To give the young generation a voice in the border regions, the Upper Rhine Conference, the city of Rastatt and the Grand East Region organized a youth forum on October 1st, 2022 in Rastatt, Germany.
Speak out about development opportunities in border regions.
The trinational youth forum targeted young people from Germany, France and Switzerland aged 14 to 29. About fifty young people were present and everyone was invited to share their ideas and proposals to intensify cross-border friendship and strengthen the trinational region.
The day started with the opening words of Hans Jürgen Pütsch (Mayor of the city of Rastatt), Kitty Fehringer (Representative of the European Commission in charge of the European Youth Year) and Sylvia M.Felder (Regional Council from Karlsruhe) and was moderated by Matthias Stauss.
Workshops attended by Youth Express Network
Several themes were discussed by the participants throughout the day. Whether it was about inclusion, peace or climate, everyone shared their views.
The different workshops were:
Climate, environmental protection, animal welfare – Delegation of Switzerland.
Youth cultures, sports, lifestyle – Clara Lamontagne, Grand East Region.
Inclusion, social integration, social justice – Romeo Franz, member of the European Parliament.
Peace Project for Europe – Borja Guijarro Usobiaga, European External Action Service.
Training, work and mobility – Manuel Friesecke, Director of the Regio Basiliensis.
Emilie (Y-E-N Network Coordinator) and Laura (from l’Etage our Member Organization) participated in the workshops on inclusion and mobility and training, work and mobility.
Some ideas collected during the day: organization of joint school excursions between the 3 countries, nationalization of railways, improvement of local transport especially within rural areas, etc.
The results of the workshops will feed into the youth strategy that the Upper Rhine Conference is developing and which will serve as the basis for building the future of young people in Germany, France and Switzerland.
“Saturday was very constructive, enriched by the various exchanges we had during the workshops in which we took part. The day concluded by a visit of the surroundings (Rastatt’s castle) with some German participants” Laura
In September, we also participated in another youth forum organized by the Upper Rhine Conference in Basel, Switzerland. To read the article, click here.
