We gathered in Budapest bringing together young environmental change-makers from across Europe. During the action-packed 4 days, we learned about youth participation in environmental policymaking, made some exciting new plans for the network, visited an energy community and a new social housing project and found out who is the best in “Just Dance”. Here you can read a brief recap of what happened and what comes next.
The Youth Policy Academy gathering was a significant event for the network. Not only because nothing strengthens a network more than face-to-face meetings, but also because we haven’t had a live gathering in a while. This time, we came together to explore the world of policymaking and how young people could be better represented when decisions about our future are made.
Knowledge sharing and planning were the keywords of the gathering. Together we explored the concepts of intersectionality, climate and racial justice. Then we plunged into the realm of EU policymaking, focusing on how we could participate in the processes. We also learned from our peers about movement building through various key studies from across Europe. To see how environmental policy meets the real world, we visited a community centre that was its own energy community and saw a new social housing project where they are converting a long-abandoned school into affordable flats.
The sessions were designed so that we could apply what we had learned immediately to plan the upcoming work of YFoEE. As a result, we set up 4 new thematic working groups, on deregulation, energy and climate justice, youth empowerment and international solidarity. You can find more information about the new working groups here, including everything you need to know to join one.
We also managed to lay down the foundations for a “Youth Policy Academy” course, that will help young people to get a simple intro into the world of policymaking, and what will be released soon (UPDATE: Please find the “How EU policy is made” crash course here and the “Policy finder” here).
As you can see, we covered a lot in these 4 days, but this doesn’t mean that we didn’t have time to really meet each other and form bonds that can stay strong even after we all went home. It was amazing to see how quickly a group of like-minded strangers turned into an international community, ready to change the world.
If you would like to join our community and attend our next gathering, please check out how you can do so here.
