To Choose the East Means to Choose Europe
April 19, 2013 - Example Author - News Briefs
The Eastern Partnership is an idea much bigger than political declarations and trade agreements – it is a tool to European integration, a bridge between the East and West. A strong belief in this dimension of the EU’s neighbourhood policy has become a foundation of a unique initiative – I’m for the East! Festival!
I’m for the East! 2. Festival is an event which is devoted to the idea of the Eastern Partnership. It is as an answer of the young to the priorities of the European Union’s foreign policy.
The festival was created by a group of friends from Poznan – young Europeans who want to actively participate in bringing the EU motto: “United in diversity” into effect. They study at different faculties but they are united by a mutual passion of discovering the world and a desire for sharing this passion with others. As conscious citizens they want to promote an idea of social and cultural integration with the Eastern Europe. Their motivation to act is a desire to break the unfair division which functions in society: we – the West, they – the East. They indeed believe that we are all Europeans. This is why their aim is to show the Eastern countries as a fully-fledged part of Europe.
This year, on 10-12th May will witness the second edition of I’m for the East! Festival, which will be an unique three-day experience allowing its participants to discover Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. The programme was designed to have a multidimensional view of these countries through their cultural, social and political issues. The organisers want to present everything the region has to offer – to discover its rich cultural mosaic, to become acquainted with their way of living, to understand their problems and hopes. The second edition of the festival will cover a wide range of thematic content – new issues will be discussed and it will be an opportunity to fulfil the educational and cultural needs of Poznan’s citizens coming from EaP countries.
The festival’s programme is no longer a secret, and the organisers have recently revealed some of its details. It will be a content-rich event. The festival will start with a movie screening, then participants will have an opportunity to take part in a Georgian cuisine workshop, as well as Ukrainian and Azerbaijani language lessons. Moreover, a variety of discussion panels concerning the following issues are planned: civil rights violations in Belarus, media freedom in Azerbaijan, design in Moldova and a meeting for children about travelling to the East. The final point of the programme is a concert of folk band QuadroSusanna.
For more information visit: http://mail.aegee.org/eap/2013/03/im-for-the-east-2-festival-by-aegee-poznan/
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Written by Marta Wnuk, AEGEE-Poznań