Over the past year and a half, the Romanian Center for European Policies and Aspire Teachers have implemented the project EulectionPlay: Gamifying Youth Public Participation: From Local Governance to European Union Elections. Our goal was (and we hope we succeeded) to support the civic involvement of young people.
The Electionville game and civic participation
The project activities began with the implementation of the Electionville game, which had been successfully tested in several European countries. We managed to train over 40 teachers to apply the game in their classes, and more than 250 students tested it physically. Along with the learning and use of Electionville, we organized dozens of online learning modules about the EU, attended by over 500 students.
Youth and voting participation
We organized a competition among the participating students to select young ambassadors from Romania who will be voting for the first time in the European Parliament elections on June 9, 2024. We selected seven young ambassadors and supported them in organizing five events dedicated to youth in their communities—Roman (March 21), Darabani (April 17), Agniya (April 22), Bucharest (May 17), and Cluj-Napoca (May 22)—aimed at promoting youth participation in the European Parliament elections.
The 5 events were organized in different geographic areas, some with very limited civic space, such as Darabani, Roman, or Agnita, where youth initiatives are rarely encountered. At CRPE, we always try to direct our attention to these communities, offering young people not only the opportunity to express their opinions but also the space needed to actively engage in debates and activities that positively influence their civic participation. We aimed for these events to be organized almost entirely by youth for youth, with the concept developed by them and the CRPE team acting as facilitators.
We thank and congratulate them for what they have achieved.
Events for first-time voters
The ideas and concepts behind these events were developed by the seven young ambassadors, based on the needs identified in their communities and the experiences of their peers. They considered testimonials like those of Ioana, an 11th-grade student, who, approaching the age of majority, felt the need to be informed and to form a conscious opinion before voting for the first time: “This summer, I turn 18 and will participate in the electoral sessions for the first time. I want to vote, but I don’t know who to vote for or where to get information to form a clear opinion.”
Alex, a 12th-grade student, shared his thoughts on the transition to adult life and his desire to be active in his community: “At the age of 18, I started to be concerned about aspects related to adult life, not knowing exactly what to expect. I want to be an active person in my community and, first of all, I want the chance to find pertinent information that can help me make an appropriate decision in the upcoming elections.”
The success of these events was remarkable, with more than 380 young people actively participating in debates. We discussed the importance of voting, the European elections, how young people can get involved, and how they can influence their community. We hope that these events were just the first step toward genuine platforms for exchanging ideas and stimulating civic spirit among young people, contributing to the formation of a proactive and responsible generation.
Simulating the voting process for youth
4 of the 5 events included debates between fictitious parties formed by young people aged 17 to 18, peers of the seven young ambassadors, and students from the high schools involved in the project. These debates were followed by a simulation of the voting process, which concluded with the designation of the winning fictitious parties. This format provided young people with practical experience in understanding the electoral process and was an engaging way to involve and educate them about democratic mechanisms and their responsibility as citizens.
Co-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.
