GO TO

LEUVEN!

How can we be disruptive and make more youth-friendly the current EU consultation tools? Come to Leuven, meet new people, use your creativity, discuss and play the idea challenge: your best ideas could win and become reality!

FORMAT

IDEA CHALLENGE

Develop your best ideas, be innovative and win the competition with others changemakers.

TOPICS

How to enhance the quality of the EU consultation tools making them more youth-friendly, inclusive, functional, and accessible?
Citizens’ engagement with the EU institutions: how to bring current EU dialogue tools closer to citizens?
Citizens’ perception of the EU's relevance in our daily lives: what media content for communicating the added value of the European integration?

EU CONSULTATION TOOLS

Europeans went digital... in Leuven!

Fourth event of #EuropeansGoDigital: Debate Your Future!

#67 participants, #13 European countries.

Main actors: young university students from all over Europe, excited for a final exchange of ideas and propositions to create youth-friendly EU Consultation Tools.

Goals: implement new policies and media channels to make more youth-friendly EU Consultation Tools!

Find more about
the event

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Have a look at the agenda

A really interesting experience, lots of sharing and discovering. I'm very happy to have participated, everybody is kind with everyone but also motivated to work so things go on by themselves. I was a bit scared because I had never participated in an Idea Challenge but I will for sure try to participate a next time if I can! It was a pleasure to connect with other EU members, exchange ideas, and bring them to life all in one. The EucA administration did an excellent job in hosting us and we had a great time coming together.

This event was an excellent opportunity for young people for make their voices heard, get in contact with other young people, and network. The iIdea Challenge is a very fun and creative format, and I think it really expresses young people's ideas.

I really liked the international air and to see that our word matter for you, that I have a chance to make things better and this is a really good feeling. I also really liked the Belgian culture, so thank you!

Idea Challenge

Europeans Go Digital brought together in Leuven, Belgium, on 26-28 October 67 participants from 13 EU countries for a final exchange of ideas and propositions to create youth-friendly EU Consultation Tools.

How can we increase citizens’ engagement with the EU institutions through European dialogue? What media content can be used to communicate the added value of European integration?

The main topic of the discussion were the ongoing EU mechanisms already set in motion to promote better engagement between citizens in the European dialogue, followed by the inputs of our #changemakers on how to increase inclusion and cohesion among the parties using innovative communication tools.

On the first day, Ms. Eliana Pitti, Communication Officer in the Youth Outreach Unit of the European Parliament; Ms. Danielle Piatkiewicz, Program Director at the Alliance of Democracies Foundation; and Ms. Rita Pecoraro, Policy Assistant @ EYY 2022 Team - European Commission, attended as panelists and introduced the pitchfires where each participant had 1 min to present their primary idea for the Idea Challenge.

The following day, students were divided into 10 working groups - 5 Policy Teams & 5 Media Teams -, in order to discuss and create policies or media strategies according to the ideas pitched previously under the theme of “youth-friendly EU Consultation Tools”.

On the last and final day, all groups presented their work to the jury composed by Hon. Loránt Vincze, Vice-Chair of the AFCO Committee and Member of PETI Committee in the European Parliament; Ms. Maud Cattiaux, Project Officer European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA); Mr. Davide Dal Maso - Founder of Social Warning; and Mr. Gian Luca Giovannucci, President of EucA, who selected the best two proposals presented by the teams. An enriching discussion on youth-engagement and the future of Europe followed.

Our congratulations to everyone for their amazing job!

What's next?

As the project has the aim of bringing young EU citizens and EU institutions closer together, the winning proposals of this event will be presented to MEPs and national policymakers.

We are grateful to all the participants coming from our Colleges for their commitment: German students coming from Jacobs University Bremen; Greek students from Perrotis College; Hungarian students from EVK Szakkollégium, Heller Farkas College for Advanced Financial Studies, Rajk College for Advanced Studies; Italian students from Collegio Don Nicola Mazza, Collegio Einaudi, Collegio Monterone, Collegio Universitario Lamaro Pozzani, Collegio Universitario Santa Caterina da Siena, Residenza Universitaria Rivalto, Villa Nazareth; Romanian students from Miko Imre Law and Economics College for Advanced Studies; Swiss students from Franklin University Switzerland; Polish students from Politechnika Warszawska; Spanish students from Colegio Mayor Universidad Francisco de Vitoria; and Portuguese students from Montes Claros.