Overview: Events all over Europe!
04.-11.10. | Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain (whole week)
Restoring Urban Space
The youth group from the island of Tenerife, organised by Asociación P.O.D., partnered up with the socio-educational Association Activoz, who is accompanying people with disabilities and their families in the different stages of life. They will work together to rehabilitate and clean up an urban space in the Rosarito neighbourhood of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, to give it back to the local community. They will collect plastic and other waste, restore the urban space, create an artistic community mural, replant the area with vegetation and showcase their work.
04.-06.10.2024 | Budapest, Hungary
Weekend Youth Camp
The local group supported by the Hungarian partner organisation KacsaKő Közösségépítő Egyesület is organising a three-day weekend youth camp. They will discuss various social issues and evaluate their recent local action, an anti-racist workshop for younger kids, looking at its impact and discussing further steps they can take against prejudice and other social problems. In addition, a job fair is planned to facilitate career guidance for the young people, and to give them the opportunity to familiarise themselves with some areas of work.
04..-11.10. | Marseille, France
Génération Méditerranée
The local group from Marseille is hosting a series of escape room events on public beaches and in local schools, raising awareness for the problems that the Mediterranean Sea is facing because of global warming and pollution. The game is designed for people of all ages and is intended to encourage children and adults, Marseillians and tourists alike, to learn more about the human impact on flora and fauna in the ocean. Organised by BECAUSE U ART and supported by Une Terre Culturelle.
07.-10.10. | Gdańsk, Poland
Peer to Peer Campaign: Make Space for Ecology
In this raising awareness campaign on ecology and sustainability, the active young people visit schools and neighbourhood community centres in Gdańsk. They are hosting peer-to-peer workshops to raise the visibility of youth activism and share information about good practices for an sustainable solutions and an environmentally friendly approach. Organised and supported by Fundacja Instytut Równowagi Społeczno-Ekonomicznej (IRSE).
Friday, 04.10. | Barcelona, Spain (El Raval) | 10:00
Public Street Action: Richness of Diversity
The local group from Barcelona, supported by Irènia – Jocs de pau, is organising a public street action, asking passers-by to write down messages against discrimination, especially in the education system, and pin them on a wall display. They are also invited to receive messages on topics such as the richness of diversity, intercultural learning, building confidence and so on. Children will have the opportunity to leave their own personalised drawings and messages on the ground. The activity will take place in El Raval, one of the most pluricultural neighbourhoods in Barcelona.
Friday, 04.10. | Telšiai, Lithuania (Bus Station, Gedimino gatvė 1) | 14:00
DARE – A Short Film Competition
Dare to overcome your fears, dare to trust yourself, to feel happy and successful, and to shape your own future and the future of others! The local youth group from Telšiai has shot the beginning of a video with a challenge: How to approach ones peers who are doing something interesting, making music, singing. Everybody between the ages of 14 and 29 was invited to expand the film by proposing how to do it, how to dare. The authors of the best ideas will now be rewarded. The event will take place at an unconventional public place, the central bus station of the city. There will be snacks, music from young artists, table football and karaoke. It will be a great opportunity to socialise and have interesting conversations with people like you!
Friday, 04.10. | Munich, Germany (Kulturzentrum GOROD, Arnulfstr. 197) | 16:00
Names of War & Generation Ukraine
In the local group organised by the Ukrainian youth organisation DUGA, young people from Ukraine that are living in and around Munich at the moment are working together. At this event, they will present their project ‘Names of War’ and the NOW Magazine they are publishing, showing stories of modern Ukranians (children, young people and adults), affected by the full-scale Russian invasion. The second part of the afternoon will be a screening of the impressive film documentary ‘Generation Ukraine’, produced in the framework of Generation Europe – The Academy. An exhibition will present artworks created by members of the group, as well as other visual art installations.
Friday, 04.10. | Stuttgart, Germany
VarieTEA Podcast on the Streets
The local group supported by Internationales Forum Burg Liebenzell is publishing a podcast called ‘VarieTEA’, being a forum for diversity and mutual understanding. For the podcast, interesting people are interviewed over a cup of tea – to be a source of enlightenment, and to bring society back together. During the street campaign in Stuttgart, the young people will now ask people passing by questions that they usually discuss with their podcast guests. The conversations will be published on social media to foster open dialogue and exchange.
Saturday, 05.10. | Ploiești, Romania (AFI Ploiești, Strada Calomfirescu 2) | 10:00 – 15:00
Festival of Non-Formal Education
Numerous workshops about active citizenship will take place during this event, which is aimed at local secondary and high school students. The festival programme includes a session on how to plan and carry out a campaign, a treasure hunt about educational resources, an escape room on the subject of greenwashing, inspirational speeches by guests and also a flash mob action. Organised by Asociatia „Un strop de fericire”.
Saturday, 05.10. | Pordenone, Italy | 10:30-18:30
Action Week Radio: Street Interviews & Information Stand
The local group organised by the Italian youth organisation Esplora is publishing an interview podcast focusing on intergenerational dialogue. To present their work, they are cooperating with the local web broadcaster Wideline Radio. A full day of action will take place at a street stand near their broadcasting studio and also on the air. They are going to present Generation Europe – The Academy and their podcast, encouraging passers-by to share their opinions in interviews for the podcast. There will also be phone interviews with associations working on preventing youth deviance in challenging areas, and with a researcher and a software developer in the field of artificial intelligence. Food will be provided to invite people to chat and linger.
Saturday, 05.10. | Oulu, Finland (Valkea Shopping Centre, Stage at Main Hall) | 12:00
Huoleton Huominen
Veganism, the use of industrial hemp and mental health – the local group from Oulu has been working intensively on these three topics. At this public event, they will present their results and interview guest speakers on the subjects. Around the stage there will be an information desk, a lottery and the opportunity to taste vegan and industrial hemp products. Organised by Oulun Nuoret Kotkat Piirijärjestö ry.
Saturday, 05.10. | Munich, Germany (Sendlinger-Tor-Platz) | 13:00 – 17:00
For Dignity and Human Rights
The local youth group supported by PI München is building a sculpture out of trash in order to artistically present quotes from European right-wing parties, combined with a public action. On the busy plaza, they inform about what leading politicians from right-wing parties are expressing. By this, they draw attention to the dangers of racism and social exclusion. People passing by are encouraged to participate, and a chair with a camera will be placed in front of the pile of trash, where people can make statements against right-wing populism.
Saturday, 05.10. | Gdańsk, Poland (Dom Sąsiedzki w Pałacu, Stefana Batorego 18) | Early afternoon
Eco Festival
The local group organised by Fundacja Instytut Równowagi Społeczno-Ekonomicznej (IRSE) is hosting an event promoting sustainable and eco-friendly practices. There will be a community kitchen serving food with vegetables, fruits and herbs from their social garden as well as a programme of educational workshops. During the festival, they will also present their local activities in the framework of Generation Europe – The Academy, empowering intergenerational collaboration with ecofriendly art craft workshops.
Saturday, 05.10. | Prato, Italy (Officina Giovani, Piazza dei Macelli 4) | 16:00-19:00
Sneak Preview: Our Nature
The local youth group gathered around the young artists’ collectives VEG.GEA (Florence) and MASC (Prato) has produced „Our Nature“, a documentary that explores the complexity of voting. They interviewed members of committees, coalitions and parties running for the municipal elections in Florence and Prato in June 2024. By this, they conducted an investigation into why people vote and what drives a person to support a specific candidate. Many answers were quite surprising. The group has just finalised the editing and post-production of the documentary, that will be screened as an absolute preview during the European Action Week. Organised and supported by Centro di Creazione e Cultura, Florence.
Sunday, 06.10. | Marseille, France
SIM-COP: A Simulation Game
The local youth group from Marseille is hosting the simulation of a UN Conference: Over the course of a day, the participants are invited to slip into the shoes of leaders and decision-makers and come up with an action to improve the protection of the Mediterranean Sea. A jury will select the best action, and the Generation Europe group will do everything in its power to promote the proposals.
Sunday, 06.10. | Koblenz, Germany | early afternoon
Dialogue on School and Training
The event takes place in a local refugee centre. The members of the local group from Koblenz will meet the residents for an open conversation on the topics of school and vocational training. They will be talking to each other about their biographies, experiences, careers, hopes and wishes. At the same time, the group will organise activities for children (playing games together, face painting) so that the parents can concentrate on this opportunity for exchange.
Tuesday, 08.10. | Rome, Italy (Centro Interculturale Scholè, Via Tommaso Fortifiocca 71) | 15:30-18:45
Ready, Set… Europe!
The local group from Rome invites you to an event with experiences on four central topics: migration and integration, gender-based violence, opportunities for young people and sustainability. Each experience will be interactive and dynamic, with participants split into groups to explore all four topics in turn. Each session is designed to encourage self-reflection, discussion and dialogue among participants. The event will begin with an introduction to Generation Europe – The Academy and an overview of the local project work over the past three years.
Tuesday, 08.10. | Bergisch Gladbach, Germany (Kreativitätsschule, An der Wolfsmaar 11) | 16:00
Art Exhibition
Active young people present an exhibition of extraordinary pictures that were created as part of the project. In the context of their local work, they have captured people‘s lives and wisdom. The exhibition is freely accessible to anyone interested.
Tuesday, 08.10. | Thessaloniki, Greece | Time TBD
A Full Day of Activities
The local group in Thessaloniki, organised and supported by Kids in Action, is planning host a full day of activities for young people, stakeholders and the local community. There are several ideas how to share and disseminate the results of their project in the framework of Generation Europe – The Academy: They include a screening of videos from their local activities and their international youth encounter in Greece as well as a round table discussion. The activists also plan to report on the impact of youth participation in a Living Library format, and guests can take part in local art workshops. During the event, a mural about what is needed in Thessaloniki will be created.
Wednesday, 09.10. | Marseille, France
Beach Cleaning Afternoon
The local Generation Europe youth group from Marseille is organising a beach clean-up afternoon with the city‘s youth centers, and is creating a temporary collective artwork using the waste collected.
Wednesday, 09.10. | Zaragoza, Spain (Centro Civico Tio Jorge, Pl. de San Gregorio) | 18:00
Theatre for Tolerance
The local youth group organised by the Federico Ozanam Foundation has prepared a forum theatre performance, which will now publicly premiere: The young people want to talk about the discrimination they suffer in their daily lives as members of different groups. Through art, they propose a joint reflection on racism, islamophobia, machismo, classism, homophobia, etc. Their theatrical approach encourages joint reflection and looking for solutions together.
Wednesday, 09.10. | Strasbourg, France
Connect European – at the European Parliament
The local youth group organised and supported by Internationales Forum Burg Liebenzell is going to travel to Strasbourg to deliver their message on the European level. Among other things, they will meet with MEP Hildegard Bentele, Vice-Chair of the European Parliament‘s Committee on Development. The young activists will present their VarieTEA podcast and talk about their wishes and demands regarding diversity and the EU.
Wednesday, 09.10. | Weimar, Germany (EJBW, Jenaer Str. 2/4)
Generation Europe: Open Review Evening
The Weimar local group is inviting their peers, parents, neighbours, media representatives and everyone else interested: The event will reflect on what has happened during their involvement in Generation Europe – The Academy, what they have learnt, done and experienced. They will report on both positive achievements and setbacks. By sharing insights, they will show how they dealt with challenges, and how getting involved in social action has brought some changes. They will speak about their journey from just meeting in a self-managed youth club to organising campaigns to tackle serious issues. The evening will be accompanied by an open buffet.
Thursday, 10.10. | Larissa, Greece (Synergeio Youth Space, Venizelou 133) | 16:00
Make Use
The local youth group named MAKE USE, supported by the Greek organisation Synergy of Music Theatre, has created an open youth community to deal with issues that concern them and the local community they live in. In this event they will present the results of their projects: The MAKE USE kit, the MAKE USE map of Larissa, the MAKE USE website, and the implementation of international youth encounters in the framework of Generation Europe – The Academy. Guests will be able to build their own MAKE USE kits. The group will also present the results of their ongoing research on gender issues and a local action they want to organise about it, followed by a Q&A session. At the end, there will be music from a local youth band, drinks and food, as well as opportunities for discussion with the young artists and activists. The local Generation Europe youth group from Thessaloniki, Greece, organised by Kids in Action, will also travel to this event in Larissa and contribute to the programme.
Thursday, 10.10. | Unna, Germany | 19:00
Happiness and Life Skills Must Be Taught in German Schools!
Students from the Werkstatt Berufskolleg vocational college are organised in the local group of the Unna district. They have developed a concept for a new school subject called Life Skills and are campaigning for its implementation. Having written and designed a cookbook for young people entitled ‘Simple, good and affordable cooking’, they will now host a happiness dinner where they will cook three courses from the cookbook. Stakeholders, local protagonists, teachers and parents will be invited. In addition to the cookbook, the group will also present a podcast that they have been working on.
Thursday, 10.10. | Évora, Portugal (Universidade de Évora / University Café)
International Mental Health Day
The local youth group organised by Oficina Fermento is organising an afternoon and evening Festival at the sports section of the University of Évora. With the support of the university and local NGOs, the group has put together a programme that includes a band performance and a big party – but also talks on mental health, the importance of sport for well-being, and the presentation of Generation – The Academy as a large-scale programme of European cooperation.
Friday, 11.10. | Örebro, Sweden (Club 700, Drottninggatan 42)
Explore – Learn – Escape
Awesome People, the local partner of Generation Europe – The Academy in Örebro, Sweden is hosting a big event to celebrate eleven years of their organisation. Among other things, there are 20 escape room games to play, the chance to win great prizes, and information on European travel and encounter projects. The local youth group is organising a space in the centre of the event site where young people, youth workers and teachers can chill and share their stories and experiences. The group will also promote a website they created to help young people find information about mental health and LGBTQI+ issues, as well as organisations working in these areas. They are creating a relaxed environment where everyone can be themselves and enjoy the company of others while knowing they are not alone.
Postponed, new date TBD | | Budapest, Hungary | 14:00
Round Table: Gender Roles and Stereotypes
The local group organised by Subjective Values Foundation is hosting monthly peer support and community building events where young people from the LGBTQAI+ community can have a facilitated exchange in a safe space. This time they want to make it bigger by inviting interesting and influential dialogue partners from the community for a round table discussion. They will talk about gender roles and stereotypes they face in their daily lives. After the round table the regular peer support session facilitated by the local group will also take place.
Date TBD | Gdańsk, Poland (Centrum Mediacji, Związku Jaszczurczego 4)
Panel discussion: Generation Europe – młodzi i aktywni!
Back in 2021, the local group organised by Dom Pojednania i Spotkań (Maximilian Kolbe House – DMK) conducted an anonymous survey on the question ‘What annoys you most in your life?’ in local schools. The top issues were overloading with schoolwork, not having time for activities beyond school, academic pressure, having to fulfil lifestyle expectations, loneliness, not being understood, emotion control, chronic fatigue, unstable well-being and mental health problems. For the European Action Week, they repeated the survey in the same cohort, meaning now among high school graduates and first-year students, to see whether and how the answers differ from three years ago. At the panel discussion the results will be presented. In phases of group work the participating teachers, students and members of the local community will try to find solutions to the problems presented by the young people. The results will be published as a mini guide for young people and their teachers on how mental well-being can be improved.
Date TBD | Târgu Mureș/Marosvásárhely, Romania
Charity Gulaș
The local group from Târgu Mureș is planning to host a team building and cooking day. Half of the day will be about the team building activities, the second part of the day about the cooking and eating together. In order to achieve the main goal of community building, the plan is to involve a mayor social organization from Târgu Mureș and is aimed to their target group. Organised by Outward Bound Romania.
Friday, 11.10. | Online & All over Europe | 17:00-20:30 CEST (16:00-19:30 WEST, 18:00-21:30 EEST)
Digital Closing Event
For the first and only time in this programme phase of Generation Europe – The Academy, this online event will bring together everybody active within our network across Europe! All the youngsters, ambassadors, youth leaders and project managers are going to meet here. We are going to share our experiences from the European Action Week, feeling the power of our large network, celebrating our activities and impact. The digital event is designed so that all members of the local groups, ambassadors, youth leaders and project managers can participate from home if they have access to the internet.
