The upcoming 2024 European Parliament elections serve as a reminder that more than a push to the polling station is needed. In the past, we saw a programme of campaigns, such as ‘Why European Elections Matter’ (2004), ‘It's Your Choice’ (2009), ‘Act React Impact’ (2014), and most recently ‘This time I'm voting’ (2019). However, the results of these attempts to mobilise voters (in particular, young and first-time voters) have been a mixed bag, showing that the call to vote alone is not a magic formula for fostering an enduring democratic spirit.

At the European Youth Parliament (EYP), our mission is to inspire and empower a young generation of informed, open-minded, responsible and active citizens who shape society and drive impact and positive change. EYP is a youth-led organisation that reaches young people from all corners of Europe. Peer-to-peer learning, feedback culture and community-building are core elements of our activities. To achieve our goal, we use a variety of methods, tools and formats. We believe in civic education as an integrated approach that permeates institutions and becomes a tangible experience, inevitably requiring cooperation and recognition of non-formal and informal learning opportunities.

At the EYP, we get to work with a lot of motivated teachers across Europe who play a crucial role in shaping a young generation – citizens of today and voters of tomorrow. But while many aim to extend their approaches beyond the traditional confines of the classroom in the quest to build a house of democracy, they often find themselves in the middle of a building site that lacks a good foundation. The aspiration to instil values of active citizenship is in the blueprints, but the reality looks different; our educational institutions often mirror a non-participatory system. Most schools are in fact not democratic. Designed to nurture an active civic mindset, they inadvertently reinforce passivity instead, e.g. through rote learning, standardised testing and rigid curricula. In addition, educators are confronted with scarce resources, lack of training and overtime hours.

In an allegedly increasingly polarised environment with multiple intertwined crises, critical thinking, emotional connection and active participation are the cornerstones of robust and resilient democratic societies. Policymakers and schools must reassess the given priorities. Active citizenship comes from within, and its application in education incorporates learning journeys into microcosms of the democratic principles they seek to instil. Going beyond textbooks, this requires real-world experiences, community engagement and exposure to diverse perspectives.

For instance, in the EYP, young people discussing topical questions around climate change, mental health, international cooperation or economics for the very first time can grow into young journalists, facilitators, community organisers, event planners or advocates for their own interests. They can become governors of our network, too. Questioning, discourse and independent opinions are encouraged. Similarly, students should be actively involved in decision-making processes and motivated to co-create schools in collaboration with educators and parents. Furthermore, preaching the importance of voting cannot be enough: active citizenship is much more multifaceted.

Our ’YOUthVote’ project, supported by the European Parliament, will bring together our methodology and the upcoming elections, with the aim to set a better example in campaigning. When asked what makes Europe comprehensible to them, our participants point towards the people, stories and international friendships that bridge borders in minds and in reality. These young people are eager to drive positive change in their environments and communities. If we don’t want to lose first-time and young voters, it must be made clear that a ballot box does not make a house of democracy. True spaces of ownership and self-efficacy are needed, presuming that those in power, and generally adults, give up some of their power.

Janis Fifka and Anya Suprunenko, European Youth Parliament