Province of Gelderland, March 2011. The 10^th European Youth Parliament on climate change and water, held in the Province of Gelderland, the Netherlands, from 13th to 20th of March, urged the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of Europe to involve young people more directly in the decision-making process. “We will eventually be confronted with the consequences of the decisions that are made today, we have to look beyond tomorrow and face the future. We want to be proactive instead of reactive”, the participants stated in a common declaration which will be presented to the local, regional, national and European elected representatives.

The 10th European Youth Parliament gave the floor to 100 youngsters from 16 European countries to express their ideas and recommendations on climate change and its consequences on water in direct exchange with political decision-makers and water experts. In interactive sessions, the participants, aged between 16 and 21, set up concrete communication tools (video spot, games for children, posters, presentations) in order to raise awareness on current and future challenges that need to be addressed at local and European level.

10th European Youth Parliament on climate change and water

The European Youth Parliaments for Water, organized by Solidarity Water Europe since 1999, are an innovative concept where young Europeans play a key role in ensuring participation by all water users and international cooperation. Active learning, collective creativity, democratic practices and social events constitute the program and most of the activities are organized by youngsters (moderating formal and informal sessions, elections, writing a common declaration). Moreover, they are actively involved in the preparation process by carrying out local investigations and enter a video, photo or project contest.