Our Challenge
The beginning of the 21st century has seen the rise of many new and exciting means of communication. Young people like you and me are benefiting not only from “traditional” electronic tools like email and chat rooms but especially from up and coming forms of communication like Facebook, MySpace, blogs, Skype and podcasts. These technologies have increasingly facilitated the exchange of news and ideas among people of our generation from all over the world. Because the youth of today have better access to relevant information and ideas, international political and social conflicts appear to be in closer proximity to our daily lives, thus leading to greater empathy and sympathy among our generation. We care about the world!
However, although many of us are anything but indifferent to global problems such as natural disasters, extreme poverty and HIV/AIDS, few of us actively participate in the solutions to these challenges. Why aren’t we more involved, why don’t we stand up for our ideas and dreams???
EUforIA has identified two of the various answers to this question and would like to address and tackle the challenges that they imply with YOU and many renowned NGOs during the EYS ’08:
One reason for what seems to be indifference in the majority of us young people is based on the way the media portray many of the problems around the globe. Influenced by frightening media reports about overpopulation, global warming, violent conflicts or poverty, we are often led to believe that the problems of the world are so great that the world is on the brink of collapse and that there is little one can do to make a meaningful difference, especially as a young person. In the best case we are told that if we study hard enough then maybe some day we will have an important job that will allow us to make a bit of a difference, but that is still far away in the future. To fight feelings of resignation and powerlessness, to focus on what we can realistically do and to prove that we are not the future but the present, EUforIA wants to show YOU enlightening examples and ways of becoming active!
A second essential problem is our ignorance of the many existing concrete and immediate opportunities for each one of us to make a difference. Many of us lack concrete information as to how to get involved and have a lasting impact on our local and global environment. Therefore we want to connect you with organizations that are going to share their experience in the application of innovative and constructive ideas to solve local and global challenges. We are convinced that many passionate young people have the potential and will to become active and contribute their part to the creation of a more humane world if they are shown how they can make contributions that are not only tangible, but also useful, meaningful, and important.
And this is where EUforIA comes into play: Our challenge is to provide the missing link between students’ desire to make meaningful contributions and the existing set of organizations in need of talented and committed young people to help support their causes.