Talking about youth

I started my day with a work meeting for Baia Mare #play2023 - European Youth Capital. I love these meetings and seeing youth and youth workers and even local authorities working together. However, today I won’t be talking about how the meeting went. Instead, I will share some thoughts that are running through my head.

I noticed this in the UK for the first time - adults (youth workers, experts etc) create all these awesome opportunities for young people, but youth is not really involved in the process. There are so many resources hidden in young people, so many ideas waiting to shine, so many needs that an adult can’t identify because they think differently. Now, I realise that the EU is emphasizing the fact that the bid for European Youth Capital must be co-created with youth. Why? Because it seems that this problem is larger than I originally thought. I will try to look for some numbers or any proof.

And maybe youth finds it hard to get involved now. There was a generation of people who had to find solutions for boredom, and now people don’t need to look for them. But who will create opportunities for the next generation? This is why we need to turn on today’s youth and give them the opportunity to CREATE, not just to learn. Baia Mare is doing this. I want to share this good practice with everyone and that’s why I really hope we will win the title for 2023. I believe in my town.