JUST EU and ME: empowering youth to advocate for their social rights in the EU

JUST EU and ME project is funded by the European Union’s Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) Programme (2021-2027). 
The project aims to provide young people (18-30 yo) and representatives of youth associations with knowledge, skills and opportunities for actively participating in developing recommendations for EU and Member States to delivering on the EU Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR) and improving social justice. The project’s focus is based on the fact that youth are bearing the brunt of social and economic crisis, as for Covid-19, and proved to have the capacity to develop proposals for a stronger post-pandemic economic and social system. 
ActionAid Italia curated, as Work package 2, a blended-learning workshop on Advocacy (Wed 22/02/2023, online; Fri 03/03/2023 and Sat 04/03/2023, in Bologna, Italy; Wed 15/03/2023, online). Participants were trained in the main methodologies, discussed case studies and drafted their campaigns on social rights. 
Fifty-nine participants, from five eligible countries (Italy, Spain, Poland, France and Bulgaria), attended more than 70% of the activities. Six people attended more than 50% of it (but less than 70% of it).

Attachments: 

• Event Description Sheet (EDS) 
• Advocacy Plans Summary 

Evidence shows that in the EU the Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated pre-existing inequalities and young people, particularly women, migrants and ethnic minorities, are paying the highest price in terms of enjoyment of their rights and that its impact on access to education and employment “is likely to put them on a much more volatile trajectory in finding and maintaining quality jobs and income” (OECD 2020).  
In the EU-27 24.3 % of people aged 15-29 yo (Eurostat 2019) were at-risk-of-poverty or social exclusion, specifically in some of the project countries (IT, BG, ES, SE). This data was further increased by the pandemic, especially for young women and minorities.