Another project to keep us—and you—busy! We are happy to be a part of Check!Europe, a project centred on elections in Europe. In the lead-up to the European elections in June 2024, Are We Europe will bring you stories related to voting, democracy and the role of disinformation. The project is co-funded by the European Commission through Erasmus+.
Read our first story about how dual citizenship will affect a student’s future voting habits. In this personal narrative, author Ricky Schodl outlines how his upbringing has influenced the way he views the different democracies of Germany and the US. Which system will make him feel like his voice is heard and his vote counts?
We are also working on a photo story about young voters in Belgium. For next year’s European elections, the Belgian government has decided to lower the age of voting eligibility to 16 years old.To understand how this might impact the politics of tomorrow, we want to take a look at the hopes and dreams, issues and anxieties of this new voter demographic. The result will be shown at the eve of the elections in a photographic reportage depicting a diverse group of first-time voters in Belgium.
If you have any leads you want to share with us, please reach out to jan@areweeurope.eu.
Ps: Did you know that Belgium is not the only country to ask minors for their political opinions? In 2007, Austria became the first member of the European Union to adopt a voting age of 16 for most purposes.