Cyprus Youth Council (CYC) continued its #ΓίνεΗΑλλαγή (#BeTheChange) campaign with a meeting with DIKO yesterday (16/09).

Representatives of the Cyprus Youth Council discussed with Mr. Nicolas Papadopoulos, President of DIKO and Mr. Marios Mouyis, President of NEDIK about the causes of youth apathy and about ways of safeguarding the labour rights of young people.

Mr. Papadopoulos said that young people have overwhelmingly shouldered the burden for the financial crises that have hit Cyprus since 2013. He also noted that young people will not be convinced to engage in politics, unless they see policy proposals and actions which will benefit their lives.

CYC highlighted that there is a lack of legal framework for internships in Cyprus, which has adverse effects on people who enter the labour market. It also presented its request to be included during parliamentary discussions on matters that concern youth.

During the meeting CYC and DIKO also discussed about:

·         Ways through which CYC can work with political parties to mobilise youth to participate in civic life and make political decision-making processes and institutions more accessible to young people

·         How to upgrade the current voter registration system to make it more accessible to young people

·         The efficient use of EU funds by state services and NGOs and the need to create an oversight committee to check how EU funds are spent

·         The digitalisation of public services

·         The revitalisation of municipal youth councils

Mr. Nicolas Papadopoulos – President, Mr. Marios Mouyis –President of NEDIK, represented DIKO at the meeting.

CYC was represented by: Antonis Kourras – President, Christiana Xenofontos – Vice President A’, Despoina Panayiotou – General Secretary and Marina Shiammouti – Programme Development Secretary.

Through the #ΓίνεΗΑλλαγή campaign, CYC aims to raise awareness among youth, on the benefits of political participation, in order to increase the number of young registered voters and youth voter turnout.