EU Training Programme – Module 2 in Neumarkt
Youth Empowerment – Active Citizenship

Following up on the first module of the EU training programme in Copenhagen in April, JEF Steiermark and Europæisk Ungdom (JEF Denmark) were very much looking forward to meeting each other again in the Styrian town of Neumarkt (Austria) from 6^th to 10^th July 2024 (Sunday to Wednesday). This training programme (‘Exchange, Engage & Connect’) includes non-formal transfer of knowledge and skills about the EU and civil society engagement. In addition, meeting decision makers and fostering intercultural exchange are core elements of this project. Module 2 focused on empowerment and active citizenship.

On the arrival date of this module, the participants were welcomed with sunny summer weather on the historic “Europaburg” in Neumarkt. The first evening was used to provide logistical information as well as an overview of the programme and finished with a lively fishbowl discussion about the results of the European parliamentary elections in 2024. On the next morning, the first interactive workshop on communication took place and despite a mixed weather forecast, the afternoon offered a perfect opportunity for a walk to the nearby “Kneipp Park”, a place characterized by a cooling river and a calming forest. Motivated by this relaxing afternoon, the participants were very engaged in the following workshop on using their own voices in the EU. In the evening, another highlight was the cultural evening with various culinary tastings and creative country presentations. Proud winners for giving the best country presentation as well as the winning team for the social media challenge were announced. Also the next day included two extensive workshops, with the first one focusing on leadership and the second one addressing empowerment. The ‘human library’ as part of the empowerment workshops was regarded as especially rewarding and inspiring by the participants. Afterwards, karaoke and watching the current European championship’s football game were great entertainment opportunities in the evening. Finally, Wednesday morning’s closing activities showed once more, how much appreciation the participants felt for each other and how many friendships have already been created between them. With high motivation for module 3 (which focuses on Austria’s and Denmark’s national relations to the EU) the participants left the castle and were already looking forward to meeting their country groups again in November 2024.