From the 19th to 20th of October 2022, the two-day training seminar “Using digital tools for civic engagement”, under the Erasmus+project “nEU Citizenship”, took place in Athens, Greece. This training seminar was the third out of seven events under the KA1 Erasmus+ program, co-funded by the Erasmus+ of the European Union and the Youth and Lifelong Learning Foundation (INEDIVIM).

The main aim of this 2-day seminar was for young members of the Greek community to learn about civic engagement in the digital world. The workshop was moderated by Angelos Orfanidis, Ecogenia’s Communication Coordinator, and Melina Dunham, Ecogenia’s Development & Programme Strategist.

The first day of the training was introductory. The workshop highlighted the most important methods that young people could use to develop a digital strategy. The trainers gave a plethora of case studies and tools that proved the necessity of digital practices. In the end, the participants, through a fruitful conversation, analyzed the importance of civic engagement in Greek society.

The main focus of the second day was to encourage participants to be more active as citizens. This is why Stefanos Loukopoulos, director and co-founder of Vouliwatch, introduced all the campaigns of the organization. This led to a very constructive Q&A among the participants. Afterward, the trainers gave the opportunity to the attendants to discuss and structure their own ideas & tools.

At the end of the workshop, they worked in groups and brainstormed ideas on how they would present their digital campaign on a topic of their interest. In their pitching, they proposed many ideas and solutions that could be implemented in their local community.