A Georgian YEA on the Europamobil in France

Author: Avtandil Svianadze

As a Young European Ambassador from Georgia, I am always so proud to represent the initiative as I did during the recent Europamobil project, a European Solidarity Corps intiative that aimed to bring more Europe to schools in France, where I currently  live and study.

The Europamobil project was a volunteering project which offered an exciting European experience for pupils and students, and was held in the French region where I now live, namely the Grand Est. Together with fellow volunteers on the project, we successfully generated a robust enthusiasm for the European concept.

Through Europamobil, I met another 20 students from various EU countries (France, Italy, Germany, Poland and more), all incredibly motivated to help students and pupils to get to know their neighbouring countries and people better. In three workshops on Democracy, Climate Change, and EU Institutions, we brought games and debates to young pupils at the Lycée des métiers entre Meurthe et Sanon, a vocational high school in Eastern France. It was a lot of fun to see how the young generation is thinking and exchanging ideas, as well as to discuss the future of the EU. As a Young European Ambassador from Georgia, I had the privilege of visiting other locations, where my colleagues and I actively championed the principles and cultural aspects synonymous with Europe and European values.

From assessing Eurovision songs to discussing EU policies, we did a great job of raising the awareness of youth about the opportunities that the EU is offering them and their neighbouring countries’ citizens. The opening of Europamobil included presentations of EU countries’ flags and teaching young people how to say “good morning” in different languages. I also took part in the opening, but I forgot the Georgian flag at my dormitory, so I introduced myself and my country with the EU flag, and I felt proud to be able to do that.

We also reflected on the unseasonally hot weather. During the workshop on climate change, where we discussed the European Green Deal, global emissions, and environmental protection, the temperature was so high that we saw at first hand the result of global warming. This helped us to realise just how important it is to take care of our environment. In the meantime, I was raising awareness about the YEAs’ initiative and how important it is for young people from the EaP countries to have the opportunity to connect with the EU and its values. The closing ceremony of Europamobil was held in Metz, and the official representatives of the region of Grand Est in France met to discuss the overall experience of the project and exchange interesting ideas.

For me, the immersion in French schools was also a unique opportunity to further improve my French, while I also discovered that our fantastic representative, Stephen, had a son who was currently out in Georgia and was planning to visit him there – examples of the immeasurable value of European exchange, of becoming acquainted with different cultures, and how we are really united in diversity. In the end, I would like to motivate young people and tell them that the EU is about YOU! What we are taught at school can be taught to you by yourself by getting to know the inspiring stories of other young people who became change-makers in Europe. I encourage you to stay with us and read more stories, which might help you become a change-maker, not only in your country but in the whole world. I felt honoured that I had the chance to represent the ‘EU NEIGHBOURS east programme and be proud of being a Young European Ambassador.