2024 EU-UK Youth Dialogue – EU Delegation brings together 150 youth leaders

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2024 EU-UK Youth Dialogue - EU Delegation brings together 150 youth leaders

Building on the success of last year's inaugural event at UCL, the expanded 2024 EU-UK Youth Dialogue took place on 6-7 November at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Organized by the EU Delegation to the UK in partnership with LSE European Institute, this year's event brought together over 150 young leaders from across the UK and the EU to discuss how they can contribute to shape the future of EU-UK relations.

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Engage - Empower - Connect

The EU-UK Youth Dialogue 2024 was held under the framework of the EU Youth Action Plan in External Action , which seeks to engage, empower, and connect young people globally. These principles are key to building partnerships that place youth at the forefront of addressing global challenges.

Youth at the heart of EU-UK relations

Young people in the UK remain at the center of the EU-UK relationship. With over 12 million young people (18-30), youth is essential in building stronger connections between the UK and the EU. Programmes such as Erasmus+ and other cross-border opportunities were widely recognized as key tools for fostering cooperation and creating opportunities for young people from all backgrounds.

The Dialogue opens

Isabell Poppelbaum and LSE President Larry Kramer opened the Dialogue and welcomed all to the two-day gathering to take place across the LSE central London Campus. A major highlight of the first day was the 4th Meeting of the Network of European Affairs Societies, which brought together student societies from across the UK focusing on European affairs.

The meeting provided a platform for student-led societies to collaborate and deepen their connection with EU institutions.

The Network welcomed two new members, Manchester Metropolitan and The University of Sheffield, bringing the total membership of the Network to 22 UK universities from across the UK. Among the topics discussed was the idea of establishing a group of 'friends of the Network' which will bring together alumni and academic staff together that support the activities of the societies.

Concurrently a separate session allowed participants to to engage directly with representatives from the European Economic and Social Committee and the British Youth Council, discussing key issues facing young people today. Baroness Bull, member of the House of Lords, opened the session, in which young workers and union representatives, young entrepreneurs and young people engaged in youth and civil society organizations, heard about the role of the EESC and its support for strong connections between young people in the UK and the EU.

In a further break-out lecture theatre, the British Council's "Stronger Together" Project, funded by the EU, held a workshop a workshop and the closing event of the project.

Making the most of the wonderful surrounds of the student union of LSE, the first day ended with pizza and live music - a vibrant, well-earned networking opportunity!

Youth and the future of EU-UK Relations

The second day of the Dialogue opened with a panel shared by Pedro Serrano, EU Ambassador to the UK, Beatriz Pires from the LSE European society and Maurizio Cuttin, British Youth Council's UK Young Ambassador to the European Youth Forum.

The Ambassador shared his thoughts on the geo-political challenges being faced today and underlined the necessity of the engagement of the youth in ensuring the safe and prosperous societies enjoyed across the EU are safeguarded. Ambassador Serrano also met with youth leaders to discuss how to build on the Delegation's youth engagement efforts and on the role youth can play in continuing building strong EU-UK relations

Participants then broke into small groups to tackle pressing issues such as youth inclusion, climate justice, and career pathways.

Following these discussions, the spotlight turned to a panel discussion titled "Setting the Youth Agenda: A Deal for Young People and Future Generations", with an impressive array of speakers.

On the panel was Cecilia Jastrzembska, President of YEM UK, Gelsica Da Glória, Founder of the Inclusive Europe Project, focusing on inclusiveness and human rights inclusion and racial justice; Caillum Hedderman, Board Member of the European Youth Forum (EYF) and Chloe Rees, union representative from the Trade Union congress Wales (TUC Cymru) representative, addressing young workers rights and the key role union play in protecting workers rights in the labour market. Lukas Svana, former EU Youth Delegate to the UN, informed participants about the role that young people can also play in international fora, in particular at the United Nations and explained the work of UN Youth Delegates from the EU and its Member States.

After the packed morning agenda, in the afternoon Dialogue's participants broke into regional groups to discuss the theme of "Acting Locally".

Youth from across Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the North, London and other parts of England explored how they could continue to collaborate on a local level, further enhancing EU-UK cooperation. These discussions were chaired by EU Delegation representatives and prominent figures from youth and civil society organizations, creatingactionable plans for ongoing engagement.

There also was a very meaningful conversation which explored EU-UK relations in the youth field and centered around the future of youth mobility and the importance of people-to-people contacts in fostering cooperation. The panel convened to explore the topic brought together; Irene Oldfather, Vice Chair of the UK Domestic Advisory Group of the TCA and Chair of DAG, Cillian Lohan, President of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) EU-UK Follow-Up Committee, who explained the key role of the EESC as the home of civil society in the EU and also presented its report on EU-UK youth engagement; Maurizio Cuttin, UK Young AmbassadorofBritish Youth Council, who vocally called for the UK to become an Erasmus+ associated country, and debunked the "myth" that Erasmus+ is a Higher Education programme , when in reality it also provides a wide range of opportunities to youth organizations, apprentices, young people in Vocational Education and Training, adult learners, and other groupsand Stella Mavropoulou, representative from the British Council. This panel highlighted the critical role that mobility opportunities and personal connections play in ensuring future cooperation between the EU and UK. The panel, moderated by Dr Miguel Pereira, Assistant Professor in European Politics, LSE European Institute,emphasized the need to sustain youth exchanges and educational opportunities that build bridges across borders. Stella Mavropoulou, project presented the Stronger Together project's policy recommendations, including the need to offer mobility opportunities to young people in the UK and the EU. Stella also recalled that the Embrace Erasmus+ campaign has gather more than 50,000 signatures.

During the youth dialogue there also was an interactive poll, and questions surrounding the dialogue and issues of key concern to EU-UK youth were put to the audience. Poll responses found that 85% of the audience thought it important that strong relations are maintained between the UK and the EU and 80% supported the idea that the UK should again become an Erasmus-associated country. Another significant response from the audience was that most participants also agreed with the idea the EU and the UK should work together as a positive force to promote democracy and the rule of law.

Building for the future

A final panel discussion brought the day to a close. The 2024 EU-UK Youth Dialogue left a lasting impression, providing an unparalleled platform for young leaders to engage directly with policymakers and shape the future of EU-UK relations. The 2024 dialogue was a testament to the power of youth engagement, as participants from all walks of life worked together to envision a more connected and cooperative future between the EU and UK. In her closing remarks, the UK Young Ambassador to the European Youth Forum, Zara Okusi regretted all the opportunities that young people in the UK lost after Brexit and made a call for the UK to become an Erasmus+ associated country. Will Wale, representative from the LSE European student society echoed this sentiment and thanked the EU Delegation for making the youth dialogue possible.

Isabell Poppelbaum, EU Deputy Ambassador extended the thanks for the Delegation to the LSE European Institute for hosting this year's EU-UK Youth Dialogue and concluded said "Young people need to have a voice in building the future EU-UK relationship. And we are here to help provide a platform so you can articulate what you want that relationship to look like. The future is yours for the taking, so dream big!". Apt words as we look forward to building on the connections and work realised over the course of these two inspiring days.