Hacking the Future of Europe


A bunker + 24 EU youngsters + 24 hours + Trendwolves + coffee = A manifesto, a web platform and loads of enthousiasm about the future of Europe. This was the hackathon we organised for The European Youth Conference in Malta:  

What do you hope Europe will look like in 2027? That was the question to be resolved during a 24 hours 'thought hackathon', in which we did not only want to come up with fresh ideas, but also with tangible outcome. 

"I want a Europe that celebrates diversity and recognizes the important role youht culture has in social change."

Trendwolves was invited by the Maltese government to take part into the European Youth Conference, organised in April 2017 in Malta, and to accomodate a unique kind of workshop with 24 of the 200 young participants. 

The European Youth Conferences are held every six months in the EU country holding the EU precidency, and aims to make young people's voice heard in the European policy-shaping process. The current thematic priority is: Enabling all young people to engage in a diverse, connected and inclusive Europe

"I want a Europe where we as young people have a say and our opinions are taken into account and actually shape politics and the future of Europe that we want to live in."

We were asked to establish a context in which the participants could take a step back and - rather than focussing on the current policy issues and problems - create a vision for the future of the EU. 

So we literally went underground for 24 hours, into a bunker, with 24 participants, blank papers, markers and two main question: what do you hope Europe will look like in 2027? And how can we make it happen? 

"I'm for a Europe that is not mainly about growth, but that seriously takes into account the happiness and well-being of all of its citizens, in particular of young people."

We didn't get a lot of sleep, but the results made up for that:

1. The EYC Manifesto for the future of Europe, with ten bullet proof goals that will make it happen.

2. Askeugo.com: a web platform that gathers Euthopians and makes the exchange of best practices easier. 

3. Translation Service: a service that translates policy into comprehendible info for youngsters.

The Thought Hackathon was a unique experiment. We are so grateful and honoured to have been part of it. 

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