A public debate entitled “The Situation of Young People in the Mediterranean: Between Challenges of Emancipation and Obstacles to Mobility”, will be held on Friday 14 June at 5.30 p.m. in the Aula Magna Quaroni of the Università degli studi Mediterranea of Reggio Calabria in the framework of Med Youth Meeting organised by the Med Youth Network with the support of the REF (Réseau Euromed France) in close collaboration with Mana Chuma Teatro.
Mobility between the shores of the Mediterranean, but also in certain marginalised European regions such as Calabria, is one of the greatest obstacles that young people encounter on their path to individual growth and fulfilment. In the first part of the debate, the current situation of young people in Mediterranean countries and the challenges they are faced with, will be discussed, while in the second part there will be direct testimonies from young women and young men from both southern and northern Mediterranean shores on the issues related to migration and mobility.
The choice of Reggio Calabria to host the Med Youth Meeting this year is not a random one. Located in a strategic area of the Mediterranean, the City of the Strait has been suffering for decades from a political and economic crisis that translates into a high rate of youth unemployment and, consequently, emigration. Nonetheless, at the same time, the city holds a huge development potential that is expressed through the work of institutions and a very active civil society operating in the region.
Some of these organisations, such as the Municipalities of Reggio Calabria, Palmi and Bova, the Università degli studi Mediterranea of Reggio Calabria, the MArRC, the associations Abakhi, Agape, Arci Samarcanda, the Ecolandia park, the Cooperativa San Leo and Agartha Association, have decided to join the Med Youth Meeting project as collaborators, thanks to the fundamental networking carried out by Mana Chuma Teatro.
One of the objectives of the Med Youth Meeting 2024 is precisely to promote the city of Reggio, its Mediterranean roots and its associative fabric.