Ecogenia and Youthmakers Hub in collaboration with the Municipal Youth Council of Thessaloniki hosted an in-person workshop under the theme “The role of being a young citizen in Greece in today’s European Context” under the framework of Erasmus + nEU Citizenship programme, funded by the National Agency of Greece (Grant Agreement 2021-2-EL02-KA154-YOU-000038235).

The workshop was held in Space Lab, a contemporary venue at the centre of the city. Marilena Maragkou, Co-founder & Program Coordinator of Youthmakers Hub warmly welcomed the audience, presented the project and call to the stage Erika Spagakou, Co-founder of Ecogenia, and Mario Sapountzaki, President of the Municipal Youth Council of Thessaloniki to make a short introduction. 

The workshop was separated into two different parts, a panel discussion and fast-paced coffee chat. The panel discussion moderated by Erika Spagakou, consisted of representatives of the political stage, local subsidiarity and civil society organizations. More specifically, 

• Thanasis Glavinas, President Pasok – Kinima Allagis & parliamentary candidate at B’ Thessaloniki, 
• Katerina Notopoulou, Member of Parliament Syriza
• Anna Efthymiou, Member of Parliament Nea Democratia & Lawyer
• Nikos Zeibekis, Deputy Mayor of Sports, Youth and Volunteerism Thessaloniki
• Magda Bakali, Project Manager & Researcher, Stimmuli For Social Change,

discussed the 21st century skills, the challenges that young people are facing in Greece today and which are the opportunities available to them on a European level. 

Then, the participants were splitted into different groups and shared their experiences, the challenges and the opportunities with the panel on the fields of culture, environment, social politics and entrepreneurship. Through this discussion they deep dove into what it means to be a young citizen in Greece in today’s European Context. 

Overall it was an insightful session full of interaction. Stay tuned for the next ones!