‘ Eye on The Edge ’
Report by Emma Gorey ( 5 th Year )
“ By young people , for young people ”. This is how Ms . English described to me EYE on the Edge , an online festival hosted by the European Parliament and Galway 2020 , last year ’ s European Capital of Culture . Aiming to “ fuse politics , arts and culture ”, the event opened with sunny seaside views of Galway and a welcoming message from MEP Maria Walsh . The online format of the event only added to its core message of “ diverse voices ”, allowing participants from all over Europe to contribute to the event .
Livestreams from the European Parliament buildings in Brussels and Strasbourg showed us around the empty hemisphere and the interpreters ’ booths . We were then given the opportunity to put our questions to interpreters and translators from all corners of Europe ; from Croatia and Latvia to Scotland and the Waterford Gaeltacht . Within the first hour , I could already tell that I was about to sit in on some challenging and thought-provoking discussions ; themes such as diversity , education and the recent Sofagate scandal alluded to in just one sentence . My predictions were correct , as the first workshop I attended , “ The Power of Communication in European History ”, hosted by the House of European History in Brussels , stirred me to think deeply about social media activism , drawing inspiration from the Arab Spring phenomenon and the personal familial background of a Turkish-German participant . We were then treated to an evening of young European entertainment , including a performance from the Galway Youth Theatre .
On Saturday , our attention was drawn to the challenges that youth workers have been faced with throughout the pandemic , with guest speakers from Foróige and the National Youth Council of Ireland . A discussion on youth climate activism brought together ECO- UNESCO climate ambassadors and their Tanzanian counterparts , an articulate group of young people who expressed their passion for local climate projects that cross international borders . Ambassadors from Eurodesk Ireland then presented the range of European opportunities available to young people , including the European Solidarity Corps , which allows young Europeans to embark on funded volunteering projects throughout the EU . Despite following events from my own bedroom , these discussions helped me to realise that making a difference in Europe is more feasible than we often think .