the Kick-off of the European Youth Week took place in the Espace Léopold in Brussels, Belgium, on the 12th of April, 2024.

My volunteering experience during the Summer of 2023 was very meaningful to me, and both the European Solidarity Corps and Erasmus+ programmes are something I find great value in.

Having done an ESC project allowed for my participation in the Portuguese Event of Ex-Volunteers (in December of 2023, which took place in Lisbon); and that, on the other hand, made me eligible for consideration to join the Portuguese representatives in the European Youth Week kick-off event. Which I did!

Although very much aware of the ecological impact of a two-way airplane trip from Porto to Brussels — and just for two nights, no less — this seemed like a good opportunity to witness the place where some of the European decisions take place, and hopefully have a closer look at some of goals for the forthcoming iniciatives for European youth.

There was an opening plenary session in the hemicycle (available to stream here), to which all were invited; and then, the big, more-than-700-people group would divide among different workshops, talks and workgroups, on a vast array of topics pertaining to youth, Europe, and many other possible intersections, over the end of the morning and afternoon. These activities required registering, and in all three timeslots, I was particularly enthusiastic about one on rural areas and strategies to repopulate these regions.