Treaty of Middelburg
In an ideal world freedom would be a garantueed way of living for everyone, there would be no abuse of power, propaganda or dictators. This is of course really big and not so easy to achieve. If I think of a more achievable goal, I would change the way we get educated about freedom. At my school there never was any special education about what freedom means to us and we never really thought about it. We only spoke of freedom surround wars or about fundamental rights like freedom of speech. It was only when I joined the Anne Frank Foundation/the Anne Frank Youth Network that I really stopped to think about what freedom means to me and how broad the definition of freedom can be. Freedom can be in the smallest things, like being able to make your own sandwich, but it can also be bigger things like having food to begin with or being able to go outside. I think it is important that people get educated more about this topic, this way I think more people will appreciate the freedom that they have.
Team members
- ■ Lara Roovers
Why do you want to participate?
Freedom and remembrance are really important topics for me, it is a cause for which I try to engage myself as much as possible. For example, I was one of the organisers for the national youth remembrance on the 4th of May in my hometown. Sadly it got discontinued because there was not enough interest from younger people in my town to keep organizing this event, this disappointed me very much. I see in my surroundings that less and less people engage in the two minutes silence on the 4th of May and don't want to take a moment to realise how lucky we are to live in freedom. I think this conference is really important to keep everyone in touch with reality, but also to keep the past (and current situations) in your thoughts. It would be really amazing to get a chance to take part in this and give my view on this topic. I would love to get the chance to try and make a difference, and I hope to be able to inspire people in my surroundings as well through the things I will hear/see in this conference.
What does freedom mean to you?
For me freedom has really broad definition. Its means being able to go out of your house, without fear. To be able to speak your mind, without fear. To be able to express yourself in whatever way feels right for you, without fear. But also things that make it easier to live without fear by rules or social norms like the prohibition of discrimination and the freedom of religion. But also more political things like the freedom of speech, the freedom of the media, the right to protest and of course the right to vote. Moreover, I think about things like the ban of harsh penalties like the death sentence and torture. Furthermore, I think of the (in my eyes) more obvious definitions of 'freedom'. I think about things like no war, being able to speak and act the way you want without obstruction or the right for privacy.
What are the biggest challenges?
The first thing that comes to my mind is social media. Through social media there is a whole new world of freedom, but also a whole new world of dangers with new types of danger. People are easily influenced by things they see on the media and it's debatable if people, influencers or important people online are making use of the freedom of speech or are trying to use online propaganda sometimes. I think social media can be really great for freedom, but that we have to be/stay cautious for the dangers this brings with it and for the people who are abusing the power of social media. Furthermore, I think one of the challenges is the rising fear. Many people are getting more and more afraid of the possibilty of war in their surroundings or even the chance of a new World War. This fear can be harmful to the freedom that people feel, especially for important things like the freedom of speech. People tend to keep more and more to themselves, afraid of saying something wrong. Another thing that comes to mind is the increasingly individualistic society, social media plays a role in this topic. But like I said in the paragraph before people tend to keep more and more to themselves, this supports a individualistic society. This can also challange the freedom for young people, because you cannot just assume others will help you in difficult situations. At least not in the same way as 100 years ago (so we've been told at least). Furthermore, a more individualistic society can also mean that people have less shared norms and values which can cause conflicts and uncertain situations.
Do you have a message?
For me having an event like this in the world we live in right now, is really important and valuable. We can learn a lot from each other and have to keep listening to all cultures and backgrounds. That way we will find common grounds, shared values and be able to understand and respect each other. Hearing about freedom and what it means to everyone can be really inspiring, and I hope to be able to inspire people around me with everything I will see and hear in this conference. I would be very grateful to get the chance to join this special event. It would mean a lot to me to take part in an event like this and being able to try and make a difference one step at a time.
