**Updated Call For Participants for the Tallinn Seminar**
Dear Friends,
It is a great pleasure to invite you to participate in the Work Plan “Bye, bye boomer. You(th) taking over digitized democratic decision-making processes”. We are excited to conduct this program because it allows us to apply important lessons learned during the pandemic, namely working together online, but also returning to the classic style of seminars-on-site, where we can do much more than see our faces through a screen (I must be honest, I prefer these ones). In this opportunity, participants of the program will be allowed to choose from two different on-site seminars and pick the activity that will best fit their very own developments. The key areas for this Work Plan(WP) are (1) Fake News and Disinformation, which will be held in Tbilisi, Georgia from 30th June to 03rd July; and (2) Open Data and eDemocracy, which will be held from 08th to 11th September in Tallinn, Estonia.
The focus of this program is to sensitize youth to the digital sphere in politics and the importance of digital literacy in order to become a successful change-maker in the current political environment. We do not only want to target members of a political youth organization that are already in the position of making this kind of change but rather target individuals that aim for involvement in civil society or social activism more generally who are not typically from a sole political background.
This hybrid WP is organized by the International Federation of Liberal Youth (IFLRY) in cooperation with the European Youth Foundation, the Council of Europe and the Centre Party International Foundation of Sweden, as part of IFLRY’s bigger thematic focus on digital human rights. The overall aim is to enhance the political and civic participation of young people by bolstering their concrete skills and capacities to act as political activists in the digital space. Besides a joint problem analysis that will indicate the general barriers to youth participation (and which will be helpful for the development of future activities), this WP will articulate a new vision of “Digital Political Youth Activism” and provide young leaders with a unique platform and skillset to instantly boost their engagement in politics, civil society, and public discourse.
This means that the different activities of the WP will go beyond the traditional conception of activism and recognize that youth participation in politics is a manifold project with many different layers. The program has as its main objectives the following:
- To map the barriers to youth participation in terms of concrete skills and capacities of young people—with a special focus on digitalisation and inclusiveness.
- To create a better understanding of fields of action in increasingly digitized democratic processes and to raise awareness of threats of personal freedom in the digital space.
- To create a space for the exchange of experiences in the field of digital activism with a focus on digital human rights protection and the deliberation about a joint vision of the role of youth leaders in this field; and to provide an environment where best practices, as well as struggles and failures, can be shared.
- To provide participants with the opportunity to reflect (in a structured way) on their own aspirations as political figures in their respective societies and to sketch their very own “Personal Development Strategy.”
- To offer target seminars that tackle various manifestations of digitization in democracies, ranging from classical media to the necessities of education in this field and the importance of data
- To develop a sustainable notion of “future political activism”—which will challenge the orthodox understanding of political engagement and display the different layers of youth leadership. These findings will be concluded in a digital advocacy campaign for digital rights with a strong focus on youth.
Below you will find further practical information. You can apply through this form by the 30th of April 2022 23:59 CET. We are looking forward to receiving your application!
Application Procedure:
The deadline for applying is 30th of April 2022 23:59 CET.
Applicants must register through our online form by following this link. All required fields must be filled in. IFLRY will not accept blank nominations. For any questions, please contact the office by Email: events@iflry.org or aura.arbulu@iflry.org
Tbilisi, Georgia – Date & Participation Fees:
Arrival: Participants are expected to arrive at the venue on Thursday 30th June 2022 before 13:00 local time.
Departure: Participants are expected to depart Sunday 3rd July after 14:00 local time.
The participation fee is 30 Euros and will be deducted from the travel reimbursements.
Tallinn, Estonia – Date & Participation Fees:
Arrival: Participants are expected to arrive at the venue on Thursday 8th of September 2022 before 13:00 local time.
Departure: Participants are expected to depart Sunday 11th of September after 14:00 local time.
The participation fee is 50 Euros and will be deducted from the travel reimbursements.
Please note that full completion of the program is mandatory, this includes participation in the online workshops, to qualify for reimbursement of travel expenses. There can be no late arrivals or early departures.
Funding & Travel Costs:
Participants are required to travel in the most economical manner that is reasonably possible. Participants are expected to travel between their place of residence and the town in which the activity takes place and back. Meals and accommodation of the participants during the activity will be covered. Visa costs will be covered upon presentation of the visa copy and receipt from the embassy – It is the participant’s responsibility to contact the consulate or embassy and follow the procedures for visa request. Travel costs will be reimbursed upon presentation of all tickets and receipts and boarding passes, return tickets must be purchased before the start of the journey. Covid-tests will be reimbursed if the tests are required for traveling. Travel insurance costs will not be covered by the reimbursement scheme. An official acceptance and confirmation from the IFLRY office is required to start booking the tickets.
Language and Format
English is the working language of this workshop.