Different, Dreamers, the Young Europeans.

Personally, since I came back Italy after one year spent in Bruxelles, I didn't imagine I could taken the European Union to my city of origin.

This extraodinary event has happened during these days, thanks to the willing of our friends Associazione Ente Unione, IFALL, ZISPB, PTP Roman to which we gave our support to realize the project "M.E.D.E.U.Y.M.: Making Empowerment Drawing an European Youth Model", funded by the Agenzia Nazionale Giovani under the Erasmus Plus program.

Indeed this experience has been the mirror of the highest level debates at the European institutions with all the annexes advantages and risks.

Youngsters coming form different countries, Italy, Sweden, Romania and Lithuania, with different behaviours, education, social context, but maybe the similar dreams, have been committed to discuss on how to tackle the current obstacles to the european youth future.

I've seen with my eyes, finally at a level accessible for all, youngters, at the first experience as policy anlysists, reflecting on current issues, facing them with commitment and originality.

I've seen with my eyes also different temperaments, strong personalities, shyness, well balanced persons, exclusion and inclusion, sometimes fear to not be considered equal to the others, closures sometimes, carefreeness, different lifestyles and others quality typical of teens.

I've seen youngsters coming from different starting points and views arriving to common solutions: no burocracy, immediate means for youth participation, more integration, support for special needs, promotion of common values, easy going and fast communication. Here is what they want!

Some MEPs, Ignazio Corrao, Caterina Chinnici, Salvo Pogliese and Giovanni La Via came to hear the participants recommendations and so the youths profited (they couldn't loose this occasion) to ask them to be hosted at the European Parliament in Brussels to held a debate and discuss with  all the competent MEPs for true.

To conclude the days, after the memorable inteviews at the fish market and in the old city centre of Catania the youths leave us their favourite songs and a thought on the EU.

The days showed to all of us what happens when people coming to different countries want to come to unity for the common good, and maybe that we, the Europeans, are not so different as we thought before starting our meeting.

So it might happen that after our next project meeting in Bruxelles (we'll be engaged to make it possible) some of the participants will travel together around Europe by the interrail free promised by the European Parliament to the new eighteens to be simply friends, but to discover also that the European founding father dreams is still possible.

The youths still believe in it and we still believed in them.

G.A.