On June 9 and 10, the European Youth Event (EYE) took place at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. This fifth edition of the EYE brought together 10,000 young people from all over Europe, and offered both face-to-face and hybrid activities. With the European elections coming up next year, part of the program was dedicated to youth engagement and the role of democracy.
As one of our priorities is to enable young people to make their voices heard on major societal and environmental issues, we mobilized some 20 young people and enabled them to take part in this event. The aim of these 20 participants was to put water-related issues at the heart of the debate and priorities on the European agenda.
Water connects – Overcoming conflict through cooperation” workshop
We organized a serious game entitled “Water Connects – Overcoming conflict through cooperation”. The activity, which took the form of a simulation, enabled participants to put themselves in the shoes of decision-makers from different watersheds who had to make decisions about water uses. The difficulty of the exercise lay in the choices to be made when faced with one’s neighbors: is it more interesting to cooperate or to focus on one’s own interests in order to guarantee access to the resource? What are the economic, environmental and diplomatic costs of each of these decisions?
Rich in reflections and leading to negotiations, this workshop was an opportunity for the participants to strengthen their understanding of transboundary water management. The event was organized in cooperation with the European Youth Parliament for Water (EYPW), whose Vice-President Stas Peter contributed. In addition, the youth representative of the Artois Picardie Water Agency, Alexandre Ledoyen, and the President of the Artois Picardie Basin Youth Parliament, Marvin Troy, testified to their local and transboundary commitments to water.
What to remember about the EYE?
As the aim of the EYE is to bring young people together to share and shape their ideas for the future of Europe, this year’s event featured an area entirely devoted to ideas. We were invited to set up a stand to share our projects, experiences and best practices.
At the end of the EYE, young people’s ideas and expectations for the future of Europe were compiled in a ‘’Youth Ideas Report’’, which will be distributed to all Members of European Parliament.
To watch our EYE video : click here
For more information about the EYE: click here
