The future of Europe after the COVID pandemic 19 through the eyes of young people: Vision and solutions

National hackathon within the Europe for Citizens program

In response to the great changes in society that have become commonplace in the period from the beginning of the COVID19 pandemic to the present day, GEYC from Romania in partnership with Environmental Engineers and partners from 18 other countries designed the project and accepted the challenge through a joint initiative. are implementing a project to create a network of young people, which aims to bring together young people who will work together to find a way to overcome emerging problems in areas related to citizens’ rights and democratic participation in decision-making processes.

As part of the call for Civil Society Projects 2020 (EACEA / 52/2019), GEYC will cooperate with 19 partners: European Dialogue (Slovakia), Kulturalis Kapcsolatokert Alapitvany (Hungary), GEYC Association (Romania), European House Spotkan – Nowy Staw Foundation (Poland), Mittetulundusuhing Noored Uhiskonna Heaks (Estonia), Aktyvusjaunimas Association (Lithuania), More Mosaic (Sweden), Citizen OS Foundation (Estonia), SLOAM Youth Agency (Slovenia) , Social Yoth Development Civil Nonprofit Society (Greece), Mojo de Caña Association (Spain), Euro Sud (Italy), UdhëtimiLirë – Liberi di Viaggiare (Albania), Bosnian Representative Association For Valuable Opportunities (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Environmental Engineers Association (Serbia), Coconut Luxembourg (Luxembourg), Geoclube – Associacao Juvenil De Ciencia Natureza E Aventura (Portugal), Association Universitaire Latino-Americane ASBL (Belgium), Center For Intercultural Und erstanding (France) coming from 18 countries to include over 300 participants in national hackathons that will be organized in all participating countries with the aim of gathering young people and encouraging them to actively participate in solving the problems caused by the COVID 19 pandemic.

EuroChange Makers is a project that aims to:

  1. Engages over 300 citizens from all 18 countries participating in the project in national civic hackathons whose goal is to discuss, reflect and propose concrete solutions for the future of Europe;
  2. Create an informal network of 100 young EuropeanChange Makers (ECM) from all countries participating in the project;
  3. Organizes a European civic hackathon that will bring together over 100 participants from all countries participating in the project with the aim of discussing, thinking, proposing concrete solutions for the future of Europe and presenting at least 100 European and national actors in the form of a White Paper.
  4. Create and promote the European Change Makers platform, via social networks with the hashtag #euroCM, bringing together all the content created in the project: roles, opinions, best practices in the region, solutions for the „Future of Europe“ and the informal ECM network.

The Association of Environmental Engineers as one of the partners in the project will organize with the support of OPENS the National Hackathon which will be held in Serbia in September 2021.The most successful young participants (European Change Makers, ECM) of the national hackathon in Serbia will have the opportunity to meet the most successful participants from the other 17 countries participating in the project in 2022 and to weigh their ideas with theirs at the European Hackathon in Bucharest.

The national hackathon will be an ideal opportunity for young people to connect and come together to come up with solutions for a better and safer future for the whole of Europe, creating a network of acquaintances and friendships that will broaden their horizons and encourage new creative ideas.