Dear Friends,
I am preparing this editorial while feeling everybody’s worries about the Mediterranean full of fires and very (really very) high temperatures, obliging people to be prisoned into their houses and to be evacuated (I am talking about Greece).
I am, and surely you are as well, very sad: alongside the personal involvement and the Friends I have out there, this is confirming we are facing another big challenge. I never like being a conspiracy theorist, I am always trying, thanks as well to this Magazine, to promote the fight against fake news. But something serious is happening out there and our world is changing.
At the same time, I feel confident to write those words here because I know you all and the activities you are promoting. And I am convinced you can share my deepest thought.
What do to?
A very difficult question to answer, in our context, considering the important efforts we have been implementing during these years together. We experienced the Covid-19 pandemic, the vaccines-related problem, isolation consequences – especially on young people – and now, after war and earthquakes, … simply overflowing rivers and/or fire!
How many times, in this space, we have talked about climate change? About its consequences, proposing possible solutions?
I wonder: aren’t we in the middle of another crisis?
The thing is, honestly, that while we thought to defend ourselves with vaccines to fight Covid, now I am not sure about how we could solve this rapidly changing nature. I am sure, as you know, that we are an amazing group that, thanks to the support of EEA & NORWAY Grants, you will continue to rack your brains. I am just afraid, compared to everything (and other parts of the world) remaining outside, that it is not enough yet. Somewhere else, there will be another challenge.
I don’t have solutions (I wish I had). I can just be with you in trying to find possible solutions and I am glad we can exploit this free space to reflect together. And, if possible, in a positive way. You know I don’t like too much pessimism 😊😊
Related to that, I am happy to see that we had one first reaction to our new space recently launched – Echoes of Tomorrow – (for which I thank our Project INTERCEPT for the nice visual sent to us). Surprisingly, this contribution came from Turkey, and we are glad to welcome Muratcan Işildak into our Mag. Hopefully, we will have the chance to enlarge this space.
Talking again about some positiveness, I want to share with you at least other two points. Firstly, alongside our new Rubrica dedicated to youth voices, we are very glad to present you one success story coming from the Yagos Antiochos, representing the Greek Active Citizen Found. One colleague, after all 😊 from the project ‘Health Without Barriers’. I like a lot this title. And I wish we lived in a world without barriers of any kind.
Barriers for young people are just one example and this give me the opportunity to mention as well an event which really left me very excited in terms of the topics discussed. I am talking about the Youth Employment Summit which took place in Barcelona last late June. You will read about it in our pages, I can just add that it has been a fruitful occasion not only to see some of my friends but as well to share with all the participants important thoughts about ‘tomorrow’, youth aspirations, needs, problems, etc. and I am as well very happy that the material prepared by our Porject YES! was published on the ‘La Vanguardia’, a very important local Spanish (and Catalan) newspaper – Primera edición del Youth Employment Summit subraya la importancia de la formación juvenil (lavanguardia.com)
The Youth Employment Summit talked especially about the importance of young people needs in terms of orientation and guidance, and as you can see here as reported by the newspaper, a young person with training is three times more likely to find a job than one without studies!!!
If you know me, and hopefully yes after those years together 😊, you already know what I want to tell you…
Yes, I am talking about our Special Edition that will be published in the occasion of the 12th August, the International Day of Youth. This year, being the European Year of Skills, we all decided to concentrate on positive competences development processes, through the point of view of people that are working for that, namely youth workers, mentors, trainers, etc. I am sure that, by the 12th, we will collect as usual valuable contents and insights for furthers reflections.
Finally, while waiting for this Special Edition, I have to thank in advance the DG EMPLOYMENT Departments, DG EAC and other institutions such as FAFO, OECD, CEDEFOP, the Committee of the Regions, the EESC, and any other person or entity which will make it possible.
There is nothing better, at this point, than to greet you with our Friend Tom who, taking up an African proverb, perfectly expresses the meaning of this Mag and of the next release: ‘If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together’.
Going together, for sure we will keep getting great results.
Gian Luca Bombarda
The Fund Director
