A few buses full of young Europeans started in the morning the short trip from Ljubljana to the Brdo Congress Centre. We asked them about their expectations and ideas for “Promoting the participation of young people with fewer opportunities in the society” meeting. What are Marta, Tiago, Magdalena and Franziska hoping for here?
Marta Escribano
Carrasco from Spain was working in European Youth Forum for two years two years ago, organizing meetings regarding youth with fewer opportunities. Now she is ending her mandate period in the Spanish Youth Council board. She wants to come back home with knowledge about was is going on right now in the fewer opportunities field. – I will take all conclusions from a meeting to Spain and hopefully activate people – says Marta. She will take part in the discussions of the working group “More and better employment for young people with fewer opportunities”.
Tiago Soares
In the working group “Role of young people in intercultural dialogue” Tiago Soares from Portugal will talk a lot. Four months ago he became the president of the Portuguese Youth Council. He has a minority background and wants to be a strong voice of youth with fewer opportunities towards government institutions and other organizations in Portugal. He came to the meeting to share hopes and fears about this topic with others. – I hope that somebody will take our point of view after the discussions into consideration – Tiago says.
Magdalena Szyszka
One of the Polish participants is Magdalena Szyszka from Unia Pomocy Niepelnosprawnym ‘Szansa’ (Union to Help Disable ‘Chance’). Magdalena is blind and came to Slovenia to show that her disability hasn’t blocked her with studying or working. She is just finishing her law studies and hopes to be a good lawyer in the next year. – The fact is that there is not many people like me who are not afraid of living a normal life – says Magdalena. – But the level of education for blind people in Poland is much higher than it was some years ago. I want to share this news with other participants of this meeting during our work in the group “More and better employment for young people with fewer opportunities”.
Franziska Stoelzel
For last six years she was working with young people from ten to twenty five years old. Working for the National Agency for Youth in Action Programe in Germany, leading workshops, organizing events and happenings for youths: Franziska Stoelzel from Chemnitz in Germany is dealing mostly with young people with fewer opportunities due to their less priviliged social background. She will take part in the group “Non-formal education and competence building with young people with fewer opportunities”. – I believe that I can learn a lot from people with different experience here – Franziska says. – New methods and ideas on how to get people into the project.
By Anna Sulewska
