December 2023, Ljubljana (Slovenia)

“My Europe? my future? – challenges and opportunities for Europe in the next five years”

From the 28th of December 2023 until the 1^st of January 2024 the annual European Youth Meeting of the Community of Taizé took place in Ljubljana. More than 5.000 young people from all over Europe came to Slovenia to pray and to share the life of the local people and Church communities.  

A group of members from IXE were also in Ljubljana and participated in the European Meeting. Under the title “My Europe? my future? – challenges and opportunities for Europe in the next five years” the IXE members animated twice a workshop for the participants of the European meeting. With together over 80 participants the workshops motivated the young people from different countries to share and discuss their perspectives, fears and thoughts on Europe and the European Union and to listen to each other despite differences. Young people from Slovenia, Ukraine, Croatia, Germany, France, Portugal, Poland, the Netherlands and many more countries shared and exchanged their views on Europe.  

After a short introduction the participants split up into smaller groups to share what it means to be European to them and to listen to each other’s main topics and expectation towards to the European Union. The lack in democracy, the rise of extremisms, migration and security concerns were discussed as examples of challenges the European Union faces. Also, the Christian heritage and the responsibility Christians have for Europe were addressed by the young people. As a conclusion the coming European Elections 2024 were taken into consideration and the participants reflected on possible preparations for the Elections.  

December 2018, Madrid (Spain)

„Some messages ahead of the European elections of May 2019 – for young voters from a Christian perspective“

The IXE workshops addressed the stakes of the elections of 2019 and initiated a debate on nationalism, populism, human rights and European values.