place for exchange, sense-making, and further possible action to better support youth in the region.
Events and activities
Youth Dialogue for Strong Civic Spaces continues in 2022 with the objective 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 have included participants from Eastern Partnership Countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, as well as France, Germany, Poland and Russia. The activities will take place in a hybrid format: some parts of the project are digital-only, others in-person, and sometimes both are combined.
Peaceful Talks
In light of recent developments in Europe, like the crackdown of civil society in Belarus or the Russian war against Ukraine which also impact the EYP network and have induced some internal activities, we want to take our role and use our reach to inform, discuss, and empower young Europeans on their role in creating a peaceful European society at large. For this purpose, the idea of the ‘Peaceful Talks’ series came into place.
Travel grants
Within the project, we are providing young people with opportunities to travel regionally and internationally to experience intercultural exchange. This year, we are specifically focusing on young Ukrainians inside and outside of the country to support them in times of war and hardship that have been brought upon them.
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.
This project will connect senior Alumni with the younger participants, enabling them to learn from different experiences. Through a series of digital talks, in-person networking conferences and a 6-month mentorship programme, new connections between generations of young activists from various Eastern countries promoted pluralism and enabled knowledge exchange.
Understanding Europe trainings and crash courses
Crash courses within the Understanding Europe programme provide spaces for knowledge exchange and encourage young people to speak up, discuss and reflect upon their challenges.
