The Born in EU campaign aims to research and understand the views of the young generations of Europeans. The next generation of EU citizens, those born after the 2004 EU enlargement, will play a vital role in shaping the European political landscape. They are those who grew up within the European project and whose voice should matter on how this project moves forward. In general, this young generation tends to be more progressive on Europe-wide issues and global ones alike. Their involvement is critical in addressing the current-day challenges. The Born in EU project aims to coagulate these voices, the political views of the young EU citizens, and to make it clear for policymakers.
You can read the event description forms for each workshop here:
Hamburg (Workshop 1 & 2)
Berlin (Workshop 1 & 2)
Munich (Workshop 1, Workshop 2)
Dresden (Workshop 1 & 2)
👇 More Information
As part of our involvement in the Born in EU project, we’ve been helping to bring Europe’s young people into the spotlight. 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of the EU’s big-bang enlargement, and the first generation of citizens born in 2004 from the 10 new member states will become adults. This milestone highlights the need for a special focus on young peoples views from across the continent; particularly regarding the future of European Democracy. The Born in EU project aims to coagulate these voices, calling attention to the political views of young EU citizens, and to making their wishes clear to policymakers.
In the run-up to the elections, and with a larger number of young voters eligible than ever before, our focus has been on cultivating active political engagement amongst Europe’s youth. In early February, we launched a workshop series at schools across Germany centred on youth involvement in politics. The workshops aimed to underscore the significance of voting to students while showcasing their potential influence on electoral results. Additionally, we aimed to equip participants with tools to become active participants in democracy, emphasising key campaign and brand strategy skills. The students would then be invited to carry their new skills further, developing a campaign based on a policy proposal of their choosing – with the winner being invited to a study trip in Brussels.
Workshops:
We brought our workshops to schools in four major German cities; Berlin, Hamburg, Dresden and Munich. Our workshops saw both mixed and non-mixed gender cohorts, with participants having an age range of between 15-19. Initial attitude to electoral participation was similarly mixed; within a few groups, students stated they had not been eager to get involved in past elections, with several mentioning they knew people who didn’t vote. This was in stark contrast to other groups – particularly our second Hamburg workshop – in which the participants stated they were already actively politically engaged, and were excited at the prospect of voting.
Nevertheless, most groups attentively participated and contributed, pondering over insightful content such as cognitive fixation and the persona method. These active discussions placed a spotlight on the target demographics of political campaigns, and invited students to consider behaviours and motivations that may influence audience reactions to campaign strategy. In doing so, communication tactics that would resonate with these groups became apparent to participants, enabling an understanding of their own motivations to rise to the surface. Therefore, in exploring the factors that impact youth voter turnout, students became cognizant of their own personal relationship with the electoral system.
Within our workshops, separate working groups formed distinct and diverse identities, which indicated that these young people had clear and unique opinions they wanted to voice. The interactive workshop concept also seemed to lend itself to the content being discussed; through active participation in the workshop format, openness to active electoral participation became more prevalent. Participants then also considered policy issues that they personally wanted to develop – which in some of the more politically apathetic groups was a far cry from the political disconnect that was present at the start.
Across the board, at the conclusion of our workshop(s) participants were more receptive and open to the prospect of electoral participation. It was clear that students really did want to voice their opinions, and had been given the relevant skills, and importantly, the opportunity, to be heard.
Summary
We saw completely disparate groups take part in our workshops, demonstrating how varied attitudes to politics are in the young. The less politically engaged groups served to show that by giving students the platform and skills to voice their views, we can genuinely change perspectives. The more politically informed and active groups demonstrated that often young people are already actively politically engaged, and may just need a slight nudge in the right direction. As voter turnout at European Elections has gradually increased over the past few cycles, young people must continue to be given the right tools to become drivers of meaningful change. Our workshops helped to facilitate this; galvanising youth engagement in aid of the future of our European democracy.
Here are the core takeaways: Despite some initial apathy towards politics, participants from diverse backgrounds were equipped with key and applicable communication skills. Through engaging discussions and hands-on activities, they developed a deeper understanding of their role in shaping the future of the EU; and by exploring voter motivation and crafting their own policy proposals, young people were granted a voice.
By empowering young Europeans to actively participate in democracy, a brighter future for the EU is paved.
Born in EU has received funding under Grant Agreement n. 101081706, from the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) under the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme (CERV) programme.
Created and run with our partners:
