As part of the EulectionPlay project, we organised a series of three online webinars during the months of June and July 2024 to raise awareness of the importance and relevance of young people’s participation in the European Parliament elections and to promote their civic engagement.
How the webinars were run
As part of the final event for the EulectionPlay project, we ran 3 webinars on 5. June, 13 June and 10 July. All webinars were conducted online, were interactive and our focus was on discussing strategies to increase youth engagement.
The first online webinar was conducted on 5 June 2024 and we focused mainly on the pre-election discussion. It was attended by 15 participants, we also invited ambassadors for the European elections with whom we have been working in the framework of the EUlectionplay activities, members of youth NGOs and the general public to participate in the webinar. During the two-hour discussion, we mainly focused on the upcoming European elections and the ambassadors had the opportunity to present policy proposals, examples of good practice and strategies on how to motivate young people to participate in the elections. At the end of the webinar we summarised for all participants the most important information about the elections, how to vote, how to choose who to vote for and where to get all the information they need. We also introduced the participants to the election calculator, where they can use their preferences to choose the candidate in the election who most closely represents their views and values.
The other two webinars were held after the European Parliament elections and were attended by 12 participants. The main topic was the evaluation of the election results and a discussion on what contributed to the increase in voter turnout and how young people can be further motivated to get involved. We also discussed other opportunities to involve young people in civic activities. We introduced the participants to tools and platforms that support civic engagement and their availability among youth.
Key Outputs
Each of the webinars produced a number of important recommendations and insights:
1. Sharing examples of good practice.
2. Motivating young people: Creating space for young people to discuss and listen is key to involving them in decision-making processes.
3. Inspiring stories: Sharing stories of young people who have successfully engaged in civic life will inspire other participants to become more active.
Through these events, we were able to raise awareness about the importance of youth electoral participation and empower young people to become active. The webinars also highlighted the need for more support and awareness of the tools available to help young people become active citizens.
ADEL Slovakia plans to continue to support youth civic engagement and further develop a network of active young people who will contribute to democratic development not only in Slovakia but also across the EU.
Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
