15/05/2011

European Youth Week
From education, to mobility, to employment

By Marijan Kegalj (Croatia) and Vladimira Briestenska (Slovakia), EPP Group Interns

The fifth European Youth Week (EYW) takes place from 15 to 21 May across 33 European countries within and beyond the EU. It's a pan-European programme with hundreds of events and festivities organised for young people. This major European youth policy debating forum gives young people "an opportunity to share their opinions with policy-makers first-hand, in a highly structured way," according to Sergej Koperdak, Head of the European Commission’s Youth Policy Unit.

The flashpoint of this cultural, political and social exchange is a central series of high-level events in Brussels and Antwerp, bringing together some 200 young Europeans to help shape the very future of the EU through workshops and debates.

Тhe EYW also raises awareness of some the EU's initiatives for European youth. The EU Youth in Action Programme is central to these initiatives. It is structured around five main actions including Youth for Europe, European Voluntary Service, Youth in the World, Youth Support Systems and Support for European Co-operation in the Youth Field. During this year's EYW, which falls within the European Year of Volunteering, outstanding volunteer projects from around Europe will be honoured during an award ceremony in Antwerp by Commission President Barroso.

A Report encouraging increased mobility for students - vocational as well as university - has just been adopted in Parliament. The 'Youth on the Move' Report was based on research showing that the more young people gained educational and professional experience abroad, the greater their understanding of and engagement in democratic processes and the closer they felt to the EU.

But the pressing issue of the day is youth unemployment. So we wanted to focus a little more on how the EU encourages young people to gain practical experience in the working environment as well as bringing them closer to the EU, drawing on our own experience as interns - or stagiaires - for the EPP Group in the European Parliament.


Vladi

Today, I see my decision to come to Belgium and to complete several internships in the centre of Europe as one of the most crucial steps in my professional pathway so far. Brussels is a place where you can get rich, practical and very useful experience either as a young professional, graduate or as a student.

Firstly, coming from Slovakia, I had to deal with some doubts about whether it was a reasonable and clever decision to get some practical experience already during my bachelor studies at University, as the educational system across the Eastern European countries does not encourage young people to look for a job before they complete a Masters following their Bachelor degree. I came to a decision to first try living and studying abroad by using the grants available through Erasmus, the student exchange programme established by the European Commission.

After one year of studying International Relations at the Roskilde University in Denmark, which completely opened my eyes in all aspects, I was strongly convinced to apply also for the Erasmus practice programme enabling students to do practical training in another European country. So, I rose to the challenge and came to Brussels, policy-making capital at the heart of European politics, with the motivation to utilise my theoretical knowledge of politics and EU affairs. During the time I've spent in Brussels, I've had an opportunity to complete several internships, starting with a political newspaper, then a public affairs organisation and finally with the EU Institutions.

Currently, I am working as an intern for the Press and Communications Service of the EPP Group in the European Parliament. Each of the internships has been a valid and enriching learning experience, giving me a unique possibility to improve my skills and get a better understanding of how the EU functions in practice, to meet interesting people and create a network of contacts. But mostly it has helped me to find the right direction for my future professional life. Moreover, thanks to this practical experience, I am much more certain today about the further specialisation which I would like to study at the postgraduate level.


Marijan

When I was considering internships I expected it to be something that would help clarify my picture of the European Union, especially its Institutions. And internships for the Robert Schuman Foundation and the EPP Group in the European Parliament have indeed helped me, as a soon-to-be EU citizen, to introduce myself to the functioning of theEU Institutions - especially the European Parliament.

I have to say that it has given me not only a clear picture on all the above, but through my work and interaction with colleagues during my time spent in Brussels, I've learned an enormous amount of useful information which can be used not only in politics but in life in general.

I consider opportunities such as internships and Erasmus Programmes as once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to experience new cultures, network with people with the same interests and ambitions. Choosing between one of numerous options given to young people to study abroad or to work in different institutions certainly helps in gaining experiences which help young people to define what they want to do later on in their lives, and in what direction they want to go with their professional lives in particular.

My internships and several other seminars which I have attended gave me an opportunity to meet people from around Europe and hear their experiences and points of view on the importance of the strength of the European Union and the unity between it members. Being able to hear so many different, but yet quite similar, positive opinions helped me in creating my own opinion on the importance of Croatia becoming a Member State, a part of the EU family, to experience all the advantages and improvements that membership brings.