Ballyhoura Development Empowers Young People to Share Their European Vision.

Throughout 2024, Ballyhoura Development has worked with a diverse range of young people to promote their engagement with the European Union and deepen their understanding of democratic processes. 

Using co-production and co-design methodologies young people have been actively involved in developing, producing and editing a series of video clips, which tell their personal stories, aspirations for the future, and reflections on how they feel the European Union and politics in general impact their lives. 

The project provided young people the opportunity to explore the impact of thinking with a European mindset, and how this approach can support positive changes in their everyday lives. By focusing on the role of democracy, they examined the benefits of collaborating with other young people across Europe, building knowledge, experience, and confidence to actively participate locally. 

The final phase of the initiative involves a social media campaign to amplify the voices of the young participants and share their learnings with a wider audience. 

Eileen O’Keeffe, Development Manager at Ballyhoura Development expressed her enthusiasm about the project: “We were delighted to receive funding from the Communicating Europe Initiative to support getting young people’s voices into democracy, into politics and to support them to share their experiences with other young people” 

This project was supported by the Communicating Europe Initiative through the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Read More About the Communicating Europe Initiative