It is time for the European Youth Week 2019, an opportunity for discussions with policy-makers and young people in the European Parliament that will open its doors to hundreds of participants.

What is the European Youth Week?

Every second year, the European Youth Week aims to celebrate and promote youth activities through events organised in all countries participating in the Erasmus+ programme. Next grass root activities at a national level, the European Youth Week will bring together young people, project participants, youth organisations and policy-makers in a European event held in Brussels at the European Parliament.

From 29 April to 5 May, events will be taking place across Europe under the theme “Democracy and me”.

The goal is to explore all the ways young people can influence decisions and be active in society.

Leonardo Cerno, ex-Junior Ranger and active member implementing the EUROPARC Youth Manifesto in Italy (Prealpi Giulie Nature Park) will be the voice of protected areas in the meeting, share his experience working with the park authority and the creation of a local Youth Council, and, of course, will present them the EUROPARC Youth Manifesto!

Why “Democracy and me”?

Because you can influence decisions that influence your life! Upcoming European elections on 23-26 May are approaching. Make sure that this time you are voting.

Also because what happens between elections is equally important for a democracy to thrive: getting involved in voluntary work, talking to policy-makers or making yourself heard in other ways in order to attract attention to the issues that are important, be they climate change or youth unemployment.

Democracy is a value that we may take for granted, but in Europe, we have developed and nurtured it for years. It’s ours. It’s our voices. It’s our achievement. It’s you.

Who organises the European Youth Week?

A European event is organised by the European Commission, Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture in partnership with the European Parliament and involving other Directorates-General of the European Commission. At the national level, organisation and coordination are entrusted to the Erasmus+ National Agencies in close cooperation with the Eurodesk network.

You can check out the full program here!

Environmental education Centre “Zapovedniks” invites you to take part in the International Forum of the Friends of Protected Areas, which will take place in Russia, Petrozavodsk, September 23-26, 2019.

About the Forum

The forum is a large-scale environmental education event that will gather active youth, their mentors, protected areas educators and many others who care about nature of our Planet, friends of protected areas (PA), including PA volunteers, representatives of responsible business, etc.

The organizers of Forum are Environmental Education Centre “Zapovedniks”, Russian Movement of Schoolchildren with partners.
The aims of the Forum:

• to foster environmental culture, environmental awareness, and education of children and youth,
• to build public support for the PA system

The Forum should promote cooperation, sharing information and experience between children’s and youth public organizations as well as initiative groups aiming to preserve natural and cultural heritage; as well to promote and scale up modern forms and methods of working with children and young people, including new interactive technologies for organizing FPA clubs activities; and to outline prospects for the FPA movement development; to engage new members in the FPA movement.

Forum program

Forum program will include many events for youth (school of friends of nature, master classes, quests, quiz and etc.), round-table, conferences, discussions for PA specialists, teachers and scientists, as well business meeting, flashmob, fairs, concerts, and exhibitions.

You can find the first draft of the program here!

Participation fees

Fee includes participation in forum events, accommodation in Petrozavodsk for 4 nights, as well as all meals during the Forum. The fee does not include visa and travel expenses to Petrozavodsk.
Participation fees: 250 EUR per participant – till May 30, 2019; after this date, the fee will be 300 EUR (accommodation in double room).

 An additional option: A visit to Kizhi Museum-Zapovednik on September 27th   Fee: 150 euro including:
overnight stay and meals at a hotel in Petrozavodsk, transfer, and excursion to the Museum, one-day excursion program, transfer Petrozavodsk-Kizhi-Petrozavodsk onboard the “Comet” motorboat.

Applications for delegation are accepted until May 15, 2019, at slet @ wildnet.ru (marked ‘FPA Forum’).

An application letter should contain organization name, full names of participants, position, age, contacts (e-mail and tel.).

You can find more information about the entire program here!

6th International Conference of the International Association of Cultural and Digital Tourism will take place from June 12 – 15, 2019, in Athens, Greece with the theme “Cultural and Tourism Innovation: Integration and Digital Transition”.

The aim of this conference is to promote constructive, critical and interdisciplinary conversations on the challenges emerging in tourism from the digital transformation of the industry by bringing together researchers, communities, industry and government stakeholders. In line with the values embedded in the UNWTO goals, the conference will address digital advances and innovation as part of the solution to the challenge of marrying continued growth with a more inclusive, sustainable and responsible tourism sector.
A dedicated conference track is open to relevant final year doctoral researchers in order to share their research experience, disseminate their findings and present their contribution to theory and practice.

Please visit http://iacudit.org/Conference2019

CFP 2019 brochure

You can find conference topics, registration fees and other information here!

Next May 23rd to 26th of the present year, Brussels will become again the centre of attention of all Europeans. During these days, the European elections will take place allowing millions of European citizens to decide who will be steering the route of the EU during the following five years.

These elections may have significant changes not only in the composition of the EU Parliament and Commissioners board, but also in the institutions in charge of setting the strategy that our continent will follow. Among the citizenship concerns, the environment, and specially climate change, occupy a top place in the list.

For this reason, and in the previous month to the elections, EUROPARC Federation is raising the voice to our natural heritage with the publication of the Policy Paper “Our Natural Heritage: the Key to Europe’s Future”.

Download “Our Natural Heritage: the key to Europe´s Future”

This document aims to mobilise European Political Groups, National Parties and Movements, as well as individual candidates, to take action on different topics in order to ensure a sustainable future for our economy and our environment. One of the matters stressed in the document is the role that Protected Areas must have in achieving substantial changes related with the environment and socio-economic development, and it also identifies four priority areas which require urgent attention and action:

• sustainable economic development;
• healthy ecosystems;
• youth leadership;
• climate change.

Despite the great efforts that the European Union has made in the previous years to address the environmental challenges that our planet is facing through the establishment of specific legislation and actions, still further development and more effective implementation is required.

For further information on European Policies and the work of the Federation in this regard, visit the EUROPARC Policy webpage.