Treaty of Middelburg
LGBTQI+ rights (some EU countries don‘t even legally accept same-sex marriage). Women‘s rights (beyond a capitalist understanding of the term, a intersexual modern understanding of it fighting for rights of black and trans women). Migrant rights. Rights for all youths, beyond European borders (e.g Palestinians, Sudanese, Syrians in the transition to a new regime). I seek a concept of freedom that goes hand in hand with globalisation, a universal truth for freedom that goes beyond borders without it being imposed on other cultures and identities (although I understand the utopic nature of these ideas).
Team members
- ■ Teresa Tur de Zarandieta
Why do you want to participate?
I believe the role of youth and youth organisations should be enhanced in policymaking and such an conference centres around essential aspects of great impact to our future lives and political climate, more so taking into consideration the current state of the international liberal system.
What does freedom mean to you?
Freedom, as happens with many (political) concepts, has a subjective nature. I link its essence to democratic values, HHRR and rule of law. However, democracy has been interpreted differently in many circumstances. The welfare state has to be a starting point. Aspiring to obtain equal opportunities in academic/professional life for everyone should be another aspect - that is, taking into consideration how these are available (i.e the role of experiences abroad, the privilege of study without work, etc). Healthcare for everyone. Asylum for any person in need. The possibility of a nation for those cultures that seek it (self-determination). Freedom of expression. Freedom of association. Freedom of religion. There are so many aspects that are essential. In my opinion this is because lacking just one of these elements undermines the whole freedom of individuals and collectives.
What are the biggest challenges?
Unequal distribution to education and information depending on regions , including intra- European continent. There are inequalities in the job market throughout Europe (for example Spain and Italy having a very high youth unemployment which leads to brain drain). In some European countries student protests are in the rise against corruption and inequalities which have been faced with repression - one of the biggest issues with freedom currently. Moreover, mental health has been a taboo topic, that might have to be treated more seriously. The rise of AI also put privacy issues on the table., Sexual orientation, gender and identity have been widely debated topics on the rise due to the increased support towards the extreme right. Lastly, migrant freedoms are extremely relevant currently, with a EU that seeks to harden the borders and does not support Schengen as much as it once did.
Do you have a message?
I believe to have shared everything I wanted to say
