We’re the European Youth Card Association (EYCA) and we’d like all young people over 18 to turn up and rock the vote in the 2019 Elections for the European Parliament. It doesn’t matter who they vote for. What matters is young people find out more about the European Union, have their own opinions and cast an informed vote. This is why we’re working to create a Youth Activation Campaign for these elections.

We’re looking for young people to lead the way and create a movement to show politicians that young people can mobilise and shake things up. Two young people will be selected from each of the following countries:

• Czech Republic
• Finland
• Germany
• Ireland
• Luxembourg
• Portugal
• Slovenia

What’s in it for you

• You’ll be the face of the movement in your country and in Europe and people will listen.
• You’ll meet 25 other young people from different European countries and work together to make a real difference.
• You’ll get to travel to Prague (in late February) and Brussels (in late June). All expenses paid.
• You’ll get to meet politicians and ask them all the questions you want answered.
• You’ll also meet elected Members of the European Parliament in Brussels and tell them what their priorities should be from 2019 on. Plus, a democracy party is in the works for your Brussels trip.
• We’ll support you to organise cool activities to show other young people why voting in EU elections matters.
• We’ll help you gain new skills and competencies that will be super good to have in your career.

What it’s like to be a young activist

• You’ll be the face of the movement, one of its 26 leaders across Europe. That means pictures and videos of you will feature on the movement’s website and social media.
• You’ll create content for the movement’s website and social media – blog articles, videos, memes, social media posts. You will have the opportunity to say what really matters for young people.
• You’ll come up with ideas of how to convince young people to get involved and vote. You’ll be able to organise events and activities in your town or at the national level with our constant support.
• With our help, you’ll work to organise one or more debates between young people and politicians running for the EU Parliament.

We’ll help you all the way

If you’d love to do all this but you’re a bit concerned that you won’t know how, don’t worry. We’re here to help and we’ll be there all the way. Here’s what we’ll do:

• Give you the opportunity to learn from the best
  We’ll bring you and all other activists to Prague in February for a 4-day training. You’ll get to learn about the EU and the European Parliament from people working there. Plus, communications specialists will give you tips and tricks on how to make cool and convincing digital content (think anything from writing a great article to making a funny meme). You’ll have time to brainstorm ideas for activities with all other young activists and plan things out. There’ll be plenty of time to explore the city and make friends too!
• Help you make your ideas happen
  Whether you want to create an event close to home or organise a debate between young people and the politicians who want to be elected to the European Parliament, we’re always there to help you with anything from advice to money to pay for the stuff you need.
• Support you to participate in cool events
  You’ve heard of a great event where you can talk about the movement but it’s at the other end of the country? We got you. We’ll get you there and cover the hotel and meals too.

Calendar

Sounds good so far? Read on!

Check out the list below and if you tick all the boxes, we’d love to see your application

• You have to be between 18 and 30 years old.
• Since you’ll be working with young people from other European countries, good English is a must.
• If you have experience in organising events in your school, town or even at the national level, great! Apply! If you don’t have much experience or none at all but it sounds really good and you’d love to do it, great! Apply!
• What matters most is how motivated you are to learn about EU topics and work to make a difference.
• You have to be able to put in the time over the next 6 months, especially in March, April and May when most stuff will happen. Plus, you’ll have to be there for the training in Prague in late February and the meeting with Members of the European Parliament in late June in Brussels.
• You should know the basics for communications like have an account on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat. YouTube would be cool too.
• You should be comfortable with being one of the faces of the movement, your pictures and videos featured on the movement website.

We’re all about equal opportunities and diversity. All applications are welcome and will be evaluated fairly.

How to apply

Step 1

Make a short video about yourself (in English) – no longer than 2 minutes. Tell us:

• Why do you want to be a youth activist?
• Why do you think young people should vote?
• Do you think the European Union matters? How should it change?

Step 2

Upload your video to YouTube.

Step 3

Fill out the application form and don’t forget to include the link to your video. Hit the submit button by the 16 of January.

You’ll hear from us by the end of January if not sooner.

Get in touch

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to write Pablo at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The EYCA Youth Activation Campaign for the 2019 European Elections is powered by the European Youth Card Association and co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.

This call reflects only the author’s views. The European Commission and the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency are not responsible for its content and any use that may be made from the information it includes.