Peer Civic newsletter #1: the voice of those who animate Europe’s youth policies
PEER CIVIC is a European initiative created to amplify the voice of young people, who are often excluded from political decision-making processes. The project aims to bridge this gap by promoting active and informed participation in the democratic and political life of the Member States and the European Union.
The Platform
We have developed an innovative platform, the Youth Incubator for Public Debates, which serves as a virtual space to foster collaboration among young participants. Through a bottom-up participatory approach, the platform allows you to
– Share information about government systems in partner countries.
– Define procedures for representing young people’s needs in the candidates’ action plans
– Organise public events with the participation of young people, including those from disadvantaged areas.
– Monitor the European Parliament’s actions through the direct input of young people.
The platform is a pillar of youth empowerment, facilitating dialogue between young people and policy makers.
Training in Craiova
In June 2024, a training course on peer-to-peer methodology took place in Craiova, Romania. The 26 participants from six countries (Bulgaria, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Romania, Spain) deepened collaborative learning techniques and strengthened key competences to lead civic initiatives. This training, hosted by ANDCTR and co-organised by Italian and Spanish partners, was a milestone for the project, strengthening the capacities of the youth workers involved.
Local training
In the participating countries, 300 young people and 30 youth workers participated in local trainings based on the P2P method. The main objectives were to make participants aware of the opportunities offered by PEER CIVIC and the European Youth Strategy, while developing youth-led initiatives to address the issues of greatest interest to them.
Online youth election event
On 11 December 2024, an innovative online event involved the entire PEER CIVIC community of young participants aged between 18 and 25 from the six European countries, stimulating debate on 11 different topics (Youth Goals) and simulating an election campaign with speeches by the different candidates. The event was a crucial moment to see the connection between local community engagement and its European dimension that PEER CIVIC has been able to build so far. Finally, the Youth Online event kicked off an interactive voting process, which will hand over the 12 elected young people who will represent the PEER Civic community for further activities.
Upcoming events: study visit to Brussels
In 2025, the 12 selected young people will leave for a study visit to Brussels. The initiative includes meetings with European parliamentarians and youth organisations, with a focus on the objectives of the European Youth Strategy. The aim is to strengthen youth involvement and foster direct dialogue with decision-makers.
PEER CIVIC continues its journey, consolidating the role of young people as key actors in the construction of a more inclusive and participative European citizenship.
The community remains open to anyone interested in feeling part of the debate, the issues and the democratic life of our countries.
We invite you to register on the platform: https://peercivic.eu/members/
