Youth and Europe

Abstract

‘Youth and Europe’ extends the notion of identity further, this time in the context of the development of the European Union (EU). The EU mission was to establish, especially among young people, a European identity in all the EU states. The distribution of resources and the rates of youth unemployment in the UK and Germany follows, considered from the perspective of social justice and the consequences of ‘Brexit’. The contribution of EU youth policies to young people’s participation and active citizenship as well as to respecting and integrating cultural diversity is also highlighted. The economic and cultural divisions, leading to sceptical attitudes toward the European Union are also discussed. The Erasmus programme and the wider benefits of the EU youth agenda aimed at reducing unemployment and poverty are presented as highly valued examples of European youth collaboration.