Interacting with young Europeans brought me some new perspectives on our common future. By talking about how the different countries cope with migration, ecological issues and unemployment, it was clear to me that Europe can be seen as a Reclaiming our Future: Essays laboratory - a laboratory where the means to deal from GEF’s Participants on with these globally produced problems differ. But where we can learn from each other, from how the Thessaloniki EYD 2014 nations deal with these problems; do they accept or reject differences? And how do they develop means to cope with the changing climate? These problems The European Youth are relatively new, but in a united Europe we search for ways to live peacefully and fruitfully together Dialogue 2014, held in without destroying each other’s differences. Thessaloniki between 8th - Not only the content of the seminar was satisfying, 11th May, exceeded my also the warmth and kindness of the people I met expectations in many ways. I was of great value. In a more informal way we got to met utterly inspiring people know each other in the vibrant city of Thessaloniki. with different backgrounds New friends were made and working groups were and stories. formed. Most of all I learned from this seminar that we have to encourage and promote to think in a We talked about their aspirations and experiences European state of mind. Together we are stronger to on gender issues, the uprising of right-wing face the difficulties of tomorrow. ideologies in Europe and the complex relationship between the private and the public sphere. An essay by Liza Noteris Thanks to the Green European Foundation, I had the opportunity to participate for the first time Especially the workshop on ‘Generation Y’ gave me a in a Youth Transnational better insight in what is driving European youngsters Seminar, the European nowadays. We discussed the possibilities of the new Youth Dialogue (EYD), generation in the context of globalization and social which took place in media. Thessaloniki from the 8th - 11th May. But we also saw the downsides of the so- called lost Around eighty people from different parts of Europe generation, such insecurity on the job market and the joined to work together on how to change Europe in a labour migration that goes alongside it. During the greener and more socially just way. workshop we also got a training on how to debate and had to dig deeper into our personal lives to understand An essay by Adrià Belenguer Sòria the differences between personal issues and societal trends. That was a difficult but meaningful exercise. It gave some interesting insights and new ideas to work and write in in the future. The EYD held in Greece - one of the worst hit countries Two German participants, who also attended the by the financial and socioeconomic crisis, where some of Generation Y workshop, and who visited 22 European the most unpopular and undemocratic decisions were cities to collect stories on this so-called ‘lost generation’ taken by the Troika (IMF, ECB and EC). In this context, I asked me to participate in a writing workshop they will believe it is really important to organise pan European be organising in the beginning of August. I of course events, which aim to show to the Greek population that accepted, because it is important to think about how to there are also people in Europe who don’t believe in the approach youngsters in these difficult situations and current economic model and the European policies of how to motivate them. the last years. 2 interested to know the different points of view of the European democracy and how And that the Green European Movement stands for a it is perceived. Personally, I would like to more humane and social Europe, where the main emphasise that almost all the participants subjects of concern of the policies should be the people who participated in this workshop came and not the economy. from EU peripheral member states as Malta, Cyprus, Portugal, Greece or Spain. Democracy, social justice, equality of opportunities, Also, I appreciated the participation of youth empowerment, sustainability, green politics and Reinhard Bütikofer (European Green climate change were the most shared worries by the Party, co- chair) in the workshop, giving participants. Nowadays, young people whose future has the participants the opportunity to have a been dashed by the effects of neoliberal policies, which discussion with one of the leading Green caused the current crisis, need to cooperate and work figures, who introduced his idea of the together to achieve their goals in alternative ways to European democracy from the point of traditional politics and economics. More democracy is a view of a German green. demand, but to reach it we need to democratise the Workshop on “Internships: a common economy. Social and sustainable economy is not just a framework for the European Union”. This green claim, but it is the way to make society fairer. workshop was the most concrete in which Once this happens, our society will become more I participated. With the aim to create a democratic. common framework for the internship in A lot of different aspects of the four days conference the EU, experts/facilitators? From could be underlined as important or productive. IntersGoPro and B!NGO motivated the However, I would like to focus on my own experience and participants with a very dynamic method to explain which were the strengths and weaknesses of to establish some criteria to build the conference according to my point of view. minimum standards for quality internships, which should be respected in For me the most interesting part of the seminar all the EU member states. Such criteria consisted of the workshops of Friday, where all the included the remuneration of the work, participants could engage in different discussions and respect for the interns’ work and real on participate more actively while giving their opinions. the job training, so that the internship is a Some examples of the workshops: first step into the job market Workshop on “Social economy – an Finally, it was also great to have the opportunity to alternative”. In this workshop we learnt network with other young greens from around how social economy is becoming a real Europe and to get to know the different ways that new alternative to the traditional capitalist they campaign, the different objectives we have, the and self- profit model of business. Around main controversial issues they work on and how they ten participants shared their own deal with these. experiences and worked to create new initiatives with social impact, which can be reproduced in our hometowns or When I found out that on the countries. The outcomes of the workshop behalf on the Green were some impressing initiatives, which European Foundation (GEF) I aimed to reshape the society in a more would attend the European fair way, as for example creating urban Youth Dialogue (EYD), quickly gardens on building rooftops in a a smile came to my face. cooperative way. This implies that all the Many great memories neighbours work as in a cooperative and reminded me the Youth they share the harvested vegetables, Congress 2013 which was which should have been cultivated in a been organized by the sustainable way. Heinrich Boll Foundation Workshop on “Strengthening European democracy and the future of the European (HBF) and took place only few months before in Berlin. political parties”. As in my internship at An essay by Paula Espinosa Giménez GEF I am organising a seminar on European Democracy, I was very Reclaiming our Future: Essays from GEF’s Participants on Thessaloniki EYD 2014 Reliving again the experience of meeting young and am not cent per cent sure if I can completely identify politically active Europeans to discuss about Europe’s myself with the definition of Gen Y term… and /or if I future and “Reclaiming our future” was something that really want to. The thing that I absolutely agree with is really excited me! that my generation knows very well how to use the opportunities that new technologies are bringing to us in It would be a similar experience, but I was sure that it order to achieve our goals, that we are constantly would be different. exploring new technologies and that we feel much more at ease with the tech, online world than elder In this moment, I knew that thanks to going to generations! Thessaloniki, I would have the opportunity to keep developing the project proposal – on quality internships Thessaloniki: the European Youth Capital - that I had presented to HBF with some other participants from the Youth Congress 2013. During the European Youth Dialogue I have discovered that Thessaloniki is the European Youth Capital , which The months between the Youth Congress and the EYD means that for a period of one year, the city has the were crucial to prepare and to organize together with chance to showcase, through a multi- faceted B!NGO and Inters Go Pro (NGO ‘s working in how to programme, its youth- related cultural, social, political promote quality early job experiences) the workshop and economic life and development. Thanks to the focused on the project proposal Internship: a common volunteers of Thessaloniki EYC we got to know the city of framework for the European Union, aimed to co- create Thessaloniki, not only its monuments, history and it the European Label for Quality Internships developed by particularities, but also its social and activist aspects, for InternsGoPro, B!NGO and key stakeholders around the example visiting in social organizations as Oikpolis and EU, and also to enrich the research work in which I’m Arsis.