Forlì, 28th of May - For the first time in Italy, the European Youth Event (the biannual youth event which usually takes place in Strasbourg organised by the European Parliament) has taken place in Forlì, precisely on the University of Bologna campus from the 17th to the 19th of May, featuring thousands of young Europeans and NGOs, including ours, gathering to discuss several key topics.
For the International Community NGO's members, EYE Forlì is definitely not the first type of participation in such events. Still, as a youth organisation, it has represented a milestone in the history of the International Community NGO given the possibility to network with like-minded changemakers, develop the audience for future IC events and share knowledge on such a significant topic, the one concerning EU institutional reforms.
ReformEU: Bring the change as an MEP. During the workshop, participants had the chance to discuss ideas regarding institutional reform of EU institutions, key to the democratisation process, in light of the upcoming elections. In particular, throughout the workshop, our participants delved into insightful debates with our speaker, Professor Renata Lizzi (Professor of EU Institutions and Politics at the University of Bologna), but above all, among the seven political groups they were divided. Indeed, after the first presentation, everyone was assigned to one of the seven groups, with the main purpose of negotiating a draft proposal using the same viewpoints of real political groups at the European Parliament. Despite the limited amount of time, under the sage direction of our staff members Anastasiia Todoruk (CEO), Agata Bidas, Adriano Coco, Sacha Englebert, Davide Muzzu, Elisa Modonutti, and Xiaojie Ji, and through the three assigned tasks per each group, participants could understand briefly but effectively the complexity of the actual debates, and which are the stances of each political group. Apart from the mostly academic part, the workshop represented a good platform to improve their negotiation skills since they had to find arguments for proposals with which they may not personally agree and a platform to make new valuable connections around Italy and Europe.
For the International Community NGO, one of the additional objectives of our workshop, "ReformEU: Bring the change as an MEP," was to underscore the paramount importance of the European elections and democratic participation. The upcoming European elections are not just a routine democratic exercise; they are a critical opportunity for citizens across the continent to influence the direction of the European Union. As the second-largest elections in the world, they offer a unique platform for voters to shape policies and leadership that affect over 500 million people. However, these elections have often been perceived as secondary, overshadowed by national elections, and plagued by low voter turnout. By focusing on EU institutional reforms, our workshop aimed to highlight the significance of these elections in fostering a more democratic and participative Europe. Engaging young people in the electoral process, stimulating informed debates, and encouraging active participation were central to our mission. We believe that empowering the youth to understand and influence EU policies can lead to a more robust and inclusive democratic process, ensuring that the voices of all citizens are heard and valued.
The enthusiasm with which each of the sixty participants has contributed has definitely made the workshop a success for the entire organisation! Besides, it is the combination of professionalism, interactivity, and fun during the entire participants' work that made the participants and the staff members enjoy these two hours together.
For the entire staff at the International Community NGO, it is a moment of pride and joy which hopefully everyone will bring with them, given the friendly but cooperative and productive environment that characterised the entire path to EYE Forlì, from the preparation of the workshop, which dates back to February, to the last minute on campus!
Author: Adriano Coco
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