Context:
While the 2019 European Parliament elections have been seen as a peak in young people's participation, this needs to be weighed against the fact that turnout among young people is just under 50%, and young people (18-24) remain the category of the population least likely to vote in European Parliament elections. As noted in the youth goals' explanatory memoranda, a growing number of young people no longer trust the EU and find it difficult to understand its principles, values and workings; "the democratic deficit in EU processes is also one of the reasons for the rise in Euroscepticism among young people", it states.
The basis for civic action is an understanding of citizenship. Since we can only act on what we understand and can only understand what we know, knowing, understanding and acting are the three phases and the three objectives of our project. CitiGenZ aims at equipping young people with a sound knowledge of the European Union and how it works, and giving them the means to act as European citizens, knowingly and actively.
Objectives:
CitiGenz focuses on 3 specific objectives:
1. KNOWING: Informing young people and raising their awareness about the European Union.
2. UNDERSTANDING: Deciphering European information, explaining it in relation to our daily lives so as to understand its implications.
3. ACTING: Supporting young people's commitment to Europe.
Activities:
The project is divided into 3 types of activities
- Creation of pedagogical content to inform about the EU and raise young people’s awareness through productions on social networks or an activity guide for youth workers
- Communication campaigns to make the EU their own, through a game, a series of challenges and a campaign for the European Parliament elections
- Local workshops and a youth exchange, to become active EU citizens
Project details:
Action: Erasmus+ KA220-YOU- Cooperation partnerships in youth
Project coordinator: Pistes Solidaires
Duration: 2023-2025
