EU digital project ENTR at EYE 2021 in Strasbourg
The EYE is the culmination of the European Parliament's youth consultation process for the Conference on the Future of Europe. More than 4,000 young people spend a week discussing current political issues with members of parliament.
For the fourth edition of the EYE, 16- to 30-year-olds traveled from across Europe to participate in debates in both face-to-face and virtual formats. Topics discussed included COVID-19, the environment, education, diversity and inclusion, and human rights.
The ENTR team from Germany, France, Ireland, Poland, Portugal, and Romania accompanied the events and provided contributions in six languages on their social media platforms. The editorial teams and project leaders met in person for the first time in Strasbourg after months of virtual collaboration. "It's incredible what everyone involved in this project has accomplished so far. Without a single physical meeting, they have set up such an ambitious and pan-European content project," said Patrick Leusch, ENTR Project Director. ENTR Head of Content Gönna Ketels said: "We used the time in Strasbourg to get to know each other better and to deepen our mutual understanding. This is very important for our cooperation in such a multicultural and diverse team."
ENTR had invited young journalists from all partner media to participate in the EU Generation Media Lab as part of the EYE. DW's Rachel Stewart hosted two sessions – a panel on sustainability with climate activists, a member of parliament and the UN Secretary General's Envoy on Youth Jayathma Wickramanayake, and a Q&A session with Belarusian opposition politician Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
"The European Youth Event was a great opportunity to make the project visible on several levels. All team members had great conversations with young people from all over Europe, and we took the opportunity to talk to parliamentarians and show them the people behind the project. ENTR will need the support of the European Parliament in the coming years in order to continue to grow as planned," Leusch summed up. He hosted a plenary session with members of the European Parliament and high-level speakers.
ENTR was launched last spring by international broadcasters DW and France Médias Monde in cooperation with media organizations from six countries and has since built a strong following. In just four months, ENTR videos have reached more than 13 million views on partner websites and social media. The project is funded by the European Commission and the German Foreign Office.
ENTR partners
Alongside Deutsche Welle (GERMANY), which coordinates the project, and France Médias Monde (FRANCE) are the following ENTR partners:
GERMANY: Zeit Online, Genshagen Stiftung, and Good Conversations
PORTUGAL: RTP (Rádio e Televisão de Portugal)
POLAND: RASP (Ringier Axel Springer Polska)
ROMANIA: RFI România (France Médias Monde Group) and G4 Media (Group 4 Media Freedom and Democracy)
IRELAND: Tailored Films