The cherry on top: European Youth Event in Brezice

In 2024, Young European Ambassadors have been taking part in three local European Youth Events (EYEs), engaging events co-organised by the European Parliament and youth-led NGOs around Europe.

What are local EYEs?

Local EYEs are local events which bring the experience of the EYE (European Youth Event) to Europe’s cities and regions. The EYE takes place every two years in Strasbourg, France and brings together more than 10,000 people from all over the European continent to engage in relevant discussions and share youth perspectives on thousands of topics.

Local EYEs first took place in 2022, and their success led the European Parliament to select and support more NGOs in organising the events on a local level. For this reason, in 2024 the local EYEs became four, taking place in Berlin (Germany), Vilnius (Lithuania), Forlì (Italy) and, finally, Brezice (Slovenia).

During the last event, which took place from 23-26 May 2024, YEAs contributed to the event by delivering one workshop and being present at the “Opportunities for Youth” fair with a stand, representing the network and promoting the work of YEAs in the EU, UK and all Eastern partner countries. 

The vibe at EYE Brezice

Have you ever been to Brezice? And to Slovenia?

If not, picture this: green hills, a peaceful river flowing and nicely pastel-coloured houses in the city centre. Slovenia is a country which looks like a postcard made reality.

EYE Brezice had a lovely vibe: many young people enjoyed the opportunity to spend time together and learn from one another. The event brought together young artists (involved in the artistic colonies) and young people from Slovenia and the neighbouring countries. We met youth from Ukraine, Italy, Romania, Croatia, Germany, Luxembourg, Austria, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The days were divided into learning experiences and fun activities: while we learned more about democratic systems, we also did collages and listened to young Slovenian musicians in the evening!

Our YEAs experience

On the first day, right after lunch, we strolled through the charming town centre and headed straight for the town hall, the venue for our workshop.

We hosted a workshop called “EU grows!”, focusing on enlargement policy and accession negotiations. Together with the audience, we split into small groups, getting to know one another and learning about the steps for countries aspiring to join the EU.

The best part about our workshop? The participants!

We were fortunate to have an engaged and enthusiastic group that peppered us with questions. They asked us how the enlargement process evolved over time, why some steps towards accession occurred earlier than others, and many more insightful questions that sparked stimulating debate.

What started off as a simple Q&A session transformed into an opportunity for everyone to share their opinions and discuss the intricacies of enlargement policy and the accession process.

Our workshop was also a fantastic opportunity for YEAs to meet and connect with young people. We had the chance to meet the participants from our workshop during the activities in the following days, and some even asked more questions about our work as YEAs.

Who knows, maybe they’ll consider joining the network when applications open!

The following day, we held a stand at the “Opportunities for Youth” fair, giving away YEA merchandise. We had many visitors stop by to play our quiz on the Eastern Partnership and the Eastern partner countries. By answering trivia questions, people could win tote bags and stickers, while playing a card game gave them a chance to win the rare YEAs mug.

Some people even kept playing after winning – who knew that Eastern Partnership trivia could be so addictive!

What did we learn?

EYE Brezice was truly an inspiring experience. It offered us the chance to meet many young people who were enthusiastically engaging in various learning experiences. We got to know them through different workshops, learning about their passions and interests, and engaging with them in a variety of discussions.

Our biggest takeaway from the event was witnessing the remarkable ability of youth from different cultures and backgrounds to come together and passionately discuss the EU and the importance of democracy. Many of these young individuals are actively working to engage their peers in their own communities.

EYE Brezice reminded us of the incredible potential of youth to shape the future of Europe. It left us with renewed energy and motivation to continue our efforts in promoting the EU and its Eastern partners and fostering a sense of unity among young people across the continent.