1st European Youth Eco-Parliament®
Presentation

What is the European Youth Eco Parliament®?

This European project has been devised and will be carried out in accordance with the values and objectives of environmental education. Its aims are to develop autonomy and responsibility. It generates a highly constructive outlook and is geared towards action. For 2500 young people from 10 countries, it is an opportunity to experience a form of democracy, exercise citizenship and open their mind to environmental issues.

The youth will set up the project along two main lines:

• Collectively writing a "White Paper" on the environment via a dedicated website. This website is moderated by experts specialized in handling educational programs on environmental issues during school year 2004.
  
  
• A delegation of 120 young people, representing the classrooms or national groups of 10 Green Dot countries, will meet in Berlin on 22 and 23 September 2004. They will promote their experience and submit the white paper to representatives of EC institutions.
  
  
• This project has been developed with Ecole et Nature, a French NGO destinated to environmental education.

Who are the young participants:

They are young Europeans aged between 13 and 15 and who live in the 10 following countries:
Germany, Austria, Great Britain, Belgium, Spain, France, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic and Turkey.

The White Paper for the Environment

This white paper will contain 5 resolutions and 15 action proposals benefiting the environment, covering 5 themes detailed in the 6th community action plan of the European Commission ("Environment 2010, our future, our choice")
These 5 topics are: waste, water, air, energy and food.
Each of these topics will be considered from the point of view of waste.

The "White Paper for the Environment" will be submitted to the representatives of the European Parliament or the European Commission as part of the 2nd International PRO EUROPE Congress, during an official ceremony and in the presence of the press on 23 September 2004.

How making the youngsters of the 1st European Eco-Parliament involved in the drafting of the "White Paper for Environment"?

• In each participating country, the young people have prepared their 5 resolutions and 15 action proposals for each of the themes detailed above (national level).
  
  
• To develop these, the young people will carry out in-depth work, using a local project on the environment. They will be supervised by educators (teachers and youth workers specialised in Environmental Education etc.).



• In each country a programme has been set up to supervise the work by the relevant Green Dot organisation and will be managed by a Project Manager. Educational supervision is the responsibility of a national moderator.
  
  
• The young people's work is sent to a European moderation team (Ecole & Nature) according to a set timetable.
  
  
• The work is placed on a dedicated website so that it can be seen by all the participating countries.
  
  

What working tools will PRO EUROPE provide in order to organise the youngsters' work?

• A dedicated website: www.eyep.info
  
  
• A methodological guide aimed at teachers/youth workers working with the groups of young people.
  
  
• The supervision of European moderators in charge of co-ordinating the collective writing,
  
  
• Educational tools specific to each participating country.

What are the educational objectives behind the EYEP?

• Knowledge or idea-related objectives aimed at understanding concepts and acquiring knowledge
  
  
• Know-how or methodology-related objectives aimed at learning to solve problems, asks questions and carry out surveys
  
  
• Personal conduct and behavioural objectives aimed at being aware of others, living together and working in a group.
  
  
• Knowledge or idea-related objectives aimed at understanding concepts and acquiring knowledge

Who is Ecole et Nature?

The School and Nature Network (Réseau Ecole et Nature) is a French association, founded in 1983, that grew spontaneously out of a need for practising professionals of environmental education (teachers and youth co-ordinators) to meet and exchange views and ideas, with the aim of improving their way of working. Today the School and Nature Network represents around 2000 individual professional members united in their support (teachers, youth co-ordinators, trainers, managers of educational facilities and organisations, elected representatives, consultants, etc.) and around 600 organisations, companies and government departments (around thirty regional and departmental environmental education networks, associations, regional and local authorities, etc.).

Environmental education is based on the values of respect for life. School and Nature associates this with the fundamental values of humanism and ecology: respect for the individual, his development and his freedom, respect for the balance of nature and of biodiversity.

Why raising environmental awareness in Europe?

It is clear that consumer information is a necessary prerequisite for achieving long-term change in behaviour toward a sustainable society, and the EYEP scheme is an illustration of Pro-Europe's capabilities for mounting pan-European campaigns to increase citizens' environmental awareness. In this instance, young people - Europe's current and future consumers - will reach a higher level of environmental awareness as a result of their participation in this project. To take the benefits wider, news of the EYEP should be shared through policy-makers and the media to reach many more citizens.