YES 2024
24 Jun, 08:00 - 28 Jun 2024, 08:00
The Youth Empowerment Seminar (YES) is a yearly event hosted by Youth For Understanding, gathering more than 100 volunteers and 400 students who get the chance to learn about active citizenship and topics of global interest, but also to talk about their exchange experience with the volunteers and the other students.
The YES aims to empower participants to expand upon the learnings gained through exchange programmes or other intercultural experiences, while connecting with the global YFU community, and thus become proactive and globally-oriented agents of change.
YES 2024 THEME
Finding Common Ground in a Divided World
In a time characterised by divided societies and filter bubbles, the YES 2024 invites 300 participants on a crucial mission: to reveal sources of polarisation and look for pathways to unity.
Our informational and political landscapes are polarised, confusing, and often biased, deepening social conflict and inequality. Every day, facts and reality compete with false information in the media. Division, disengagement, and detachment are rising around the world. The idea of ‘us vs. them’ is all over our newsfeeds the second we get out of bed. How can we bring people together and work towards more unity? How can we participate as active citizens without falling into black-and-white thinking?
At the YES we will explore the themes of polarisation and media literacy through five different perspectives: drama, solidarity, critical thinking, civic engagement, and digital well-being. Participating in the tracks helps students find a viewpoint to the theme that they prefer. Some will practice their skills in spotting misinformation, while others will focus on strategies to balance their media consumption. Through all the tracks we spotlight the power of the collective and ask the question: what is our path forward? Amidst such supercharged issues, how do we develop the skills, attitudes, and tools we need to push for productive dialogue that doesn’t feel like a betrayal of our values and identities?
As we journey through the YES 2024, we aim to lower the barriers between nations, cultures, and individuals and celebrate the power of active citizenship in fighting harmful ideas. Participants at the YES will become agents of positive change, strengthening empathy, and raising solidarity to make the world a better place.
At the YES you can finish your exchange year together with hundreds of other young people and keep levelling up your active global citizenship skills. Join our exploration team at YES 2024, where we unite over 300 students and 100 volunteers to find common ground and find paths towards a more inclusive, empathetic, and connected world.