PRESS RELEASE

Ljubljana, 20. 9. 2021

 

European Youth Conference,

26th to 30th of September 2021, Maribor

 

Before us is the most important and largest youth event of Slovenia's Presidency of the Council of the EU, the European Youth Conference, which will be held virtually between 26th and 30th of September 2021 on the theme "Space and Participation for All" (9. European Youth Goal).

Around 200 representatives of youth policy makers and youth experts from all countries of the European Union will attend the conference. Participants will be greeted with the opening of the conference, on Monday, 27.9.2021, at 9:30 a.m. by:

• Minister for Education, Science and Sport, Prof. Dr. Simona Kustec,
• President of the European Youth Forum, Silja Markkula.
• President of the Youth Council of Slovenia, Miha Zupančič.

The guests of the conference will be visible representatives of the Slovenian and European public, and young people will have the opportunity to share their opinion on how they see the future of Europe after the Covid-19 epidemic. The aim of the European Youth Conference is to evaluate the whole process of the 8th cycle of Youth Dialogue and the final formulation of recommendations from EU youth and Member States to implement the 9th EU Youth Goal at all levels (local, national, regional, European). The basis for the recommendations will be the researchers' report, which will include a Pan-European Youth Survey and reports from national youth dialogue working groups.

The priority topic of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU in the youth field is citizens' spaces for young people. Slovenia thus puts the voice of young people at the forefront, as the content will serve to formulate a resolution on the conclusions of the eighth cycle of the European Youth Dialogue of the EU Council, and young people's recommendations will be included in the resolution in the form written by young people. The recommendations will be made by ministers and representatives of EU Member States covering the youth field at the Council of Ministers in November 2021. Slovenia highlights the Conference on the Future of Europe as a priority, so it is important that young people's voices on the future of youth participation be heard.

It is also the final Conference in the frame of the 8th cycle of the European Youth Dialogue, under the motto: YOUth for Europe, Europe for YOUth. In its sub-goal, it defines the importance of youth participation at all levels of decision-making and enables young people to become active citizens in safe and open spaces where they are guaranteed human rights and freedom of speech and can gain informal experiences for their independent lives.

An important part of the European Youth Conference will be a panel discussion on the topic of the future of Europe with a central theme, The Future of Civic Spaces and Participation after Covid-19 in Europe, which will be held on Monday, 27. 9. 2021 at 12.00 and can be followed live, via the link.

The panel discussion will include Andrea Ugrinoska, Chair of the Advisory Council on Youth; Uroš Skrinar, Director of the National Erasmus + Agency, Movit Institute; Member of the Main Committee of the European Youth Forum Christiana Xenofontos and Elsie Gisslegård, youth delegate from Sweden. They will speak about what the COVID-19 epidemic has taught us about the participation of young people and how they see the participation of young people in Europe in the future.

The conference will also hold a youth dialogue session Let’s talk about Europe, attended by The President of the Republic of Slovenia Borut Pahor and the President of Latvia Egils Levits. During the dialogue, the two presidents will talk in person with young representatives from Slovenia and Europe about the future of Europe, which will also include the Conference on the Future of Europe.

Between 27th and 30th of September, more consultations, workshops, and discussions will be held in Maribor and remotely, where young people will, together with the decision-makers, make recommendations for their future and for the implementation of the 9th European Youth Goal, Space and Participation for All, and above all what kind of society they want to live in. In addition, activities for informal socializing and integration are included in the conference programme. Among other things, a concert and interactive improvisational theatre will be organized.

As part of its Presidency, Slovenia is completing an 18-month programme of the trio presidency of Germany, Portugal and Slovenia in the youth field. At an international level, it has played an important role in actively promoting Youth Dialogue, since the final recommendations for decision-makers will be developed.

On the website of  the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU in the field of youth, on the subpage Media corner, you can follow for more information during the conference itself. Certain parts of the program will be available to the public via the website, on the livestream subpage.

A press release will be sent to the media on the 27. 9., after the official opening of the event and 30. 9. after the end of the conference. Live coverage of the event can be watched through the website, and highlights of the daily events can be watched through the websites and social networks of the Office of the Republic of Slovenia for Youth (IG, FB), Mlad.si (IG, FB, TikTok)  and social networks of the European Youth Conference (EU Youth Conference - IG, TW, FB).

Using # for the purposes of the Presidency of the Council: #YOUTHEU2021SI #EU2021SI

The conference is organised by the Youth Office of the Republic of Slovenia in cooperation with the Youth Council of Slovenia, with the media support of the portal www.mlad.si.

For further information, please contact , , and (foreign media).