Thanks to the European Disability Forum (EDF), I had an opportunity to attend European Youth Event in Strasbourg in June 2023.There were many interesting workshops and discussions, which were very inspiring for being more socially engaged, and gave me some new points of view and showed me another volunteer opportunities I did not know before.
But first I would like to admire EDF for organising our participation. Thank you for the whole support from the very first days. I can say that we were missing nothing.
Blog post written by Ján Mišľan – IT Recruiter, Accenture, Slovakia.
Digitalisation
My first workshop at the event was named “European Cinema – driving social change?” As we know, the world is changing every day. Technological change as one of the most visible changes, but also followed by the social ones are all around us and we really need to know how to catch them, understand and express them. There are many people who find it difficult to accept changes. During this workshop I had the opportunity to bring suggestions for films which would be inspiring and influential and also, I got many suggestions and relevant information regarding influential films from other workshop participants. This could help me be more effective in helping others to accept changes in the world.
Another interesting workshop was “Jobs of tomorrow: Green, digital and hybrid?”. This one had discussions based on world changes in work area. For me, as a Labor office employee, this workshop was helpful to better understand the 4 days working week and its variations, advantages, disadvantages and all associated aspects.
Using big data
During workshop named “Open data: Why is it a big thing and what can I do with it?” we had the opportunity to listen to what exactly big data is, what exactly it covers and why it is such a popular topic these days. The workshop was also focused on official European data portals, and we learned how to find data we would like to use. This will help me mostly to prepare strong and exact arguments, based on data, for many discussions with other activists and other young people regarding “European topics”. Another very important plus from the workshop was for me to have a new data source for making applications, which is something that I would like to do. I did not know this source before.
Regional cooperation
“#Youth4Coop: youth initiatives in regional cooperation“ workshop brought new information about volunteering opportunities regarding territorial cooperations in the EU, especially in the field of economy and social development. This workshop was very motivating and encouraged us to be more engaged in regional cooperation. Thanks to it, I am aware of new possibilities of international volunteering within the European union and can suggest it to my friends.
Finally, I can say EYE was very inspiring and encouraging time for young activists and those who would like to work on a better European future for all Europeans.
Do you have a question for Ján?
You can contact him:
- by email at Ján Mišľan <mislanjan@gmail.com>
- by phone (upon request)
About the Ascend project
The Ascend project is funded by Citi Foundation and coordinated by the European Disability Forum. This one-year programme is focussed on strengthening the capacity of the disability movement in Bulgaria, Czechia, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia.