Within the framework of the Youth Budget of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, young people had the idea to develop a platform that enables young people in Europe to exchange views on topics and issues important to young people. Since October 2021, the IJAB project "Challenge accepted - Europe" has been supporting a group of young people in the conception and development of the platform and in the virtual exchange on the topics developed.
The link to existing networks of European youth work was realised, among others, through cooperation partners from IJAB, Eurodesk and Cities and Regions of Learning. In this way, young people from many European countries could be reached.Conception of the platform with playlists
Youth participation from the very beginning
On 6 November and 4 December 2021, IJAB and EJBM/GOEUROPE! together with young people from eight European countries organised the two events "Shaping Europe for young people. Let's create challenges to explore your ideas" and "Challenge accepted - Europe. Let's create challenges to explore your ideas".
At the kick-off event in November, the participatory aspect "Being young in Europe. My topics. My future" was the focus. Naming the project was also a participatory process. During the event, the young people collected ideas for possible project names, which could be selected via Nuudel until 4 December. The decision was made for "Challenge accepted - Europe".
In terms of content, the young people discussed via Mentimeter which topics and challenges are of central importance for their generation. From the many suggestions, the following thematic groups were clustered:
- Feminism
- Migration
- Mental health
- Digitalisation
- Sustainability
- Youth Unemployment
- Participation
Finally, in the follow-up event in December 2021, the programme included getting to know the technical infrastructure and explaining the website.
Of playlists, challenges and badges
How was the online platform realised? The 7 selected topics were translated into "challenges", which can be found on the platform as individual activities. These activities, in turn, are grouped thematically in "learning playlists". The playlists are structured like short online courses, but can be worked on individually (in individual order; continue without completing anything first; targeted selection of interesting content possible). Each Learning Playlist consists of at least four activities on the respective topic:
- an introduction to the topic with various information materials
- an individual challenge
- a community challenge
- a discussion opportunity (Monthly Meeting + Jamboard)
For each completed activity and each whole playlist, a badge, i.e. a digital learning badge, can be issued to prove the individual learning experience. The badges have been activated by the coordinators and partners of the project and may be collected by the young people (e.g. in the BadgeWallet app) and issued as a certificate. All content is free and open access.
Providing the playlists and monthly meetings
On 17 February 2022, the online platform was launched with an Instagram Live Event via @rausvonzuhaus. The event had a total of 100 viewers. A young expert on feminism shared her input in the first "Monthly Meeting".
From January to July 2022, a total of seven monthly meetings took place on Zoom with young people from the different networks and beyond:
Feminism
Gender diversity, gender bias, equality. These are buzzwords we often hear these days. But what do they mean? In this playlist, young people can explore these issues, which are grouped together and explored under the term feminism. In the monthly meeting on 19 January 2022, Veronica Tieri from Italy could be won as a speaker. She reported on the project BWTS - BEYOND WHAT THEY SELL and discussed prejudices against feminism with the group.
- Playlist with results: here.
Migration
Since the earliest times, humanity has been on the move. Some people move away in search of work or economic opportunities, to join their family or to study. Others move to escape conflict, persecution, terrorism or human rights abuses. Still others flee in response to the negative impacts of climate change, natural disasters or other environmental factors. While many people migrate of their own free will, many others migrate out of necessity. On 23 February 2022, Amer Alshwekani from Magdeburg was a guest who told the young people about his flight five years ago and the challenges of integration in Germany.
- Migration- Playlist: here.
Mental health
Mental health encompasses our emotional, psychological and social well-being. It influences how we think, feel and act. It also influences how we respond to stress, how we relate to others and how we make healthy choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence to adulthood. It is important to remember that a person's mental health can change over time, depending on many factors. If the demands placed on a person exceed their resources, their mental health can be affected. Thomas Roorda and Mert Unveren were guests at the monthly meeting on 16 March 2022 and told the young people about their work at #IKBENOPEN in the Netherlands and discuss with the young people how mental health is dealt with in different European countries.
- Mental Health Playlist: here.
Digitalisation
The monthly meeting on 20 April 2022 focused on the topic of digitalisation. A playful start made it easier for the participants from Lithuania, Turkey, Norway and Germany to get to know each other. With the help of Mentimeter, the first associations on the topic were collected. The meeting then moved from Zoom to Spatial Chat, a digital space in which the young people could move around in the form of their own avatar.
There, the young people had the opportunity to discover different topics of digitalisation alone or together. Challenges on the platform could be used on the topics of digital self-defence and digital well-being. There was also a game on the topic of social media and fake news, as well as the opportunity to find out about NGOs that educate about digital rights.
At the end, the whole group came together again and exchanged ideas about the different topics, digital tools and insights from them. There was an interesting discussion about how social media influences us and how fast fake news spreads. In the end, everyone created a toolbox in which useful or interesting digital tools are collected and made visible to others.
- Digitalisation Playlist: here.
Sustainability
Climate change, sustainability and activism - topics that are currently on the minds of many of us. Selected by young people from the Challenge accepted - Europe project, the overall theme for May 2022 was "Sustainability".
On 18 May 2022, the monthly online meeting of the project took place, with young people from Norway, the Netherlands and Germany. A special guest at the meeting was Henrike Cremer from Fridays for Future, who not only gave her input, but also ideas on how to actively work against climate change. For example, she told how many people are already suffering from the consequences of climate change. The participants realised that one can hardly imagine anything under the numbers that are often mentioned in the media. There was a lively exchange between the participants about information possibilities and ideas on how to actively combat climate change.
- Substainability Playlist: here.
Youth (un)employment
On 15 June 2022, the monthly meeting on youth unemployment took place. An expert was also present: Alenka Blazinsek from the Nefiks Institute in Ljubljana, Slovenia. After the participants got to know each other, Alenka gave an input on the current situation of the labour market in Europe for young people and an insight into the "future skills", i.e. the skills that will be expected from young people on the labour market in the future. Her motto: "Don't let your career lead you, you lead your career". This was followed by an open discussion on a variety of topics, such as the need for more support for young people to find their way to their dream job. A participant from Norway told about a teacher at school who always motivates his students and makes himself available as a contact person. The young people agreed that this should not only happen more often, but should be anchored in schools.
- Youth (un)employment Playlist: here.
Youth Participation
The last monthly meeting on 6 July 2022 dealt with the topic of youth participation. As a central topic of the project, not only IJAB and GOEUROPE!/EJBM were presented as organisations with many opportunities for participation, but also the project Challenge accepted - Europe itself. One focus was on the international youth forum in Magdeburg, which was about to take place. In addition, the participants themselves were asked what participation means to them and what is important to them about it. Definitions, ideas and projects in their own countries were collected on a jamboard and the young people could try out the Youth Participation playlist.
- Youth Participation: here.
