Raising EU Awareness through accessible documents for youth

European institutions use 24 official languages, but more than half of surveyed youth lack understanding of the EU, with the Treaty of the Functioning of the European Union, the foundation for EU youth action, spanning over 300 pages in complex "legalese." The challenge lies in bridging this gap between official documents and young people's reality. READY, built on successful projects of the YES Forum, focuses on promoting Active Citizenship, EU awareness, political engagement, and Social Inclusion. Previous initiatives revealed that disadvantaged youth show interest in EU and national politics given the right opportunities. During the previous projects, we witnessed that the EU treaties are still very far from young people’s daily life. READY project addresses this disconnection by making EU provisions easier-to-understand and more accessible to youth by fostering literacy competencies of young people. Since 2020, the YES Forum has been providing easy-to-understand documents to empower young people and enhance their understanding of the treaties' significance in their lives.

READY aligns with the objectives of the European Youth Work Agenda and seeks to reconnect youth work with EU treaties. Our focus has been on making these treaties accessible to all, fostering an increased sense of citizenship and empowering young people to exercise their rights. Through multiplier events and a Brussels conference involving youth, organisations, and policymakers, READY contributes directly to the Bonn Process, promoting and recognising youth work. We engaged both with young people and youth workers, emphasising literacy competencies and political awareness. By combining a personal approach to the EU and research on treaties conducted by young people, READY aimed to make EU provisions and policies accessible, bring young people closer to understanding the EU, and trigger their interest in the EU policies. The project aimed to enhance awareness of the EU's impact on citizens' daily lives, improve the quality of youth work through innovative approaches, and enhance the skills of current and future youth workers.