Voting is a fundamental right and stepping stone of active citizenship and democratic participation. In light of the EU distrust and fewer implication of youth in democratic life, 7 NGOs from different countries decided to gather and make a change.
Although the last 2019 European Parliament (EP) elections experienced a higher voter turnout than the previous years, only 50.66% of people with the right and ability to vote did so. Therefore, 7 different organizations decided to collaborate and improve youth participation in the next 2024 European Parliament elections.
The project ‘Changemakers for European Democracy’ lasted 16 months – from March 2023 until June 2024. It was mainly funded by the European Parliament and partly co-funded by the 7 following partner organizations: TDM 2000 International (Italy), TDM 2000 Eesti (Estonia), Global Citizen Academy (Lithuania), TDM 2000 Malta, TDM Portugal (Portugal), Active Zone Outdoor (Cyprus), SIEDAS (Slovakia).
Through this project, TDM 2000 Malta aimed to:
Promote and strengthen European democracy and citizenship at continental level;
Promote the development of a political community made of active citizens at European and transnational level;
Promote a virtuous change in European policy based on the action of civil society actors.
The project established a steering committee with representatives from seven countries to manage and coordinate activities, including selecting and training 70 Changemakers (10 per country). These Changemakers implemented educational activities in schools to deepen students' understanding of EU issues and the right to vote, conducted opinion polls, online consultations, and round tables with EP candidates. They also organized simulations of the European Parliament, synchronized flash mobs to raise voting awareness, and interviews with EP candidates. Additionally, the project included multiplier events, online and press campaigns, and the production of 50 educational and promotional videos on voting rights and EU values. Peer-to-peer communication and various activities supported these efforts to raise awareness of voting importance, increase voter participation, and improve interaction within the together.eu community.
The project organized two local flash mobs with youth dancers, extensive social media campaigns on EU voting and institutions, videos encouraging voting, and interviews with MEP candidates. Vox pops gathered youth perspectives on the elections. An event in collaboration with the European Parliament Office in Malta addressed the European Parliament's role, democracy, voting, Malta’s voice in the EU, and the MEP elections.
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