Do you remember that feeling on Christmas morning when you were a child eagerly waiting to open the presents Santa Claus delivered the night before. That amazing feeling of sheer anticipation, excitement and awe of what that wrapped present contained. That is what I felt when we landed in Lisbon on the 06th of June 2018.
During the hours’ drive to our hotel, I got a glimpse of what Portugal had to offer. After a day of travelling across Europe to reach the Youth Capital of 2018, Cascais, I was eagerly waiting to meet new people and experience to the full what the EYCA conference had to offer.
Thanks to Aġenzija Zgħazagħ and EYCA, I was granted the opportunity to participate at the 34th European Youth Card Association Annual Conference; where we were given the task to co-design a campaign co created by young people for young people. Our main aim was to encourage young people to be part of the democratic process, with a focus on raising awareness for the forthcoming 2019 European Elections.
Being an EYCA cardholder enabled me to be one of the eleven other participants from all over Europe; an opportunity to work with other young people my age who hold different cultures and diverse experiences; however this did not stop us from working hand in hand to encourage young people grow more interested in the democratic process around Europe and to get young people excited to vote for any upcoming elections.
Soon after we got to know each other, the real work began. Following the opening ceremony we were invited to attend to different presentations which demonstrated good youth work practices taking place in different scenarios. These presentations aided us to have a better understanding of diverse ethnic groups, the reality each country holds and explore different ways and means on how to communicate with young people.
Young Scot and Jamhot manned our workshops and effectively digitalized our initial ideas. The group of cardholders came up with 100’s of ideas which by the end of the day we voted for the best ones, which eventually will be put in process to be implemented towards the campaign.
Not only did this initiative grant me the opportunity to meet new people and discover more than Malta holds; but it also empowered me to be an active citizen and encourage other young people to participate by sharing their views and concerns towards a better democratic life., all thanks to the opportunity offered by Aġenzija Zgħażagħ and EYCA.
