As pointed out by Naim Leo Beširi, one of the lecturers, also the Executive Director at the Institute for European Affairs and a member of the Team Europe, this campaign is primarily geared towards bringing the EU closer to young people in Serbia, 70% of whom over have not travelled outside the country, while nearly 50% are unemployed. At the same time, young people will be fully informed through the campaign about opportunities offered by EU integration, including opportunities to study and gain work experience in one of the member countries.
Answers to the questions about these experiences, and how to gain them, can be found in European Union programmes focussed on youth development ̶ primarily Erasmus Plus and European Voluntary Service, as well as the mobile application Europe in Your Pocket, which gives an overview of information about the opportunities provided by the EU in terms of education, volunteering, traveling and working in the member states.
“Participation in these programmes will open doors to better jobs and a better quality of life for young people later on,” says Beširi.
The lectures in Bujanovac and Novi Pazar are just two in a series of events organised throughout Programme municipalities.
In the second semester of 2016, presenters visited secondary schools in ten Programme municipalities, within lectures tailored specifically for secondary school students. A large turnout at the workshops is a confirmation of the interest among students, which is now further stimulated by easily accessible and complete information.
The campaign also focuses on the inclusion of the media in the dissemination of information on EU integration and relevant processes. In that context, two two-day training events were organised in Novi Pazar and Niš and attended by more than 40 representatives of local media outlets. In the lectures, prominent representatives of relevant institutions gave answers to all presented questions and clarified potential dilemmas regarding the relevant topics.
According to Marko Vujačić, European PROGRES National Programme Manager, news items about the negotiations and the opening of new chapters are important, but not sufficient for citizens of Serbia to become familiar with the essence of European integration, i.e., with the impact that this process and accession will have on their daily lives.
“What is the relevance of this process to a young man, and what to a small businessman or a farmer? What are its benefits and what are the challenges? These are just some of the questions that we receive every day from our beneficiaries, and the campaign ‘You are Europe’ will try to answer them, at least when it comes to our young fellow citizens,” added Vujačić.
In the upcoming period of the campaign, which will last until June 2017, a competition for secondary school students will also be organised in 34 Programme municipalities. The students will put forward their ideas for improving education in local communities. They will compete in a knowledge quiz on the European Union, while the grand finale of the competition is expected to take place in Novi Pazar in May 2017. In addition to the competition, many different activities are expected to take place in the Programme municipalities, as well as participation in festivals and other cultural events.
The information and education campaign “You are Europe” is funded by the European Union (EU), the Swiss Government and the Government of the Republic of Serbia through European PROGRES, and implemented by the Foundation for New Communications Dokukino and the Public Relations Agency Olaf&McAteer.
You can follow all the news about activities happening in your municipalities in the course of the campaign on the European PROGRES Facebook page.
