Type of activity: All the organized activities followed the scheme envisaged by the project through the shared road map. This report contains the activities deemed of greatest interest for the results obtained and for the achievement of the expected objectives.
Country: Italy
Partner: Associazione TDM 2000
Description: Local activities in Italy were designed by project partner TDM 2000 and hosted in Cagliari. Their activities are divided in different steps, connected each other.
First activity: TDM 2000 and other members of the CASMI committee, a regional network of association involved in the mobility field, hosted an event that aimed at bringing together the NGOs operating in Sardinia. During the conference, several workshops were done, bringing together professionals from the youth field, politicians, decision makers, youths and journalists. One of such workshops was dedicated to the analysis of policy making, especially when it comes to the development of Youth policies. The discussion focused on the needs that are felt the most by youngsters, and the sharing of feedback on the viability of such proposals by the professionals involved in the field. The exchange of information on such a technic field helped both side in different ways: the professionals got to understand better the needs of the youngsters and what they feel are the criticalities that really need to be addressed; while youngsters acquired new knowledge on the process of policy making and the obstacles that many times makes the development of new policies more difficult.
Second activity: TDM 2000, along with the local online newspaper SardegnaGol, hosted a focus group which main theme was to involve youths, youth workers and representatives of institutions, Policy makers and decision makers in a discussion about the communication regarding EU, in both upsides and downsides, mostly when linked to the law making process. Due to its utmost importance and the closeness to the theme to the youth field, the focus of the conversation involved greatly the discussion around the development of Youth Policies, both at European and regional level. During the focus group many guests shared their insight, with a brief comment held by an Italian MEP, Ignazio Corrao, that gave his feedback based on the years that he spent as a representative of Italy in the European Parliament. Along the guest there were present several representatives of the municipality of Cagliari, regional institutions, former and current politicians and decision makers. Over the course of the focus group, we underlined the necessity for a change in the way that EU communicates with its citizens, both directly and through the institutions that represent it at local level. This has led to a decreased involvement of the citizens in the political and democratic processes in Europe.
Third activity: The event was attended by a wide variety of people, spanning from youths interested in youth policies and international mobility in Europe, to representative of high regional and national institutions. Guests for the meeting included De Maio, director of the Italian National Agency; a representative of a local youth radio; Antonio Mura, representative of the regional office of Europe Direct. The meeting was hosted by Associazione TDM 2000, that presented the guests and introduced the public to the themes that were going to be discussed, as well as giving several important input related to the image of EU and the opportunities that it grants to thousands of youths each year. During the conference, several other guest intervened. Many youths that took part in European mobility project were interviewed and gave their impression on the different programmes that they took part into. Moreover, two girls that recently took part in SVE and ESC programmes shared their experiences, strongly advertising in favor of a long term mobility experience such as theirs. The discussion focused on the role that EU covers in our daily life’s, on how to improve it, and the ways to fully take advantage of the opportunities that it grants to youths and adults alike. The importance of active participation was also stressed, as it is one of the main themes that need to be tackled in order to fully take part in the European democracy process.
Aim: Aim and objectives of the activities are different as follow:
- To get in contact with the topic of the EU Youth Dialogue and the project itself;
- To create a bridge between youngsters and politicians, decision makers and policy makers, helping both side in the process of understanding each other and the obstacles that each one of them faces daily;
- To share the insight on themes such as EU, active participation, international mobility and youth policies from professionals in the field to youngsters from Sardinia;
- To bring together youths and policy makers in order to discuss in depth the issues linked to communication in EU, along with the policy making processes in EU and national levels;
- To discuss and underline personal and different experiences of integration;
- To develop strategies for better integration.
Main results: Many youngsters were involved in the workshops held, especially the one about developing new policies and updating the ones that are now outdated. Creation of a deeper understanding of the needs of youths, and the strategies that they believe that are most effective in tackling their problems. Networking among professionals involved in the youth field and sharing of contacts among them, with the creation of further activities together in the future. Deeper knowledge on the importance of communication between an institution and the citizens.
Target group: Professionals in the youth field, representatives of associations operating in Sardinia, youngsters interested in spending their time getting involved in the youth field and in the development of new policies aimed at them and their community, Journalists, professionals in the field of policy and decision making, politicians, young migrants.