The summer school, which has been ongoing for more than a decade, has provided a space and an opportunity for hundreds of young European trade unionists to network, learn and share best practices and ideas about how to improve the presence and voice of youth in trade unions across the region.
The four-day programme, included dedicated sessions around topics such as equal opportunities in trade unions, understanding trade union structures and youth integration to trade unions, negotiation and new ways of communicating to young workers to join trade unions, building up strength and support to have ten percent youth representation at the upcoming UNI Europa Regional Conference in Belfast 2025.
Johanna Jonsdottir from SSF Iceland and President of UNI Europa Youth said: “It is a remarkable achievement to have so many young people together from different backgrounds learning from each other and sharing their own experiences. Young people deserve to have more visibility and spaces to share their common issues. This not only builds a more stronger movement, but a stronger, more social Europe.”
“Young people are not the future, they are the present of trade unions yet their spaces are very limited and their voices seldom heard. Through these types of activities, we aim at creating environments were young people can share their concerns and together finds solutions that can be implemented through tools like collective bargaining, to support them through their working lives,” she concluded.