Promoting Active Citizenship: Projects of EYP Finland

Sessions are the bread and butter of EYP Finland. They are our largest events where most of our funding goes towards, and our members consistently choose them as the most important activities of the organisation. However, in the past decade we have been involved in various projects with other civil society organisations and public sector institutions, both session-related and otherwise. These projects have been crucial for raising awareness about EYP Finland, networking with important stakeholders and institutions, securing new sources of funding, and of course giving our members more opportunities to be involved with the organisation.

List of projects:

Parliamentary simulations – EYP in a school day

Would you like to experience an EYP session during a school lesson? This is what the parliamentary simulations are all about. EYP Finland has organised these short introductions into EU policy-making in upper secondary schools, high schools and vocational schools throughout the 2010s, under various different names and in collaboration with the European Parliament Information Office in Finland. • 2010–2014: EU – osallistu ja opi! • 2015–2017: Eurooppalainen kansalaisuutesi • 2018–: Nuorten Eurooppa Elections

Using your right to vote is the easiest and most important way to exercise active citizenship. Despite the fact that many of our members are usually under 18 on election day, EYP Finland has organised several debates, panels, election machines and information campaigns to encourage young people to the polls. Some of these projects include: • 2015 Finnish Parliament elections: EYP Finland was a content partner of Allianssi ry in an election machine targeted for young voters. The election machine was a success and it was used 54 362 times before the election. • 2015 Finnish Parliament elections: EYP Finland, Eurooppanuoret ry and Pääkaupunkiseudun Eurooppanuoret ry held a panel discussion for young voters. The panel consisted of 9 young candidates from eight different parties, and the discussion had 52 participants. • 2019 European Parliament elections: EYP Finland was an active participant in the #thistimeimvoting campaign, sharing EU information on social media, attending the European Youth Seminar in Brussels, and helping organise a panel discussion with young MEP candidates in Helsinki.

European institutions

EYP Finland is an educational, non-partisan and independent youth organisation. But since one of our primary goals is to teach people how the European Union works, we have often been involved in projects with the EU institutions. One of the most fruitful relationships has been with the European Parliament Information Office in Finland. Some other projects and special events over the years have included: • 2012 and 2013: Coordinating the Access City Award campaign, the European Commission’s information campaign on accessibility in European cities. • 2013: Coordinating Migrants in Europe, a multimedia project of the European Commission, in Finland. • 2014, 2016, 2018: Sending a delegation to the European Youth Event at the European Parliament in Strasbourg. The 2020 edition was moved to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but EYP Finland did not have a delegation there. • 2019: Producing the Tunne Eurooppa mobile game together with Nuorten Akatemia and Eurooppatiedotus. • 2018–2021: Attending Turun Eurooppa-foorumi, an open discussion event gathering citizens and leading policy-makers to discuss European affairs. • 2017–2019: Attending Linnaseminaari, the annual summer event of Eurooppanuoret. Our collaboration has increased in recent years with other projects as well.