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SpunOut.ie Blog
European youth media
SpunOut.ie editor, Marie Duffy gives us the insider's view from Brussels!
Over 270 young journalists from all over the European Union participated in the recent European Youth Media Days, an event organised for the first time by the European Parliament together with the European Youth Press.
I was extremely lucky to have been chosen to represent Ireland at this prestigious event, which saw over 2,000 applications whittled down to just 270. The event was for young journalists aged 18 to 30, with the majority of people aged under 22.
During the three-day event, the European Parliament opened its doors to the journalists of tomorrow. The participants drafted their articles in the pressroom, recorded their TV shows in the European parliament TV studio and produced radio shows in the parliament radio station. Together we created a variety of media and shared our ideas on how to shape Europe's future. The aim of the event was to bring like-minded people together to discuss the future of the European Union and its portrayal in the media. Everyone was divided into workshops depending on which field of the media they were interested in. I chose to be involved in the Orange workshop, which would produce a 16-page magazine documenting the whole event.
On the first day, I discovered that English, Irish (me of course!), Welsh, German, Swedish, Lithuanian, German, French and Polish representatives were all part of my group. This was my first time in the company of so many different nationalities. When we were told that we would produce, edit and print a magazine in 2 days, I was gobsmacked. How the heck was that gonna happen?
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During the opening event the President of the European parliament, Hans-Gert Pöttering welcomed all of us and commended our efforts in having been chosen for the event. He pointed out that Europeans should cherish living in a society that guarantees the freedom of speech: "Our free society is not something which is there. We have to work for it." Afterwards experienced correspondents like Jean Quatremer (Libération) and Sergio Cantone (Euronews TV) shared their experience with us.
Being in the hemisphere was an amazing feeling- the place where all the decisions of Europe are made. I felt extremely proud to see the Irish translator’s booth amongst all the other major European languages. That night, we were invited to the German embassy for a reception of German beer and food. Our party was a little late in ending and for the first time in the history of the embassy the police were called to the building. Oops…
On Friday night, Lissy Gröner, an expert in youth affairs and member of the Culture and Education Committee of the European Parliament, welcomed the 270 participants at the City Hall of Brussels. Together with well-known journalists and media experts she took a first look at the results of the 22 workshops. Under the guidance of professionals, such as BBC's Peter Leng, the young journalists produced a variety of magazines, websites, TV and radio reports.
The event was a huge success, especially considering the organisers were aged between 18 and 22! The event was a chance for people all over Europe to get together and to discuss media, while also creating a network of friends and working colleagues for the future.
The few days were extremely exhausting, arriving at parliament at 8am every day and not getting to bed until the wee hours of the next morning. But overall I felt privileged to be involved in such an event, and I now have a greater understanding of the European Union.
It has also made me more determined to pursue journalism, however I was very surprised that Ireland is one of the few countries without an established youth press. I would never have known about the European Youth Media Days, if it were not for the www.spunout.ie and I would suggest that any young people who are interested in producing media contact see the SpunOut.ie Get Involved section.
More information about the European Youth Media Days can be found at www.youthmediadays.eu
By: Marie Duffy
