Local Youth Conferences on Active Citizenship
What is active citizenship?
Active citizenship is about taking part - it may be as straightforward as helping a neighbour or as challenging as orchestrating a major campaign to effect change. For some, active citizenship comes naturally - family tradition, a chance meeting, an inspirational teacher. For many it needs to be encouraged, practised, developed and informed. In today's ethnically diverse, fast moving and complex society, education for citizenship is increasingly important. If we know our rights, duties and responsibilities and understand the nature of democratic government, and if we have practised some of the skills of participation and joined in reflective discussion, then we are much more likely and much better equipped to play an active role in the wider community.
Local Youth Conferences took place in Germany and in the UK in order to further explore the concept of active citizenship, and put it into a European context. They brought young people together, encouraged them to discuss European issues, explore their own personal experiences of culture and citizenship, and examine how active citizenship is a part of their everyday lives.
BULGARIA: Silistra
7th - 9th November 2003
A discussion weekend in the north west region of Bulgaria, involving 35 students between 15-18 years old from 5 different towns in the Silista Region. Subjects discussed included
BULGARIA: Byala Slatina
7th - 4th - 6th March 2004
A discussion weekend entitled, 'Citizens` Participation Starts at School'. It took place in the North-West Region of Bulgaria and included 35 students from 5 different towns in Byala Slatina Region aged 12-16 years old, 5 teachers implementing "European Lessons" programmes, 5 School directors and 3 guest speakers.
UK: University of Hull
12th March 2004
The conference in Hull consisted of five workshops that ran in both the morning and the afternoon to allow participants to take part in two of the five. The themes of the workshops were; EU Environmental Policy, Social Europe, The EU and the World - the EU and Global issues, British membership of the EU, and Enlargement of the EU. These workshops were small and engaging, allowing the participants to explore issues surrounding European citizenship in relation to the rest of the world as well as in relation to Britain. The participants had lively debates in which they learnt about many new European issues, and how these relate to the concept of active citizenship.
GERMANY: European Academy Otzenhausen
St Matthais Kolleg
9th - 10th March 2004
This event comprised of a series of lectures and a series of working groups focusing on the role of culture in active European citizenship. Lectures included discussions of people's practical experiences of cultural exchanges within Europe, the role of regional identity, and the importance of active European citizenship in post-communist countries. Communication was a key theme throughout; including the use of art forms as a means of expressing active and global citizenship. It also involved a discussion on the Internet as a communication platform. The young people listened to and questioned what the experts had to say on these issues. A number of working groups gave participants the chance to work in smaller groups on the particular aspects of European citizenship that interested them.