As PeaceJam Europe, today we launched our ‘Campaign for an Inclusive Europe’ coinciding with International Day of Peace, to mobilise young people and address the most pressing issues facing our communities. From Black Lives Matter to Climate Change, young people are at the forefront championing change, and we want to amplify these efforts through our ‘Laureate of the Future Programme’.

Thanks to support from the Winchester Rotary ClubPeaceJam Europe’s Youth Team have created the ‘Laureate of the Future Programme’ which offers young people aged 14-26, the opportunity to apply for a micro-grant up to the value of €200, to support their social action ideas. Applicants may submit an application as an individual or group, through the ‘Campaign for an Inclusive Europe’ page on the One Billion Acts of Peace website. The deadline to apply is Monday 2 November, 11:00pm CET. Successful recipients will receive mentoring throughout the project and coaching from 1997 Nobel Peace Prize winner Jody Williams during PeaceJam’s online Pan-European conferenceWednesday 11- Sunday 15 November.

Over the last three years, thanks to support from the Erasmus+ programme through the European Union, PeaceJam has expanded its programming across Europe,  strengthening the ideals of peace, non-violence, inclusion and cohesion. As part of the project, an online Pan-European conference is being organised for the first time, by the European Youth Team with support from PeaceJam: Belgium, Greece, Romania, Luxembourg, Netherlands and UK.

The online conference will comprise of predominantly youth-led Q&A sessions, panel discussions, interactive workshops and small group discussions, focusing on education, environment, equality, health and migration. Young people will also spend time brainstorming ideas to advance inclusion and promote peace in Europe. These ideas will be presented to MEP’s as part of the project’s final report. In addition to learning from Nobel Peace Prize winner Jody Williams, young people will have the opportunity to hear from other inspirational changemakers including: KidsRights International Children’s Peace Prize winnerThe Rt Hon Stuart LawrenceEarthling Ed and prominent youth activists from across Europe. The conference schedule has been released through the PeaceJam for an Inclusive Europe website, and registration will open soon.

Luke Addison, PeaceJam Europe Youth Team Coordinator, said “Many of the challenges facing young people have intensified during the pandemic, but we have an opportunity to bring young people together and show them that they can make a difference. Engaging the European Youth Team in the organisation of the Pan-European conference, has played an important part in placing youth voices at the centre of what we do. We are excited to launch the ‘Campaign for an Inclusive Europe’ and ‘Laureate of the Future Programme’ on International Day of Peace, as part of our commitment to empower young people to become active citizens and agents of change.”

Throughout the week we will be sharing posts on social media to inspire and engage you to join the campaign. Make sure to follow us on facebook, instagram and twitter with the hashtags #iacted and #billionactseurope
Download the full Press Release for the campaign here