The European Youth Parliament (EYP), which was founded in 1987 as the project of a school in Fontainebleau (France), is a unique forum designed to actively engage young people in the moulding of their future society. The EYP represents a non-partisan and independent educational project which is tailored entirely to the needs of the young European citizen.

Today the EYP is one of the largest European platforms for political debate, intercultural encounters, political educational work and the exchange of ideas among young people in Europe. The EYP consists of a network of 32 European associations and organisations in which thousands of young people are active in an honorary capacity. The international umbrella organisation of the EYP is the Heinz Schwarzkopf Foundation.

The aims of the European Youth Parliament are to:

• Raise awareness of European issues, encourage activeEuropean citizenship and motivate students to get engaged in European politics.
• Promote international understanding, intercultural dialogue and diversity of ideas and practices.
• Contribute to the personal skills development of European youth.
• Provide a forum in which young people of Europe can express their own opinions, without reverting to role play.

Evaluations of three International Sessions of the European Youth Parliament in 2005 show that 77% of the participants raised their awareness of European issues, 78 % felt encouraged to increase their active democratic citizenship, 93 % experienced and appreciated intercultural dialogue and 84% developed and improved their personal skills and competences.

Source: www.eypej.org