Young people in Kozani and Tripoli expressed their concerns and desire for greater involvement in the future of their areas during the two Youth Summits organized by the Just Transition Special Authority (EYDAM) on 16 and 23 October respectively.
The aim of these events was on the one hand to inform young people about the Just Transition Development Programme (JTDP) 2021 -2027, as well as about the opportunities it gives them for entrepreneurship, employment, education and generally opportunities to stay in their place. Another goal of these events was for young people in lignite areas to express their thoughts about the post-lignite future of their region, to converse with EYDAM and to highlight their concerns and needs, so that they can be informed about the available programmes and take advantage of the opportunities that the transition is shaping.
During the two events, EYDAM presented the JTDP 2021-2027, the funding pillars and its implementation process, while together with the Intermediate Body of the Operational Programme “Competitiveness and Entrepreneurship” presented good practices for the submission and implementation of a business plan.
At the same time, both events included open discussions and idea generation workshops with the participation of experts from the Onassis Foundation Scholars Association and the respective local Universities, as well as Ioanna Theodosiou from The Green Tank. There, the knowledge gaps for the JTDP 2021 – 2027 were highlighted, as well as the opportunities to fill them. More importantly, however, for the first time, Gen Z, Milennials, and some Gen X-ers were able to speak openly about issues such as the just transition, green entrepreneurship and innovation, environmental education, and especially the engagement of the younger generation with all of these.
The Green Tank supported the two Youth Summits and participated by highlighting the challenges faced by young people in lignite regions, not only in Greece but also in Europe, presenting data from its analyses on unemployment, social exclusion, youth exodus, employment sectors in the lignite regions of the country. The Green Tank answered questions and presented proposals on the governance of the Just Transition, on how young people can be meaningfully involved in it, on the use of available resources by the youth, on the employment sectors that can welcome their entrepreneurial ideas.
Two local youth organizations of Western Macedonia – the Association of Active Youths of Florina and Go Alive – set a special tone at the Kozani event, presenting their action to mobilize and support young people in the region to participate in the Just Transition.
At the same time, in order for young people to become familiar with the financial tools, The Green Tank’s policy associate Ioanna Theodosiou contributed to a Q&A for the free press magazine “Together” of Kozani, where she answered in a simple and understandable way questions on the “who, where, how, when and why” of a seemingly obscure and rigid system, attempting to highlight why the Just Transition and the opportunities it creates are relevant to youth.
The event in Kozani was attended by the Deputy Minister of National Economy and Finance Nikos Papathanasis, the Director of EYDAM Pelopidas Kalliris, and the Regional Governor of Western Macedonia George Amanatidis, local MPs, mayors and members of the local government, the Rector of the University of Western Macedonia Theodoros Theodoulides, as well as the local youth organizations Association of Active Youths of Florina and Go Alive. During the open discussion, the speakers were Georgia Pozoukidou from the Onassis Foundation Scholars Association and Ioanna Theodosiou from The Green Tank.
At the Tripoli event, in addition to the Director of EYDAM, the Regional Governor of Peloponnese Dimitris Ptochos, the Deputy Regional Governor of Peloponnese Christos Lambropoulos and the Rector of the University of Peloponnese Athanasios Katsis were present. During the open discussion, the speakers were Dimitris Georgiou from the Onassis Foundation Scholars Association, George Papadopoulos, PhD candidate at the University of Peloponnese, and Ioanna Theodosiou from The Green Tank.
Mr. Athanasios Sofos, European Commission Official, Directorate General for Regional Policy and Urban Development, was present via Zoom at the discussions in Kozani and Tripoli and contributed with his interventions.
In both events, the moderator of the open discussion and the workshop that followed was the editor-in-chief of LiFO, Yannis Pantazopoulos.
“The shift of the productive and social model of the lignite regions cannot be implemented in a just way if it does not include the youth. The Just Transition brings challenges, but at the same time it also highlights opportunities. The available resources can be channeled in a targeted manner towards the entrepreneurial and social needs of the youth, in order to create the necessary conditions for young people in lignite regions to stay in their home areas”, Ioanna Theodosiou said.
