The event took place on 2 and 3 March 2023

Young people are the future, so it is high time they were empowered to become the protagonists of the change that Europe needs. Their courage and enthusiasm are needed to implement a new way to do politics, and there is no better place to start than at local and regional level.

The “#ProgressivesSpeakUp: School of young local and regional politicians” reaches its fourth edition!

Together with the Socialists Group in the Valencia Regional Parliament, the PSOE Group of the city of Valencia, Young European Socialists (YES), the Party of European Socialists (PES), PES Women, the Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS) and the S&D Group in the European Parliament, the PES Group in the European Committee of the Regions was proud to host the fourth edition of our School of Young Elected Politicians, a training for young people coming from all over Europe, elected at the local or regional level, who have the ambition to make progressive change happen in their respective communities.

A Europe for women!

The pandemic has further exacerbated gender inequalities, with many women becoming full-time home carers and educators while providing the majority of essential services outside the home.

At the same time, incidents of domestic violence rose dramatically during the lockdowns. The European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) highlights in its Gender Equality Index 2022 that the EU's 2022 score is still far behind acceptable figures.

The School focused on a key battle of the progressives: ending gender inequality and violence against women.

Young progressive locally and regionally elected politicians can make a difference when it comes to designing and implementing effective gender equality measures, thus contributing to a feminist vision of the European Union that safeguards achievements so far and pushes for faster progress in gender equality. They have also a role to play in the fight against gender-based violence as much of their work has a direct gender impact.

The programme

The School took place in Valencia from Thursday 2 March to Friday 3 March, before the PES Group conference. 

The format of the School was very interactive and innovative: a participatory lab!

Participants joined three discussion tables of their choice where they will learn from the exchange of good practices, with the help of expert speakers and a facilitator. 

Applicants chose the most relevant topics (related to gender inequality or violence against women) to be addressed during the participatory lab, which were divided into three sessions, each accommodating two parallel tables. Selected participants chose which of the two tables to attend in each session. 

Eligibility rules

To be eligible for the School, it is compulsory to meet the following criteria:

• EU nationality is mandatory
• Participants must be elected at the local or regional level, or be an official candidate for the next local or regional elections  
• The age limit of the participants is 40 years
• Participants are expected to to attend all sessions of the programme, from the afternoon of Thursday 2 March to the evening of Friday 3 March
• A good level of English is required 

The study visit and the PES Group meeting

As part of the programme, the participatory lab was followed by a study visit by bike in Valencia organised by PES (more info to come) and the PES Group meeting public event. Have a look at the programme here.

The PES Group selected and covered the participation costs of 25 participants.

Check out the past editions of our School of young local and regional politicians

2019 - First edition @ Brussels, Belgium

2021 - Second edition @ Seville, Spain

2022 - Third edition @ Reggio Emilia, Italy

APPLICATIONS ARE CLOSED