Have you ever considered how young people can be change-makers in the modern digital age, and how policy and advocacy work in a digital-first world? This is what we explored at a fantastic event led by Microsft in Brussels.
On the 1st of October, we had the great opportunity to attend “Young Leaders for Democracy in the Digital Age” organised by the team at Microsoft in Brussels.
The event was focused on bringing youth-oriented voices from the European Parliament, private and Non-Government sectors together to reflect on how the intersection of democracy, resilience, and technology will be balanced in the next mandate of the EU institutions. It brought together inspiring leaders. It also created a dialogue on the critical issues shaping Europe’s future over the next five years.
The event was opened by Nanna-Louise Linde, Vice President of European Government Affairs, Microsoft, offering an insight into the strides and initiatives to bring advocacy, policy and digitalisation together.
The session continued with an interactive panel discussion with Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) who are dedicated to youth-related issues. We learnt about their future strategies and Q&A, their personal stories and the paths that led them to become the voice of the citizens in European politics.
The speakers: Lídia Pereira, MEP and President of YouthEPP, Nicolae Ştefănuţă, MEP and Vice-President of the European Parliament, and Alberto Alemanno, Professor of Law at HEC Paris, Founder of The Good Lobby all had a great overview of the future of policy and digitalisation, focusing on the relevance of their institutions, while channelling their focus on empowering youth voices, in a digital-first world.
At the end of the session, we also had the pleasure to connect with the Vice-President of the European Parliament, Nicolae Ştefănuţă, and briefly present our initiatives as YMCA, with great excitement about what our worldwide movement can achieve while expanding the outreach and continue our digitalisation initiative across Europe and beyond.
We are delighted and very appreciative of Private Sector Organisations like Microsoft for creating such a fruitful context of networking, idea sharing, and expanding of ideas of staying relevant with the digitalisation wave.
In a broader context, YMCA Europe’s engagement with key European institutions reflects its commitment to fostering peace and empowering youth across the continent.
Through meaningful dialogues and collaborative efforts with esteemed partners such as the European Parliament and the European Commission, YMCA Europe continues to advance its mission of creating positive change and promoting the well-being of young people.
