XL, l'house organ di OPES anno 1, n°5, maggio 2019 | Page 25

SERVIZIO CIVILE BRUXELLES “This was the ideal backdrop to host 60 young people from 5 different countries (Belgium, Bulgaria,Italy, Portugal and Uk) came to Bruxelles for an unforgettable Youth Exchange. Moments like these will help to cement a more united Europe and a common European feeling.” XL / Maggio 2019 Last 29-30th of April, YEU took place in the biggest political and music youth festival of Europe: Yo!Fest2019. Fitted into the broader context of the “European Youth Week” (29th April - 5th May), Yo!Fest was an exciting mix of exhibition booths from different youth organisations, topical debates around European themes and interactive workshops, all happening in the large Esplanade in front of the European Parliament. After the success of the last edition in Strasburg, this year programme was mainly focused on “youth and democracy”, as part of the campaign to increase youth tornout in the upcoming European elections. In his stands, YEU advertised the platform “GamifyEU” (https://gamifyeu.org/), developed in collaboration with Molengeek and with the support of DYPALL, La Fenice, ABS and Hiraeth/ Project2020. Thanks to its user friendly interface and a playful dimension (the app is structured as an interactive discovery journey through the milestones that have brought to the modern concept of united Europe) this platform aims to raise awareness about European history, values and purpose as well as to promote among young citizens a sense of belonging to a common social and culturale heritage. This was the ideal backdrop to host 60 young people from 5 different countries (Belgium, Bulgaria,Italy, Portugal and Uk) came to Bruxelles for an unforgettable Youth Exchange. During this training course participants had the opportunity to discuss about European issues and youth-related topics, sharing their views and expectations on the Europe that they want in the next future. Young people had also the chance to visit the European Parliament, the House of European History and the Parlamentarium, to better understand role and contributions that European institutions have in their daily lives. It’s now time for every national group to play local by promoting the platform they contributed to design and spreading the newly gained knowledge in their communities. I Volontari del Servizio Civile 25