Voting is a fundamental right and stepping stone of active citizenship and democratic participation.
In light of the EU distrust and fewer implication of youth in democratic life, 7 NGOs from different countries decided to gather and make a change.
Although the last 2019 European Parliament (EP) elections experienced a higher voter turnout than the previous years, only 50.66% of people with the right and ability to vote did so.
Therefore, 7 different organisations decided to collaborate and improve youth participation in the next 2024 European Parliament elections.
The project ‘Changemakers for European Democracy’ will last 16 months – from March 2023 until June 2024. It is mainly funded by the European Parliament and partly co-funded by the 7 following partner organizations: TDM 2000 International (Italy), TDM 2000 Eesti (Estonia), Global Citizen Academy (Lithuania), TDM Malta, TDM Portugal (Portugal), Active Zone Outdoor (Cyprus), SIEDAS (Slovakia).
The objectives we want to achieve are:
- To promote and strengthen European democracy and citizenship at continental level;
- To promote the development of a political community made of active citizens at European and transnational level;
- To promote a virtuous change in European policy based on the action of civil society actors.
In order to achieve these objectives, one steering committee will be established comprising one representative per country (7 in total).
The steering committee will be managing the project, taking part to online and face-to-face meetings and will be coordinating the Changemakers.
The 70 Changemakers (10 Changemakers per country) will be selected through a ‘Selection Procedure Plan’. They will in-country trained and will help with the implementation of the following phases in activities in each participating country:
- Educational activities in schools for students to deepen their knowledge on issues concerning the EU and the EU right to vote;
- Opinion polls, online consultations and round tables with the EP candidates;
- Simulation of European Parliament with students, experts, trainers, changemakers, and policymakers;
- Flash mobs in each country at the same time to raise public and citizen awareness of the importance of voting;
- Interviews with the EP candidates before the elections;
- Multiplier events before and after the elections;
- Online campaigns running throughout the project;
- Press campaigns with national and international press conferences as well as national press releases and notes during local activities;
- 50 educational and promotional videos on the importance of the right to vote, European values, the promotion of active citizenship and other related topics;
- Posting and peer to peer communication during the whole time of the project and all activities;
- And other transversal activities to support the achievement of the results.
By doing this, we aim to achieve the following:
- Rising awareness of the importance of voting;
- Helping understanding the mechanisms of participation,
- Significantly increase the numbers of people who will take part in voting;
- Better understand how the EU works;
- Train about 1,000 young people in the involved countries and indirect training about 2,000 additional beneficiaries;
- Improve the number of access and interaction within the together.eu community.
Do you want to ask policymakers and MEP candidates about their program? Do you want to make your voice heard? Do you want to join us in this big adventure that will take us to the European Parliament elections? Then follow all our activities on the project’s dedicated platform at https://youthdialogue.eu/changemakers/#.
Want to join a community and help us promote European Democracy? Then join Together.eu which is an innovative online platform that serves as a hub for civic engagement and collaboration. It provides individuals, organisations, and communities with a space to connect, exchange ideas, and drive positive change in Europe. Together.eu is committed to empowering citizens, fostering democratic participation, and strengthening European democracy. Help us promote European Democracy by joining the community through this link: https://together.europarl.europa.eu/it_IT/referral/PAn236156677
Start Date: 01/03/2023
End Date: 30/06/2024
Action: Changemakers for European Democracy
Activity: European Parliament
Venue: Italy, Estonia, Lithuania, Malta, Portugal, Cyprus, Slovakia
Partner Associations:
- Italy – TDM 2000 International
- Estonia – TDM 2000 Estonia
- Lithuania – Global Citizens Academy
- Malta – TDM Malta
- Portugal – TDM Portugal
- Cyprus – Active Zone Outdoor
- Slovakia – SIEDAS