The new reality in Europe with unforeseeable events and deepening climate crisis will severely affect today’s young people in Europe. These challenges and changing circumstances require us to look for new ways to support young people's engagement in decision-making processes and discussions in Europe. Therefore, our objectives with this project were following: 1) Develop a new international hybrid discussion format to allow new ways for public discussions between young people over Europe; 2) Implement and introduce the new format in a hybrid mini discussion events, including discussions broadcasted from 3 different countries in August 2023; 3) Build youth organisations' capacities to organise hybrid events and quality discussions and create opportunities for the format to be used. With this project we aimed to reach 200 young people with the discussions events, train 40 young leaders to organise discussions and reach 50 new youth/student organisations with our dissemination activities.
Domus Dorpatensis (DD), Üliõpilaskonna Sihtasutus (ÜKSA) and Latvian Student Union (LSA) both work towards training and empowering youth to speak their mind on the matters that are important for their future. Covid and other emerging global challenges have forced organisations (including us) to rethink our current activities. Usual physical events are not the default norm anymore. This with the combination of bigger awareness on mental health caused young people to be more selective with where they spend their time. Since online options are now accessible, it does not make sense for young people to do everything physically. DD saw this effect happening on our education programme DD Academy, which we had to close due to these reasons. Other aspect is that the challenges that affect young people's lives are not limited to country borders. Covid, war, mental health, climate challenges are all global issues that affect young people's lives. Most decision-making on these challenges do not happen on the national level anymore. This sets the need for the discussions we are having with our organisations to be more transnational to better understand these challenges and find solutions.