The Arab Spring – a source of new inspiration for democracy and participation?

Facebook revolutions, sit-ins on Tahrir Square, overthrown dictators – the changes wrought by the Arab Spring in the Mediterranean region will be felt for years to come. How are these developments affecting the countries to the north? Are the new democratic movements in Egypt or Tunisia being felt in Europe? So far the European youth policy debate has remained largely unmarked by these changes. Are these democratic developments really limited only to these regions, or are they in some way impacting on the situation of young Europeans, too? This workshop seeks to find answers to these questions. Various actors and observers of the protest movements will report from their perspectives and discuss the triggering factors, the role of young people in the process, and the effect and success their efforts have had so far.

The discussion will then centre on the connection to youth policy debates in Europe, for instance those concerning greater youth participation and social marginalisation. The situation will also be discussed from another angle: is the European model of youth policy cooperation relevant to these countries?

Here the website of the Conference with the whole agenda and information