How can we achieve change through political and civic engagement and ensure that its effects are both significant and lasting? How can we make sure that Europe’s young generation has its say in shaping the future? Building on the success of the #EuropeShallHearYou campaign, since 2019 the German-Baltic Conference has brought together young people from all over Europe to meet in one of the major Baltic cities, giving them a platform to make their voices heard. After Riga (2019), Vilnius (2020), Tallinn (2021), Riga (2022), and Tartu (2023), we will meet in 2024 in Vilnius - and we are extremely happy to organize the German-Baltic Conference for the first time in person in the Lithuanian capital. The Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania will serve as our conference venue.
From 24 to 27 October, participants of the conference will have the opportunity to join working groups that focus on policy development and civic engagement. Four clusters will allow 36 young individuals to involve themselves as Youth Ambassadors in developing sustainable policy approaches in the realms of the environment, economy, society, and values – drafting their own policy and position papers that subsequently will be disseminated to political actors and decision-makers.
Concurrently, the German-Baltic Youth Exchange Network (GBYEN) will bring together stakeholders from civil society, administration, politics, and beyond, to explore future challenges and opportunities of youth exchange in the Baltic region and Europe. Working sessions will be embedded in an inspiring programme that comprises networking opportunities, expert keynotes, and insight into local best practice and culture.
While the clusters’ and GBYEN’s work evolve separately during the conference, the keynote speeches are open to all participants and intend to give impulses both for the clusters and the network. Also, the opening and closing ceremonies will be attended together.
The work of the clusters is led under the motto “Europe shall hear you”, which is carried by the objective of making the voices and opinions of young people in Europe visible and heard. The Heads of Cluster will work with selected Youth Ambassadors online between September and October and will complete the policy papers at the conference in Vilnius. The theme of this year's cluster work is "AI for Europe: Reinventing Crisis Management" and each cluster will focus on a specific subtopic within this theme, targeting one of our focus countries’ national legislation. Between November and January, selected Youth Ambassadors will have the opportunity to visit the national parliaments of Germany, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, and meet and exchange with parliamentarians about their ideas.
The clusters are divided as follows:
Cluster A “AI in Refugee Protection and Humanitarian Aid” (Target Country: Lithuania): Seeking safety from war, violence, persecution or other human rights violations is an internationally recognized universal human right. Practical implementation of this right involves decision-making about supplying humanitarian aid, granting refugee protection, and identifying potential risks which is often complex and too slow in helping those in urgent need of protection. While more efficiency could be offered by automation and the use of artificial intelligence in the process, wrong or biased decisions about refugee status and the provision of humanitarian aid can have life-and-death consequences. With the numbers of those forced to flee soaring around the world, this cluster aims to find ways of ethical, non-discriminatory, and human rights-compliant use of AI in decisions concerning their future.
Cluster B “AI in Healthcare” (Target Country: Latvia): The constitutional right to receive healthcare and the country’s duty to provide quality healthcare is a challenge in Latvia. The Covid crisis showed some scenarios we could never prepare for. Or could we? The main goal of this cluster is to understand how AI tools could aid in creating more efficient policies, plans and mainly - solutions. Engage in stimulating discussions, real-time testing, and interactive mind map drawing sessions designed to chart a clear path toward the result. Together, we will examine ethical considerations, data privacy, and the seamless integration of AI tools to ensure equitable and effective healthcare for all citizens.
Cluster C “AI and Disinformation” (Target Country: Germany): Nearly half of the world’s population is eligible to vote in various national elections this year. With the growing possibilities of (generative) AI, election campaigns have changed significantly, and disinformation has been a growing problem for democracies by influencing voting decisions. This cluster aims to explore risks and chances of AI being used for disinformation – how can we recognize AI-generated content and how can we counter it?
Cluster D “AI in Climate Change Management” (Target Country: Estonia): Climate change directly contributes to more extreme weather conditions and heats up the planet, displacing entire populations, destroying people's livelihoods, and increasing hunger and poor nutrition, to name just a few consequences. It is therefore crucial to utilize AI as one of today's most important technologies to leverage environmental protection, whilst dealing with its hunger for energy. In this cluster, we will seek to understand and develop policy recommendations on how Estonia can contribute to minimizing its own carbon footprint, develop solutions to be used at a wider scale, and meet the challenges for a more sustainable tomorrow.
The German-Baltic Youth Exchange Network (GBYEN) will also be addressing the topic of AI. We will explore what role AI plays in the everyday lives of young people and the work of youth organizations, what opportunities and challenges arise from it, and how the (topic of) AI can be integrated into youth work and international youth exchange. Questions such as how youth exchange can benefit from modern technology and what potential sustainable youth work has in the fight against disinformation on media platforms will be discussed, with the overall aims of:
● getting first-hand insight and learning from best practices
● formulating answers for the future work and missions of institutions and organizations dedicated to youth exchange in the Baltic region
● inspiring the future work of the German-Baltic Youth Exchange Network (GBYEN)
Comments