Getting involved locally while networking across Europe is a central goal of Generation Europe – The Academy. 35 young people from Barcelona (Spain), Munich (Germany) and Mragowo (Poland) are currently demonstrating how this is working out: They are gathering for twelve days in the Polish town Mrągowo on the edge of the Masurian Lake District. Now they have met with city mayor Jakub Doraczyński to discuss urgent issues.
How can young people get involved in municipal planning and decision-making? Is the city open to working with young people? What has changed in local politics since the Polish parliamentary elections? What role do issues such as diversity and climate change play in local politics? With these and other questions, the active young people opened an exciting exchange with the mayor. No wonder: the youths have already been active locally at home for three years and have acquired civic skills through training and educational activities as part of the programme.
The visit to the mayor is just one of many activities during the youth encounter. In workshops and other formats, the international group worked to promote social participation, democracy and equal rights. At the end of these exciting twelve days, they will now present the results of their work to the public: They are organising an intervention on the pier in Mrągowo. They are currently inviting the city’s residents to take part in the happening under the motto “Stop Hate Speech”, which they prepared intensively during the encounter. With the action in urban space, they want to draw attention to the forms of violence in various areas of life and to their long-term negative effects. Their event will include performances, theatre scenes, posters and brochures, a flash mob and an art installation.
The project is being implemented by Fundacja Borussia (Olsztyn, Poland) in cooperation with the City of Munich (Germany) and the organisation Irènia (La nou de Berguedà, Spain) as part of Generation Europe – The Academy with funding from the Erasmus+ programme, the German-Polish Youth Office and private foundations. The Zespół Szkół nr 2 Władysław Jagiełły school in Mrągowo is also involved as a partner, whose pupils take part in the project.
Many thanks for the photos to Paweł Krasowski! More information and additional photos from meeting on the official website of the City of Mrągowo.