On 19 March 2024, the YES Forum and its member IEKEP conducted a workshop in the Leadership Academy in Brussels, a training and networking event organised by together.eu, an initiative of the European Parliament. The workshop aimed at offering tools and insights to explain the European Union and the Parliament better, ahead of the 2024 European elections.
Elie Demerseman and Olatz Alonso from the YES Forum, and Dimitra Basiakou from IEKEP, led the session titled "DEMOCRACY IN ACTION: Go To Vote...but why? Do we speak the same language? How to explain the European Parliament,". They addressed the need to improve the ability to explain the role and functions of the European Parliament effectively to the general public. They shared good practices based on both organisations longstanding experience on the matter. Understanding political institutions is crucial for informed voting, and the YES Forum and IEKEP’s session focused on making these concepts more accessible.
Innovative Learning Methods
The workshop introduced non-formal methodologies, such as gamification, to simplify complex topics and to enhance the learning experience. Besides a practical demonstration of its benefits, participants learnt more about activities designed by the YES Forum to help participants learn about the European Union through non formal, playful methods.
Effective communication is essential for encouraging active participation in elections. Therefore, YES Forum also provided tips on how to make the EU more understandable, highlighting the impact of clear and accessible communication for active citizenship.
Supporting Democracy in Europe
With 250 participants from all Member States and the UK, the Leadership Academy's goal was to equip community leaders with the skills needed to implement initiatives, promote the 'Remind Me to Vote' feature, and engage in both offline and online communication activities.
Together.eu, an initiative of the European Parliament, works to increase democratic participation across Europe, particularly in the lead-up to the 2024 European elections. By connecting people both locally and across the continent, together.eu has built a community dedicated to promoting voter turnout.
YES Forum's Awareness Raising Games 101 Pack
Pictures by European Parliament
