“Discrimination0”, the project organised by AEGEE-Lviv, AEGEE-Dresden and AEGEE-Moskva has already come to its end. The project consisted of two parts which took place in Ukraine and Germany in the format of youth exchange. The main goal of the event – promoting tolerance and unity for building a society free of any kind of discrimination and stereotypes.

The first part took place in Lviv on October 2nd-7th. During the week, every day was very different from the others and very intensive. The first day of the project was devoted to finding the definition of discrimination and discussing some controversial points about it. Then we talked about the discrimination of disabled people and got acquainted with the international sign language. We also had a day devoted to gender discrimination and meeting with representatives of the League of Women’s Rights Protection “Harmony of the Equal”. They shared with us some important information about gender discrimination in Ukraine and the ways it can be revealed. We also learned some legal aspects of this problem. As Lviv is considered to be one of the oldest and the most beautiful cities of Europe, our organisers also included an excursion part to the programme. So, we had a city tour with an amazing guide who let us in on the city secrets and a trip around three old castles situated in the Lviv region. It is also worth mentioning the informal part of the project – communication, games to know each other, evening walks and parties!

The second part of the “Discrimination0” project took part in Dresden from the 17th to the 22nd of November. Due to our amazing organisers, the second part was mostly focused on the themes that weren’t discussed before. So, we had a reflection workshop with a long conversation on privileges in society and empathy towards other people. We tried to understand the phenomenon of PEGIDA, to find out the real ways to react against discrimination, to develop a civil courage and understand the main problems of the muslim community. A gender issue was also present in our discussions, but not in a way we were used to; an exhibition, “The boringly normal man”, dedicated to masculinity made us think about this social construct. What does it mean – being a man in the XXI century? Which problems are men usually faced with? Now almost everybody agrees we must fight against gender inequality, but without understanding the nature of femininity and masculinity it would not be possible.

“Discrimination0” has come to its end. To sum up, the Dresden part differs from the Lviv one on its topics and on the questions we were trying to solve. But that’s the most important thing! Two countries having a different background and different experiences uniting against the mutual problem, trying to learn from each other and to understand each other. Reacting against discrimination is very important, but the first and the main thing our action can start with is a feeling of empathy towards somebody and understanding of the situation. We strongly believe that “Discrimination0” had an impact on the participants and they will feel now informed and empowered enough to make a difference in their society and stand for values as diversity, trust and understanding. We want to thank the foundation “Remembrance, Responsibility and Future” (EVZ), the Federal Foreign Office and the Robert Bosch Stiftung for making this project possible!

Written by AEGEE-Lviv

Two cities, a full schedule with a strong thematic side, the usual AEGEE spirit: this is what lies ahead for participants to the conference “Brexit-What next?” jointly held by AEGEE-London, AEGEE-Manchester and AEGEE-Sheffield from the 29th of November to the 4th of December. 25 participants, both AEGEEans and non-AEGEEans, will have the opportunity to tackle the issues arising from Brexit, specifically focusing on youth mobility. We reached Dominik Stengele, president of AEGEE-London, to discover more. 

The AEGEEan: Please introduce yourself to our readers.

Dominik: My name is Dominik Stengele. My enthusiasm about our beautiful continent and passion to travel and explore made me join AEGEE in 2013. I was elected president of AEGEE-London in July 2017 and I am programme responsible of our upcoming event “Brexit – What Next?”.

Why did you decide to organise the event “Brexit – What Next?” with AEGEE-Sheffield and AEGEE-Manchester?

Our European Students’ Network has sadly never been too active within the United Kingdom, even though AEGEE-London was one of the founding antennae in 1985. Furthermore, the result of the Brexit referendum concerns us and adds uncertainty to our future as young Europeans. We therefore decided, for the first time ever, to unite as UK-based AEGEE locals and organise a thematic conference together.

Which will be the contribution of AEGEE-London during the event?

There is a very active and passionate group of young Europeans behind this event that works hard to make it happen. We operate in several teams in parallel to cover all aspects of the event, like thematic content, accomodation, fundraising, PR and others. Members of AEGEE-London are active in each of those teams and will be participating the event as helpers and moderators for panel discussions.

In your experience, what has changed for AEGEE locals in the UK after Brexit?

Everyone in AEGEE was deeply saddened by the Brexit referendum result and we received many messages and had discussions with our fellow Europeans both here and abroad. But every crisis also opens a window of opportunity. While the United Kingdom prepares to leave the European Union, a large number of people, which in fact is majority across opinion polls, stands up and speaks out as pro-European. Due to this new enthusiasm across the society, we as AEGEE-London grew faster than the average of AEGEE in 2017, hence are able to be more active than we used to be. However the uncertainty in the air about the conditions of Brexit also worries many of us. If, for example, citizens of the European Union had to apply for tourist visa after Brexit, then this would certainly hurt our abilities to organise larger events in the future. While our impact on the conditions of Brexit is limited, our enthusiasm and dedication isn’t. And AEGEE can expect the UK-based locals to be actively participating across our entire network.

What are the outcomes you would like to achieve with this event?

Our event will focus on the future of freedom of movement in the United Kingdom and its consequences for young people on both sides of the channel. This advantage, which many of us take for granted, can be drastically limited after Brexit. We will discuss youth mobility in detail, both in workshops and panel discussions with experts, and will also cover related topics such as the future of Erasmus+. With this event we also show our fellow Europeans that the UK-based AEGEE locals are not only alive, but more active than ever before. We also want to take advantage of this new dynamic to organise more events in the future.

Who can participate to the event and how?

Everyone is welcome to apply to our event! Please find more information in the ‘Apply’ section of our event webpage.

You can fill this Google Form to apply. If you’re member of AEGEE you also must fill this other form (click Apply next to the application dates, you must be logged in with your AEGEE account). The deadline is Sunday 15th of October. 

Written by Federica Soro, AEGEE-Cagliari

AEGEE Kiev and AEGEE Heidelberg are cooperating to organise a German-Ukrainian Youth exchange on European awareness, participation, identity and vision for the future this autumn. They also presented it on stage during Autumn Agora Catania. 

What does the European Union mean to you?  Asking this question, one will be given fundamentally different answers, depending on age, nationality, profession and mindset of the interviewed person.

Citizens of the EU tend to stress more practical, administrative aspects of the EU, its common currency, freedom of travel or the new Europe-wide abolishment of roaming charges for mobile phones.

But how do people from non-member countries view the EU, this unique and tremendous project of unifying a bunch of diverse countries into one political and economic union?

Particularly interesting is the Ukrainian perspective, for various reasons:

People in the Ukraine started a huge pro-European revolution in 2013, when their former president Janukowytsch refused to sign an association agreement with the EU, facing huge pressure from Russia. This protest resulted in an overthrow of the existing political elite and in intensifying the ties to the EU – at least for one half of the country. The Eastern part of Ukraine has been sinking deeper into a more or less camouflaged civil war ever since, with the Krim-peninsula being occupied by Russian troops, de facto turning it into Russian territory.

Is there something left of the pro-European spirit that emerged in the course of the Euromaidan 2013/14, how do people perceive the EU, its opportunities and challenges nowadays, to what extent do people in the Ukraine seek an association or even membership with the EU?

AEGEE Kiev, together with AEGEE Heidelberg, is organising an international youth exchange on exactly those topics this autumn. It aims at creating a platform for a frank and open-minded exchange of opinions between young students of both countries, continuing well beyond the few days of the actual encounter. What is the vision of young people in Germany and in Ukraine regarding the future path of the EU and its associated countries? What are the values of the EU worth promoting and fighting for? How do the impressions of young people in both Ukraine and Germany compare and maybe contrast to each other? How can young people participate in political decision-making, how can they shape the EU according to their vision of the future?

Ideally, this exchange will create lasting bonds and friendships between its participants and encourage young, motivated people to campaign for the European Union and its values. By exchanging their experience and different background stories, this congress will broaden their minds and also contribute to showing them new ways to get politically involved. Ultimately, the participants will be encouraged to switch perspectives.

Speakers from universities, institutions and governments of both Germany and Ukraine will be invited to talk about their specific involvement in the EU or in its relations with its neighbours in Eastern Europe. As physical outcome, a short movie will be created, documenting the most important issues of discussions that took place, but also highlighting the participants’ enthusiasm for the EU – this way it will be a means to multiply the message of the YOUrope exchange and to motivate more people all over Europe.

The EVZ – Foundation* (Stiftung Erinnerung, Verantwortung, Zukunft), supports the project financially. This is why nobody is hindered to participate due to financial reasons: The costs of the exchange will be fully covered by EVZ.

Written by Theresa Schäfer, AEGEE Heidelberg

* This project was implemented within the “MEET UP! German-Ukrainian Youth Encounters” programme with support from the Foundation “Remembrance, Responsibility and Future” (EVZ). The opinions expressed by the authors are not necessarily those of the Foundation EVZ. The author is solely responsible for the content.