Following the highs of the encouraging participation results in the 2019 European elections; the disruption of COVID-19 and its consequent effects on society has stalled the momentum of youth participation in Europe. Sadly, the lows brought about by the crisis will have damaging effects on young people’s empowerment, engagement, and connection to civic initiatives. The Co-Operation Youth Vote project seeks to encourage and strengthen youth participation through education and communication actions at a time where we need it most. As the 2019 European elections have shown, there exists an inextricable link between information and participation. Taking this into account, the project will build on a strong coalition of youth-led civil society organisations focusing on the following target group: first-time voters and young abstainers. The 2-year project is composed of four interconnected phases: The first phase seeks to understand the challenges and motivations of young people to participate actively in European initiatives in the (post) pandemic period, through desk research and a survey. Following the identification of young people’s needs, the second phase will build on this information by developing young people’s skills and knowledge through trainings to enable them to find solutions. The third phase aims to inform young people through blended activities. The fourth phase consists in increasing the outreach of the project outcomes through the development of an informal alliance of youth organisations. The events and activities will all include young people, young activists and youth workers from a diversity of youth networks and will provide the basis for stronger cooperation and further projects. The regional dimension is ensured by the diversity of the partnership and the depth of the partners with a wide set of expertise and experience. This will result in the creation of a Voting Toolbox to encourage young people's participation in European elections in 2024.
Following the highs of the encouraging participation results in the 2019 European elections; the disruption of COVID-19 and its consequent effects on society has stalled the momentum of youth participation in Europe. Sadly, the lows brought about by the crisis will have damaging effects on young people’s empowerment, engagement, and connection to civic initiatives. The Co-Operation Youth Vote project seeks to encourage and strengthen youth participation through education and communication actions at a time where we need it most. As the 2019 European elections have shown, there exists an inextricable link between information and participation. Taking this into account, the project will build on a strong coalition of youth-led civil society organisations focusing on the following target group: first-time voters and young abstainers. The 2-year project is composed of four interconnected phases: The first phase seeks to understand the challenges and motivations of young people to participate actively in European initiatives in the (post) pandemic period, through desk research and a survey. Following the identification of young people’s needs, the second phase will build on this information by developing young people’s skills and knowledge through trainings to enable them to find solutions. The third phase aims to inform young people through blended activities. The fourth phase consists in increasing the outreach of the project outcomes through the development of an informal alliance of youth organisations. The events and activities will all include young people, young activists and youth workers from a diversity of youth networks and will provide the basis for stronger cooperation and further projects. The regional dimension is ensured by the diversity of the partnership and the depth of the partners with a wide set of expertise and experience. This will result in the creation of a Voting Toolbox to encourage young people's participation in European elections in 2024.