Let the journey begin

Päivitetty viimeksi Perjantai, 05/05/2023

Thirteen young journalists from around Europe met for the first time in Brussels in February. The reason for this meeting was that they are the new pool of European young journalists for the year 2023. But what is this pool about and how was their experience in Brussels? Let’s start from the beginning.

The pool of European young journalists is an initiative that started in the framework of the European Year of Youth 2022 and it is supported by the European Commission and Eurodesk. The aim is to bring young people’s voices to the spotlight and give them the platform and opportunities to share their stories with the audience of the European Youth Portal. After the successful first batch of 2022 that created amazing content, the new promising storytellers met for the first time in Brussels last February for a training. “Astonishing”, is how Alberto Carmena García, one of the young journalists, describes the 2-day experience. For him, it was a chance to meet interesting people with whom he shares the same concerns and with whom he could fully connect with. “Every single activity was relevant and helpful to broaden our journalistic and EU knowledge”, he says. 

The training consisted of two intense but inspiring days, as the participants described it. The first day started at the Eurodesk office, with  “get to know” and team building activities where the participants had the chance, among other interesting activities, to unfold their painting skills - by painting each other - and share their expectations and fears about the project.

Afterwards, the young storytellers had the chance to witness live the European Commission’s Midday Press Briefing and ask questions to the EU spokespersons, learning many behind-the-scenes tips and tricks.

Filled with energy and enthusiasm, the team continued their journey to the Youth Outreach Unit at the European Parliament. There, the young journalists had an enriching discussion with Laura Popa and Hannah Maes on how the Unit works and on the evolution and the organisation of the upcoming European Youth Event 2023. The discussion went on with many questions from the participants, covering a wide spectrum of topics, from democracy, youth policy and participation to active citizenship, how the EU institutions work and many other topics that the storytellers were eager to learn about. The last station of the day was at the European Parliament’s studios and press facilities, guided by Cecilia Sundberg. Another constructive discussion took place and the day finished-symbolically some could say- at the Hemicycle of the European Parliament, the very vibrant heart of European democracy. “I definitely learned more about the functional operation of the European Commission, the European Parliament as well as the various European schemes that are dedicated to helping young people in different ways’, Giannis Christoforou from Cyprus explains what he learned from the first-day visits.

The second day of the training found the young storytellers at the European Commission again. After some reflection games about the previous day and fun social media activities, the participants had the opportunity to meet the EUYouth Coordinator Biliana Sirakova. Altogether they had a vivid conversation with the participants asking about the outcomes of the European Year of Youth and the future of youth policy and initiatives.However, the best  was yet to come.  It was time for pitching. Each participant bravely stood on the ”podium” and pitched their idea that aligned with European Year of Youth topics and European Youth Goals in only 90 seconds. The last part of the visit has come with Eoghan Regan from the Social Media team of the Commission’s youth social media account (@european_youth_eu) giving feedback on the participant's talks and an overview of the operation and the engagement of European young people on the media initiatives.

Almost before the end, right back where it all started – at the Eurodesk office - another interesting activity awaited the young journalists. What else, but a journalism workshop! However, not a common one. The experienced journalist Joppe Nuyts gave the participants a glimpse into investigative and undercover journalism, something that all the young journalists found really intriguing and considered being a valuable insight.

Energised from the workshop and all the knowledge gained the previous days, it was production time. The journalists put their ideas on the table and planned their next steps regarding the content that they would create in the next months. The day wrapped full of smiles and gratitude about the whole experience.

The training brought the new pool of European young journalists closer to each other. Although it lasted just two days, the storytellers found much in common and could not stop discussing with one another. Creativity and enthusiasm flow among the team and many exciting things are on the way. Stefanos Agathokleous, the project coordinator at Eurodesk, believes that young storytellers will learn new ways to think and create content that engages young people thanks to the pool. Karolina Kosowska, Eurodesk’s Training and Membership Officer, on the other hand, emphasises the importance of young journalists using this unique opportunity to share their views on issues that matter to them. “I hope they will use this opportunity to make sure that the voice of young people from disadvantaged areas is going to be heard” she adds.

Miriam Rubio Ramirez from Spain believes that the pool is building a team of talented, passionate, and dedicated young professionals who will give their best throughout 2023. They are about to bring you many amazing things, so stay tuned. But until then you can get to know them better by checking their bios!  

 

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Meet the authors Maro Samara and Melike Pala

"I am Maro from Greece. I am an incubating physicist and parallelly work in the digital education domain for vulnerable groups and migration. I gained journalistic experience from writing in online student newspapers and pop-culture magazines. I love channelling ideas in several ways and cooperating in multicultural environments to make a sustainable global impact. Reading, debating, arts, languages, volunteering, and sports are places I find comfort and growth at the same time."

"I am a 23-year-old Journalism graduate from Turkey, currently living in Patras, Greece. Participating in international projects since 18 made me explore the world. I have an experience in online journalism and news writing, thanks to having worked at the faculty newspaper as a reporter for over three years and being in the 2021 UNESCO Youth Newsroom. My internship at Turkey's largest fact-checking organization helped me a wider knowledge of fact-checking methods and media literacy. Politics, social movements, and human rights are my main areas of interest in journalism. My plans for the near future are to do a master's degree in Middle Eastern Studies and do my profession by focusing on this region." (Melike)

 

This article reflects the views of the authors only. The European Commission cannot be held responsible for it.