Youth engagement in civic and political life is at the core of our democratic societies. According to a recent Youth Eurobarometer survey(2022), 72% of young respondents want decision-makers to listen to their demands and act on them. This reflects growing frustration among youth that their voices are rarely heard and their engagement is often neglected. 58% of youths reported being active in their communities and participating in one or more youth organizations in the past year.
Youth Priorities
Young people are eager to play a more active and influential role in their communities, particularly on issues such as climate change, poverty, social inequality, mental and physical wellbeing, and education. They recognize the importance of developing their skills, organizing, and taking action from an early age. Non-formal educational training programs that involve youths in the full project cycle, from training to action plan creation and implementation, can enhance their civic engagement and awareness of their societal roles.
EUTEAM Project
The EUTEAM project (Youth learning and living European values through virtual exchanges and gamification) is a multi-annual initiative coordinated by the Romanian Center for European Policies and implemented in Romania, Georgia, Moldova, and Slovakia, in partnership with Association Atinati (Georgia), ADEL Slovakia, and AO Centrul de Informare si Resurse PROBONO (Moldova).
Our goal is to empower youth to become more civically involved, focusing on the issues they care about most. Over three years, EUTEAM will engage more than 2,300 youths, 100 teachers, and 100 youth workers.
EUTEAM Project Structure
- Learning Modules: Develop and publish three open-access learning modules for youths on Active Citizenship, Promoting Diversity and Interculturalism, and Media Literacy and Critical Thinking, plus one module for teachers and youth workers on Improving Access to EU-funded Youth Programs.
- Virtual Sessions for Teachers and Youth Workers: Organize at least two virtual sessions per country to promote the learning modules, gather feedback, and make adjustments.
- Virtual Sessions for Youths: Host at least 14 virtual sessions per country to promote the learning modules, gather feedback, and make adjustments.
- Youth-led Action Plans: Create 15-20 youth-led action plans aligned with project objectives and pilot 5-10 local virtual campaigns in each country. Reward and support the interventions with the highest demonstrated impact.
- Cross-country Working Groups: Organize at least five cross-country virtual working groups on European topics and values.
- Events: Host at least one event per country to mainstream the interventions and at least two transnational events.
Importance of Virtual Exchange Programs
Virtual exchange programs are crucial for enhancing youth civic involvement and promoting European values. These programs enable young people from diverse backgrounds to meet, engage in common activities, and build mutual trust. This can reduce discrimination, polarization, and radicalization.
An Erasmus+ higher education impact study for the European Commission (2019) found that Erasmus+ students reported significant improvements in skills that foster social cohesion. For instance, 95% said they learned to better get along with people from different cultures and 93% improved their ability to consider cultural differences. Half of the participants reported a stronger stance against discrimination, intolerance, xenophobia, or racism after their mobility experience. Additionally, 90% of youths valued their European identity more, with Eastern European participants showing the strongest European identity before and after the program.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
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