In June 2023, for the fourth time after 2014, 2016, and 2018, young members of TEJO (World Esperanto Youth Organisation) travelled to Strasbourg to participate in the European Youth Event (EYE).

The two-day event was organised by the European Parliament and invited young people to exchange ideas about the future of Europe, alongside activists from youth organisations, experts, and EU decision-makers. Two of the main objectives were to engage young people in youth action as a means to achieve democracy and to involve them in EU elections. 8,500 young individuals from across Europe (not just from the European Union!) came to take part in various workshops, attend sessions with EU politicians, visit booths of youth organisations and , and celebrate during evening concerts.

The 20 delegates from TEJO organised activities under the title “Lingvaj Perspektivoj” (Language Perspectives), raising awareness among young people about the importance of language(s) for inclusivity and participation in society. Notably, the activities focused on linguistic rights, language diversity, gender-inclusive language use, intercultural communication, and Esperanto. Additionally, we aimed to facilitate exchanges among young people from diverse social and cultural backgrounds.

At our stand, young visitors were curious about TEJO and the activities we offered. TEJO trainers and facilitators successfully conducted a workshop on language and sexism and a panel discussion on the significance of linguistic rights for youth participation in democracy. As an expert on linguistic and minority rights, we invited Fernand de Varennes, the UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues. Further guests included young activists Jessý Jónsdóttir (LUF – National Youth Council of Iceland), Nina Grmuša (EFIL – European Federation for Intercultural Learning), and Giorgos Papaioannou (ESN – Erasmus Student Network).

In addition to our on-site tasks, we also took the opportunity to visit the modern Parliamentary building and the city centre of Strasbourg, where we tried Tarte Flambee, the typical dish of the Alsace region. 

Many of the materials created by TEJO for EYE 2023 can now be found in TEJO’s Aktivula Akademio. Feel free to make use of them and inform us about possible improvements!