Youth Opinion and Action Festival: Dialogue.Cooperate.Innovate

25^th -27^th November 2024 in Tallinn, Estonia

Festival is an annual youth event that brings young people and experts from across Estonia and EuroMed region, to discuss key topics that important for youth and increase cooperation between young people and experts on intercultural dialogue and youth participation within the community, develop learning skills on non-formal education, promote peacebuilding and sustainable development. This year’s festival is concentrated on intercultural dialogue and peacebuilding initiatives and cross cutting themes. 

Festival will be dedicated to key three topics:

• Practical implementation of human rights and intercultural relations to foster the values of mutual understanding, tolerance and dialogue
• Interdisciplinary solutions by young people as peacebuilders agents for positive change in communities.
• Strategies for Cultivating a multiculturalism and inclusive society: youth proposals and existing challenges

A special guest of the festival is high level expert Ambassador Hatem Atallah, champion of the Euro-Mediterranean dialogue and promoter of North-South collaboration and dialogue. Special guest will support young people to formulate festival message that will be presented and accepted by young people at the end of the event.

Target group of the festival are young people age 16-30 interested to become a youth leader or already being such, decision makers, civil society and youth organisation, invited field experts and youth workers willing to improve their own skills and knowledge by gain practical experience and making real changes and supporting intercultural dialogue by advancing their advocating for youth interests. 

Through the festival, we will support further opportunities to bring together young people and CSOs representative (with different background and nationalities) and create intercultural relations to foster the values of mutual understanding, tolerance and dialogue.

Festival activities includes: public discussions between young people and invited experts; skills workshops and open lectures by field experts. Practical session like project initiatives development and sharing best practices will be following main discussion day.

FESTIVAL AGENDA (Draft one)

24^th November 2024 – arrival day for experts 

25^th November 2024: Opinion and action festival I day* (final themes and experts will be set by 1^st of September)
10.00 – 11.00 Opening of festival (Welcoming words and opening speeches by organizers and funders)
11.00 – 12.15 Public discussion I session (Young people and High level experts)
12.15 – 13.00 Working groups (summaries for festival document)
13.00 – 14.00 Lunch
14.00 – 15.30 Skills Workshops I (two options)
– Intercultural education and communication;
– Youth leadership;
15.30 – 15.45 Coffee time
15.45 – 16.45 Public discussion II session (Young people with Young people)
16.45 – 17.30 Working groups (summaries for festival document)
17.30 – 18.00 Summary of the I festival working day 

26^th November 2024: Opinion and action festival I day
10.00 – 11.15 Public discussion III session a holistic approach (Young people and high level experts)
11.15 – 12.00 Working groups (summaries for festival document)
12.00 – 12.30 Coffee Time
12.30 – 14.00 Skills Workshops II (two options)
– Digital tools enhancing participation and intercultural communication;
– Secrets of public diplomacy: case study of Euro-Mediterranean region (conducted by Amb. Hatem Atallah)
14.00 – 15.00 Lunch  
15.00 – 17.00 Working groups (summaries for festival document)
15.00 – 17.00 Open lecture titled “Euro-Mediterranean Relations: Democratization and the Role of Civil Society” by Amb. Hatem Atallah
17.00 – 17.30 Summary of the II festival working day

27^th November 2024: Opinion and action festival Summary
10.00 – 11.30 Summarizing final document of the festival join working session
11.00 – 11.30 Developing a peacebuilding and intercultural initiatives by young people and civil society organisation representative (2 initatives for decision makers)
11.30 – 12.30 Confirmation of final version of the festival key message and presentation to public and decision makers of final document and 2 initiatives by young people.
12.30 – 13.00 Conclusions of the festival and acknowledgement
13.00 – 14.00 Lunch
15.00 – 18.00 Working meeting of Ambassador Hatem Attalah and members of Estonian ALF members and invited Finnish ALF network representatives to discuss how CSOs could enchase own positive impact on sustainable collaboration with Euro-Med region civil society organisations and young people.

The festival will result in the development of youth initiatives aimed at creating a safe intercultural environment where everyone is treated equally, where peacebuilding initiatives are taken into account by decision-makers, and where young people, with the support of high-level experts, can make a difference locally or even internationally.

For more information please send inquire to German Morris, german@peacechild-estonia.org