Yourope Matters – to become influencer for Europe Values Erasmus Project

Project Title

Yourope Matters – to become influencer for Europe Values

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for youth

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Youth (Participation, Youth Work, Youth Policy) ; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy

Project Summary

Content/Background of the project:

Democracy is about much more than voting once every five years or so in a national or European election. It is also about civil engagement and participation in the democratic process. Nevertheless, it is worth noting that while turnout in the 2014 European elections stabilised at just under 43% (very similar to 2009), turnout has been declining since 1979. Furthermore, turnout among young voters in the European elections of May 2014 (18-24) was low, at 28%. Contrast that with turnout among people aged 55 and over, over half of whom (51%) cast their ballots in 2014, and it’s clear that youth participation in European elections is not the best it could be. The European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) has traced and analysed voter turnout in this regularly updated facts and figures briefing.

Young people have developed different forms of political activism and participation, such as demonstrating, volunteering in associations and socialising and expressing political opinions through digital and social media. While social media is increasingly used in campaigns across Europe, the ultimate effect of this usage remains unclear. Some attribute the increasing levels of political activity on the internet to citizens who are already politically committed. It may be that social media have only a very limited effect on getting otherwise disengaged citizens to engage. Youth organizations have to take advance of this phenome and empower there members to use this new media to promote Yourope Matters.

Partners of the project:

The proposed project will be implemented by 5 youth organisations from Germany, Italy, France, Macedonia and Polen and 1 media companies from Germany.

The project pursues three main objectives of the project:
– To encourage and form young people to use social media and to become influencers for European values
– create smartphone apps, vlogging and social media campaigns to support EU Values under young people
– provide innovative forms of youth participation and cross-border communication and collaboration;
– tackle unemployment and social exclusion of young people in Europe, especially those with fewer opportunities, by improving the level of key competences, transversal skills, digital skills, entrepreneurship and intercultural competencies;
– promote human resources development and capacity building in youth organisations creating new jobs by promoting youth self-employment and social entrepreneurship in the NGO media sector.

Description of activities of the project:

The project combines the development of new training programs for youth organizations (O1) in the field of new media to train them to become influencers, the development of an innovative app for cross-border communication and collaboration in the field of new media and the development of a training programme for youth media entrepreneurs. All programmes developed will be tested within the project and finally adapted to individual needs. The Production of Videoblogs (O2) will be promoted true the “Yourope Matters APP” (O3) and also a Social Media Campaign (O4) where the new Influencers will disseminate there vison of Europe.

Long term benefits of the project:

– offering young people opportunities for non-formal learning and the acquisition of transversal skills, such as political participation, creativity, digital skills and multicultural competencies will improve their livelihood prospects and reduce the risk of social and economic exclusion;
– motivating and enabling young people in Europe to take position and influence their peers though social media;
– promoting quality improvements and unprecedented forms of cooperation and synergies in with the help of new media will promote innovation and the int’l dimension of youth work;
– enhanced usage of new and media for the acquisition of practical know-how, exchange of good practice and cross border networking will promote the digital integration in youth work and non-formal learning;
– creating new opportunities for employment and income generation of youth with fewer opportunities will contribute to attain the inclusive growth targets of the EU 2020 Agenda.

Project Website

http://youropematters.eu

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 232076 Eur

Project Coordinator

STARKMACHER EV & Country: DE

Project Partners

• 18frames film+medienproduktion GbR
• STOWARZYSZENIE MŁODYCH ARTYSTÓW ECO POWER
• PUNTOZERO SOCIETA COOPERATIVA
• Les Petits Débrouillards Grand Est
• Civil Association for communication, education and consulting OXO