The kick off meeting of the second period of the KA3 Erasmus+ GET THE NET project, under the coordination of You in Europe, took place this week, with the participation of the 11 partners from Italy, Portugal, Croatia, Spain, Bulgaria, Romania, Lithuania, Latvia, Denmark, Poland,  that will participate in the activities during 2024-2025.

The project is submitted under the ERASMUS-2024-CSC-OG-SGA call and is a continuation of the project 101121987 implemented in 2023. It continues working with young people in the field by focusing on two key issues:

a. raising awareness of environmental and climate change issues

b. activating young people regarding the affairs of their local community Especially for small communities, engaging young people is essential in order to achieve paradigm change through positive examples. Local authorities often wish to engage in dialogue with young people but find it relatively difficult to accept proposals or, even more importantly, to implement them. This creates a reality that does not necessarily meet modern needs, resulting in a population drain to other areas or larger urban centres. By implementing these actions, we aim to bridge the gap between the two sides in order to support the personal, social and educational development of young people and to enable them to have a voice, influence and position in society as they move from adolescence to adulthood and ‘independence’. At the same time, in this way, they become immersed in dialogue and the democratic process. They understand rules and do not just stand up to authority but propose solutions to problems that concern them. This process can also produce potential leaders who can later enrich the political staff by safeguarding and renewing democratically elected bodies and institutions. At the same time, they are not seduced by extreme voices and try to be part of the solution.

This need stems in particular from the violent radicalisation of the past decade, which is still alive and well if one observes the rise of extreme voices in various regions of the continent. Especially for young people living on the margins, the need to realise that they are not alone is an urgent necessity.

During the kick off meeting, the partners shared responsibility, clarified the distribution of the tasks, answered questions and committed to deliver quality workshops in accordance to the project’s objectives and scope.