Your Europe, Your Say!” consists in inviting pupils, in their penultimate year at any type of secondary school from the 28 Member States of the European Union and the five candidate countries, to visit Brussels. The EESC will cover travel and accommodation expenses for three pupils and one teacher from each of the winning schools, to be selected by lot. The event will give the pupils the chance to find out about the EU and to understand the EESC’s role within it. It is also a unique opportunity for young people to take part in a plenary assembly-style debate on a specific subject in a multicultural environment, putting forward arguments, negotiating and reaching a compromise. Interpreting in English and French will be provided during the plenary sessions, while the preparatory working groups will be conducted in English.

This year’s topic will be “United in diversity: a younger future for European culture”. Pupils will work together on various aspects of this subject, tackling questions such as:

  • What is European culture: is it just the sum of the different national traditions or are there common values that make us all Europeans?
  • What is the role of culture and cultural exchanges with other people in pupils’ lives?
  • What can the European Union do to promote culture (cinema, music, dance, literature, theatre, etc.) and better protect cultural heritage sites?
  • What role could culture play in the economic rebirth of Europe’s regions and cities? How can this rebirth give new opportunities to young people in terms of new jobs?
  • What can the EU and Member States do to facilitate this process?

At the end of the event, the young participants will have an opportunity to present their recommendations to EESC members and to vote for the three they judge to be the most relevant and interesting. In the run up to the visit to Brussels, EESC members will visit the selected schools to prepare the youngsters for the debates in Brussels. Documentation and supporting material will be sent to the selected schools.

On our website you will find the detailed description of the event, the online registration form, the rules and all the practical arrangements.

To get a better idea, you can also watch the video of last year’s event or follow us on the YEYS website and our social media dedicated to the event: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.

We would ask you to encourage secondary schools in your district to register or, if you are a head teacher or a teacher in such a school, to register directly for this exciting project via our website.

The deadline for applications is 24 November 2017.