The 9th annual Summer School organised by the Assembly of European Regions (AER) is scheduled for August 22-27 in Olomouc, Czech Republic. This year’s Summer School will focus on the theme of interregional project management and lobbying.
“I’m very excited that we have the opportunity to gather 150 politicians and regional representatives together for five days in a new EU region. It is important that we tackle issues of interregional cooperation within the 25 countries in the Union and with our new neighbours. Together we will explore new approaches to regional issues and exchange experiences as to what works best within each of our regions.” says Liese Prokop, AER President and Vice-Minister President of the Niederösterreich (A) Region. “The Summer School offers participants the opportunity to improve their project management skills and to examine the issue of lobbying at the European level, to become familiar with new approaches to the preparation and implementation of interregional projects, and to discover a large selection of European programmes designed to support interregional cooperation.”
Youth Summer School
At the same time as the Summer School, the AER will also organise the 3rd annual Youth Summer School for approximately 50 participants between the ages of 18 and 24. The Youth Summer School will focus upon the participation of young people in regional life, using as its framework the Council of Europe’s ‘European Charter on the Participation of Young People in Local and Regional Life’. The Charter outlines the obligations of local and regional authorities to involve young people in decision-making on issues that affect them and highlights the responsibility of young people to play an active role in improving their own futures. Participants will have the opportunity to exchange their ideas and viewpoints, and will work to develop concrete solutions to common problems.
At the end of the programme, participants from both Summer Schools will meet to pool together their conclusions and initiate concrete projects. This meeting will be a unique opportunity for both elected representatives and young individuals to deal directly with the fundamental issue of youth participation in public life.
Summer School Organising Committee: Olomouc-CZ, Brussels-Capital-B, Friuli-Venezia-Giulia-I, Istra-HR, Noord-Brabant-NL, Thüringen-D, Vestfold-N, Wallonie-B, Wien-A and Zurich-CH.
For more information: info@aer.eu
