"The Voice of Europe" in Berlin
Do the citizens of the European Union want a charismatic leader or a loyal co-ordinator? Young Europeans debated in Berlin. The topic of the debate has been connected with the nomination of Herman Van Rompuy a new leader of the European Council. During a one-week seminar young people from across Europe took part in the media workshops, visited famous think-tanks in Berlin and prepared the debate.
It is no secret that the European Union needs more reasons (beyond institutional apparatchic) to glue it together. Economics alone won´t do it! Without the benefit of a shared historical symbol (Europe is widely known to be an extremely varied group of nations) integration becomes pretty tricky. Getting a sample of European youths together for a common aim might be a good start.
This project ‘The Voice of Europe’ is a training programme with a very clear set of objectives. The organisers, European Youth4Media Network conceived of the need of getting youths together to be trained in using crossmedia both as a tool for helping citizens voice thier opinions more broadly and efficiently, and also to give them the opportunity to express thier creativity using digital media with a focus on political debating, pariticpation, and engament.
During a one-week seminar in Berlin the participants not only took part in the media workshops, but also visited different institutions, like the most famous German think-tank DGAP and the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy. The visits prepared them to the debate, which took place on Saturday, 12th of December 2009 in Berlin.
One of the participant, Mathew Davies about the training course in Berlin:
I spent last week in Berlin learning journalism skills. This was one of the most amazing projects I have been involved with so far. There were people from Germany, Poland, Malta, France, Bulgaria and Romania. During the week we learnt about Berlin’s fascinating history by making documentaries about various themes. I learnt several forms of dance courtesy of my colleagues and made friends which will last. This was funded by the European programme Europe for Citizens which aims to empower integration, cultural awareness and deepening democracy in Europe. It was facilitated by the Youth4Media Network which has been making documentaries regarding European culture, human rights and many other issues for many years. There were 25 participants, we learnt how to film, use editing software and plan projects.
This is just one of many initiatives funded by the EU which takes place in the vibrant and complicated city of Berlin. It has enriched me and opened my eyes to opportunities for the future, I would highly recommend it for anyone who is interested in spending time learning in depth about the diverse peoples of Europe and what’s to be involved in the development of the Union.
Mathew Davies
Studying Peace Studies and International Relations.
