The project (Y)our Europe?!: Enhancing the sense of European belonging of young migrant leaders aims at increasing the knowledge and feeling of belonging to Europe for 36 migrant and local youth in three countries – Italy, Bulgaria and Germany – as well as empowering them to realize their own ideas about Europe in their local communities. The young people with migrant background can be asylum seekers, recognized refugees or third country nationals who live in the respective country for the purpose of working, studying, etc. for whom the European idea seems vague and not related to their lives. The process of strengthening their European belonging will be supported through participation in a 9-month program. It includes a selection and needs assessment process, preparatory kick-off national meeting, an innovative international 6-day European citizens training in Germany, a national Idea Lab for developing European project ideas, a public pitching event and competing for seed funding, a project implementation and mentoring phase for at least 10 projects as well as a final event to celebrate their success and lessons learned. The national and international network created n the project will support the two-way integration between the migrant and local youth and will strengthen their connections with local stakeholders such as their mentors coming from the representation offices of the European institutions, PR, business, culture, the Robert Bosch Alumni network, etc. Their pilot projects will be covered in local and national media through media partnerships realized within the project. The project aims at providing knowledge, skills, networks, financial and mentoring support for young leader from the migrant and local communities to explore and realize their ideas about a better Europe and engage their peers to participate in their initiatives at local level. As a result a stronger affiliation with the European idea will be established as well as a sense of ownership and belonging.

Project news and products:

• Final event (4 Dec 2019) – event photos | photo booth pictures

• Youth-led storytelling evening (28 Nov 2019) – FB event | photos

• Youth-led workshop on zero waste cooking (27 Nov 2019) – FB event | photos

• Youth-led workshop on natural cosmetics and EU’s role in promoting environmental policies (21 Nov 2019) – FB event | photos

• Migrant and Bulgarian Youth: Ideas about Europe: A Pitch event (25 Sept 2019) – FB event | photos

• Training in Germany (24-29 July 2019)

• The selected participants from Bulgaria

• Call for participants from Bulgaria

Time frame: 15 March – 15 December 2019
Partners: migration_miteinander (Germany) – leading partner, Associazione Interculturale Universo (Italy), Multi Kulti Collective (Bulgaria)
Funding: Robert Bosch Foundation