Third mobility: Genoa!
From 14th to 17th May the young protagonists of the SPGs project coming from France, Portugal, Romania and Italy itself met in Genoa, happily hosted by the project lead applicant Cooperativa Agorà. For the third time this spring of 2024, 80 young people have been given concrete space and time to share their ideas, views and hopes for the future, in the context of the forthcoming elections to the European Parliament which will renew the decision-makers responsible for leading our European Community in the upcoming years.
After Tuesday, the day of arrivals, check-in and first visit to the city of Genoa, the group activities were launched on Wednesday 15th in the Chierici room of the Berio Library, reserved for us thanks to the collaboration with the local Europe Direct office.
The morning was dedicated to a group reflection on stereotypes related to gender identity, led by the national trainer of the organization Arcigay Genoa. Imagining themselves in another person’s shoes, the youngsters had the opportunity to reflect on inequality as a source of discrimination and exclusion. At the end of the morning, divided into groups, SPGs young protagonists gave a graphic answer to the question "what is identity?", highlighting different points of view and finding common ground.
The afternoon was dedicated to a guided tour of the city, with attention to historical and cultural elements but also local places for youth socialization. The evening saw everyone gathering together for a pizza (of course!) in the hilly area of the city.
The second day focused on stimulating reflection on gender equality within the labour market. Through the workshop "Bread and Roses" the aim was to raise awareness of social phenomena preventing women from getting equal treatment in the workplace - such as the Gender Pay Gap, the Glass Ceiling and the unequal distribution of Care Work - together with potential solutions to those problems.
The activity gave the young participants tools to better understand discrimination and sources of inequality within the labour market fostering motivation to fight against them. The activities, due to rain, were moved to a fascinating archaeological area of the historic center, which offered a suggestive location for carrying out activities into small groups.
The final greetings between these European youngsters was a moving moment, clearly new friendships were born between youth who never thought they could have the opportunity to meet peers from other countries sharing an enriching experience of content but also of humanity.
With the European elections coming up, seeing a community of young Europeans so different and similar at the same time coming together and exchanging ideas reminds us of the importance of transnational cooperation and of youth involvement, both civic and political.
There are still two mobility waiting for us, it’s not over here! Stay tuned.
