The recent debate over the future of the European economic policy has turned the European Union against itself. The mainstream narrative has lately been dominated by an ideological battle between Northern Europe, guided by Germany, and Southern Europe, represented by Greece and Spain's anti-establishment forces Syriza and Podemos.With “You and Me”, nine young Europeans aged 18-25 have the chance to grab a camera and tell their own stories beyond stereotypes and media spin. Three groups, each one composed of one German, one Greek and one Spaniard, will meet in Berlin and get to know each other during the 1st transnational project meeting where they will learn the basics of filmmaking and post-production, and to shoot documentary interviews. They will be supported by a project team, composed of the four youth contact persons of the organisations involved running the project.The nine youngsters will then travel in groups of three mixed nationalities respectively through the rural areas of Brandenburg (Germany), Attica (Greece), and Aragón (Spain), where the risk of youth's marginalisation and social exclusion is high. In every country, they will meet and interview four young people in the same age group, and investigate their relationship with the European Union, how they relate to Brussels and to politics, their everyday challenges, goals and dreams. There, they will be accompanied by the contact person of the respective country, a local social worker and a professional filmmaker.Next to the youth project coordinators these nine young people will have an active role in the project coordination, through the implementation of non-formal and innovative education techniques such as silent brainstorming, pro-action café and visual thinking. The main outcome will thus be a documentary film made by and for young Europeans providing a fresh image of European youth and an alternative narrative for the European project.As a result, the young Germans, Greeks and Spaniards will develop a sense of empowerment in the frame of the European project, increase their cross-cultural awareness, reduce the impact of stereotypes and prejudices, develop an informed and critical understanding of mainstream media and become able to use their creativity and their newly acquired filmmaking skills to break down barriers between people from different cultures and backgrounds.On a long-term basis, the youth involved in the project will act as disseminators in their own environment, offering a different perspective to other young people in the rural areas in which they live. In fact, through their activity they create an international network and encourage future education or work in other EU countries in areas that, due to geographical obstacles, are often excluded or have limited access to transnational mobilityMoreover, the project can help the young Germans, Greeks and Spaniards interviewers and interviewees perceive "Europe" not as an abstract entity operating far away from their own environment, but rather as a structure having a meaningful and positive role in their daily lives, and it can restore their confidence in the European integration process.Finally, on a broader scale, "You and Me" can encourage the inclusion of young people, whose vulnerability was increased by the economic and political crisis, and draw special attention to rural youth, a segment of the population at risk of marginalisation and social exclusion.To conclude, it will hopefully provide the international audience with an alternative narrative for the European project, beyond stereotypes and media spin, and with a fresh image of European youth.
In the EU, 75% of the population lives in urban areas, while 80% of the territory is categorised as rural. Rural areas throughout Europe are often associated with remoteness, population decline, lack of education, infrastructure and services, and risk marginalisation and social exclusion. With “You and Me”, three young Germans, Greeks and Spaniards grabbed a camera to tell six stories from their rural regions beyond stereotypes and mainstream media narrative, which in the past few years has pitted Northern and Southern Europe against each other. The participants met in Berlin in April 2016 to learn the basics of filmmaking and develop the concept of their own documentary; from September to October 2016, they split in three mixed groups and travelled through the rural areas of Brandenburg (Germany), Lesbos (Greece), and Aragón (Spain), where they interviewed six young people about their lives in rural areas, their dreams and everyday challenges. In January 2017, the participants came together one last time for the editing and post-production of their footage. The result is "Ruralink", a 40-minute documentary featuring a portrait of rural youth from Germany, Spain and Greece beyond stereotypes and mainstream narrative. It provides a fresh look at rural Europe and shows inspired, dynamic young people, committed to reviving their local communities and regions. Through their engagement at the local level, they put into practice a vision of Europe that is based on sustainability and solidarity, challenging nationalist rhetoric and media spin. After working on their documentary for almost a year, the young people involved in the project have increased their cross-cultural awareness as well as their ability to work in an international environment and in a foreign language (English); they developed a more critical perspective towards mainstream media, stereotypes and prejudices about the countries they visited; moreover, they learnt to use their creativity and their filmmaking skills to break down barriers between people from different cultures and backgrounds. On a long-term basis, they will act as disseminators in their own environment, offering a different perspective to other young people in the rural areas in which they live. The project was coordinated by Citizens For Europe, a Berlin-based NGO and social business supporting the development of a participatory and inclusive European Union. It was carried out in collaboration with Fondo Natural, an NGO based in Zaragoza promoting environmental protection and social and economic sustainability, and Bridging Europe, an Athens-based non-profit research center focusing on Europe, geopolitics and migration. European Alternatives Berlin, an NGO focusing on citizenship and political education, assisted the organisation of the premiere screening in Berlin.