Agder County was the host of the NEUEYT mobilities the 27^th and 28^th of April. Our guests were two politicians and two youth representing E-Trikala (Greece) and Foris (Italy).

The event started April 27^th  in the county administration office, where Agder County gave information about how we include youth in county planning processes. There was also a presentation on how we work with youth democracy through the regional youth council, which is regulated by law in Norway. In addition, Agder County represented UngData, a way of collecting information about the lives of youth in our schools. 17 000 youth in Agder responded to the last UngData survey.

The delegation then went to the City Hall in Kristiansand to meet the Deputy Mayor, Erik Rostoft. Kristiansand is a city of approximately 115 000 inhabitants. The delegation had a very fruitful discussion with the Deput Mayor about the need for politicians to connect better with its citizens, and especially with the young people growing up. The delegation from Italy and Greece also gave valuable information about the youth democracy in their countries.

In the afternoon, the delegation went to Samsen, a cultural house for youth. Samsen is Norways largest, most extensive and diverse cultural center for youth.It is the municipality of Kristiansand´s flagship provider of cultural activities for young people aged 15-25 in the region. At Samsen the youth can participate in for example dance, music, art, film making, photography, climbing, parkour, concerts, festivals and events.

In the evening, the delegation visited a big conference made by youth in a democracy project in Kristiansand.

Friday the 28^th, the delegation visited the municipality of Lillesand. Lillesand has approximately 11 000 inhabitants. In the morning we hada meeting with the Mayor, Einar Holmer Hoven, and with youth from Lillesand who has participated in the NEUEYT activities. We also had a presentation about youth council work in the municipalities.

The delegation the moved to Lillesand Upper Secondary School, where we got information on how the school works with student democracy, and how the school works with engaging the students in decision making processes. We met the principal, the student leader, teachers and youth. We also got a guided tour around the school premises.

In the afternoon, the delegation was picked up in a boat in Lillesand centre bye the County Mayor, Arne Thomassen. He took the delegation around the beautiful coast line of Lillesand, and we also got to see the old outport Brekkestø.

We had some great days in Norway. It was a meeting between very engaged people from different countries, who truly have the youth best interests in mind. Agder County would like to thank the amazing people from Greece and Italy who came to visit us!

We are excited to inform you that E-TRIKALA, one of the Greek partners had the opportunity to introduce via a banner, brochures and videos, the NEUEYT project during a two days Conference that took place on 20 and 21 of April in the Greek city of Trikala.

The conference, Trikala 2030 (https://trikala2030.gr/) promotes the goal for a sustainable  city by introducing to the public concepts like:

•             Infrastructure utilization

•             Promoting urban and thematic tourism, through the sustainable management of its resources.

•             Adopting solutions to reduce carbon footprint and slow down climate change.

•             Improvement of  services by adopting new technological solutions for the benefit of the citizens.

•             Encouraging the younger generation to participate meaningfully in planning and decision-making.

•             Enhancing innovation and start-up entrepreneurship.

•             Taking advantage of the region’s development prospects, highlighting the Comparative advantages.

On the second day of the conference E-TRIKALA organized a panel discussion with the title “Promoting Youth Democratic participation, Creating the first youth council via the NEUEYT PROJECT”. Speakers from the youth council, the organizing committee, mayors and vice mayors discussed and exchanged ideas on how to better include young people on democratic initiatives. Special focus was given to the importance of digital tools and our experience on the NEUEYT project.  

On the 11^th of April, our partners from HUB NICOSIA hosted one of the mobilities foreseen during the NEUEYT project in their premises in Nicosia, Cyprus.

A total number of 9 young people and stakeholders were selected by PISTES SOLIDAIRES (France), E-Trikala (Greece) and HUB NICOSIA (Cyprus) to participate to interactive sessions with local stakeholders that primarily work on youth participation, youth engagement and youth policy.

The participants had the opportunity to visit the premises of the Youth Board of Cyprus (ONEK), a public legal entity which offers young people multiple opportunities for active participation in social activities in Cyprus and abroad. Particularly, the participants engaged in discussion with representatives from the Youth Policy department which coordinates the implementation of the National Youth Strategy in Cyprus. As the representatives mentioned, one of the basic principles of the Strategy is the participation of young people in decision-making, on issues that concern them and the close cooperation between all bodies that implement programs and actions for youth.

The participants learned more information about the role of the department in putting forward policy proposals, for the empowerment of young people;in conducting specialized research to identify the needs of young people; andin carrying out consultations and open discussions with young people, using multiple tools, such as the operation of Advisory Bodies, the Youth Conference and the National Group on EU Youth Dialogue. In that sense, the participants had the opportunity to actively discuss with the ONEK representatives and actively share how the implementation of their own initiatives helped them to understand the importance of actively engaging in civic affairs and democratic life. Participants explained elements of their initiatives to the representatives and exchanged opinions and ideas for furthering the benefits that they had harvested during the implementation of their initiatives.

Following that, the participants visited the Home for Cooperation, a unique community centre located in the middle of the dividing lines in Cyprus, in the Ledra Palace area, UN Buffer Zone, Nicosia. The participants had the opportunity to learn more about this landmark building in Nicosia, that is currently acting as a bridge-builder between separated communities, memories and visions through its physical presence and its peacebuilding programs benefiting from the transformative power of arts and culture.

Starting from the Home for Cooperation the participants enjoyed a tour within the walled city of Nicosia (old historical centre) that allowed the exploration of different and diverse corners of the city that are often unknown to visitors. The city tour allowed for raising questions around the possibility of actively engaging in democratic processes in a divided capital city, and the participants learned more about non-formal and informal groups working in the heart of the city.

Finally, the participants had the opportunity to exchange ideas, insights and lessons learned derived from their experience with the design, participation, and implementation of the initiatives in their countries and local communities. It was interesting to see the results achieved, but also the obstacles that the participants came across.

Overall, it was a very rewarding and joyful experience for us all!!