European youth in Denmark to participate in a program that promotes racial tolerance in the EU
Despite the fact that Denmark has been an active member of the European Union since 1973, many are skeptical about this relationship due to the country’s opt-outs from EU policies on finance and defence amongst others. However, a multicultural event taking place during this week in Copenhagen and its surroundings is another step towards promoting the EU in Denmark.
The event is run by a group called Future Kulture - one of the many groups sponsored by Kulture Live working with youth programs around the world, including street games all over Europe and graffiti collections in New York.
Called Europe and Democracy; Stop Racism/Start Dialogue involves young people between the ages of 18-25 from Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Northern Ireland, Lithuania, Portugal, Spain, Slovenia and the Netherlands. Raymond Andres, the coordinator of the event, comes from California but came to Denmark in order to study social anthropology. As the founder of Future Kulture, he has organised many youth programs from 1994 to the present day. He argues that Denmark, despite its relatively short history of being a multi-ethnic society, is a fantastic base for this operation. Its long-term relationship with the EU, availability of youth programmes and high level of education make it a great location for foreign students - many of whom are completely new to the concept of government participation - to begin learning about debate and the EU.
48 young people will spend the week in various locations, such as Nivå and Fredensborg. This historic location – the home of the royal summer palace - is the perfect setting for a multi-cultural pow-wow. Here, throughout the year, young Danish people are involved in projects such as producing pictures and videos as part of a non-traditional education. These same students will be involved in aiding communication between cultures, helping them understand the essential elements of a debate and teaching them how to participate in the EU.
Trust and communication exercises, as well as formal debates, will be used not only for education purposes but also as networking tools. As Andres says, ‘Networking is so important in the European Union today,’ and hopefully the connections made over this week will help these people in the future. But it’s not all serious debate. Flexible free time lets the students explore the city while group theatre, dance and art and musical talent nights allow the students to show off their skills. ’I think that music plays a big part within this event and program because it allows the participants to use their talents,’ says Andres. ’This could be in the form of dancing, singing, or playing in a band ... they get to perform in front of their peers and show their talents.’
The event ends on July 24 with a musical and culinary extravaganza in Rådhuspladsen. This includes a ‘taste of Europe’ food fair, poetry reading and discussion, performances and presentations by the students as well as performances by Danish and other musicians. This section of the event is open to all and the party promises to go well into the night.
‘Our goal’ says Andres ‘is to motivate young people to review and start an education where they learn and cooperate with the EU’.
