Day: October 29, 2021

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is planning its 13th Your Europe, Your Say event, which will take place on 31 March and 1 April 2022.

As part of the Your Europe, Your Say (YEYS), 33 schools (from the 27 EU Member States, the five EU candidate countries and one of the European schools based in Brussels) are invited to participate in a two-day set of debates, workshops and interactive activities around a topical issue of interest to young people.

This year’s event will take place remotely due to the uncertainty of the pandemic situation.

TOPIC

The title of our upcoming event is “The Truth about lies. Youth Challenging Disinformation”. It will cover raising awareness about the challenges of disinformation, while making young people think about how to develop their skills and critical thinking to combat disinformation.

There is no doubt that we never had as much access to information as our young people have nowadays. However, the current volume of (dis)information is unprecedented. That is why next year’s YEYS will model the build-up and development of a fake news campaign, and the identification of tools and arguments against that. Working in small groups within workshops, in a negotiation and debate format to reach consensus, we will aim to raise awareness about the way social agreements are reached between groups of separate interests.

This event will be included in the youth events of the Conference on the Future of Europe. The participating students will come up with recommendations that will be submitted to the European institutions and discussed during conferences around Europe throughout the year.

WHO

If your institution is a secondary school, of any type, in one of the 27 Member States or in one of the five candidate countries, or one of the Brussels-based European schools, you are invited to send in an application to take part in the 2022 YEYS event.

One school from each country will be chosen by drawing lots, and the winners will take part in the two-day online event, which will also be webstreamed via the EESC’s social media channels.

If your school is chosen, you may select up to 3 students who are in their penultimate year to attend, supervised by one or more teachers. Online, they will meet students from the other countries, with whom they can exchange views and draw up declarations on themes relevant to the event. This is a unique opportunity for young people to gain a better understanding of how the EU works and to take part in an assembly-style debate in a multicultural environment.

LANGUAGE

All the proceedings will be conducted in English.

PREPARATION

EESC members will visit each selected school well in advance to prepare students and teachers for the online event. These visits may be conducted physically or remotely, depending on the pandemic situation. Documentation and teaching materials will be sent to schools ahead of the visits.

MORE INFORMATION

On our website you will find a detailed description of the event, a video of the 2021 YEYS event, the online registration form, rules and all practical information.

DEADLINE

The deadline for applications is 26 November 2021.

We look forward to welcoming you to this unique online experience!