This event organized by YMCA France was held at the YMCA Hostel in Salm, France, not far from Strasbourg, for one week, attended by 50 Young People from England, France, Spain, Germany, Romania, Ukraine. The main purpose of the conference was to get young people making connections with each other through group activities, learning a bit about each other’s cultures, but a major part of it was to share with other young people about how our democracies work, and the problems we face as young people regarding them.
During the conference we also had a day trip out to Strasbourg where we got the chance to visit the European Parliament which was interesting as it really helped me understand how Governance works within the European Union & what role the European Parliament plays in the decision making process.
The questions being asked by other participants, really showed that the young people present were really switched on and passionate about democracy and current issues.
A number of times I was asked about the issue of independence for Scotland, with the referendum coming up in a couple of weeks, & while it was great to be able to share our views on it, what was really interesting, and I found an incredibly humbling experience was listening to the Ukrainians presentation on the recent events in Ukraine, from just before the revolution up until the present with the country gripped in almost civil war. Listening to the leaders of the group describe the points during the revolution, of which they played an active part, when they thought they would not make it home alive, seeing the photos showing clear proof that Police and Troops broke international law in trying to quell the uprising & hearing how sadly at least 2 people involved with the Ukrainian YMCA movement lost their lives, really reminded us, after complaining about how bad everything is in our own democracies, how lucky we are in comparison to the people of Ukraine.
Although this was not my first international opportunity with the YMCA, I had a truly amazing time during this conference getting to know new people from different places and discovering new places I hope to visit some day. Even more amazing was being able to see the transformation such an experience has on other young people, with several of my own group who I felt were quite shy, really coming out of their shells taking everything in and developing as individuals. In particular it was great to see Young People from different countries come to understand that the things they enjoy and the problems they face are very similar and that no matter the country they are from, they are young people just like themselves. I really hope that a conference such as this can take place again in future, as it has had such a positive effect on both myself & the fellow young people in my group.