In late June, the YES Forum, together with its member IB (Internationaler Bund), hosted an online workshop focused on "Youth and Democracy in Europe". The two-hour event gathered youth workers, professionals from both organisations, and students from the IB Carlo Schmid School in Karlsruhe for an insightful discussion.
Annett Wiedermann, Managing Director of the YES Forum, and Christiane Lensch from IB Südwest, kicked off the session with presentations on youth work within the EU and inclusive democratic education. The students from the IB Carlo Schmid School then shared results from a survey conducted at their school, highlighting the concerns of Generation Z. Environmental issues, social justice, and discrimination ranked as their top priorities, while topics like war and peace appeared less significant.
The young participants emphasised the overwhelming influence of social media in shaping their worldviews and expressed a need for better education on navigating digital platforms. They also called for clearer, youth-friendly political information, particularly on social media.
Despite differences in perspectives, the workshop successfully fostered an open dialogue between generations. Young attendees stressed their desire to speak for themselves, advocating for more youth participation in political discussions.
Both youth and professionals praised the event, with many calling for similar initiatives in the future to continue learning from one another.
