OCTA’s members decided in 2020 to start involving youth from the OCTs in its activities. In October 2021, the I OCT Youth Week was organised, bringing 13 young people from the OCTs to Brussels and Strasbourg.
In Brussels, they were invited to the EU institutions and met with the Commissioner for International Partnerships, Ms Jutta Urpilainen and EU officials, in additions to meeting OCTA members and representatives from the Member States. In Strasbourg, the group attended the “European Youth Event 2021”, which takes place annually in the European Parliament and gathers young people from all over Europe, as well as meeting with the “Friends of the OCTs” group of the European Parliament.
The success and results of this activity highlighted the important gap to be filled to reinforce youth participation and engagement.
Youth is also a cross-cutting priority for the EU, showcased by the European Commission’s decision to make 2022 the “European Year of the Youth”, with the objective of striving to give young people more and better opportunities for the future.
OCTA is working to create bridges between youth in Europe and in the OCTs, as well as amongst OCTs.
To learn more about OCTA’s first “OCT Youth Week”, we invite you to check the event page, were the event report and videos have been uploaded:
If you are young person from an OCT, interested in opportunities to start working in European affairs, such as the OCTA traineeship or the European institutions traineeships, the following document will be helpful:
