Partner Profile: European Youth Press

Part of InternewsNext, a series highlighting 30 youth-led media initiatives.

In partnership with the UN Environment Program (UNEP) and with support from Internews’ Earth Journalism Network (EJN), EYP selected 33 young journalists to publish stories about the green economy and sustainable development on the GreenUp blog of UNEP in Brussels.  (credit: European Youth Press)

For young people in Europe, having a voice on critical issues like climate change, the economic crisis and international conflict is a way to shape their own future.

The European Youth Press (EYP) supports young journalists throughout Europe by connecting them across borders, bringing them together to cover international events and question politicians, and increasing access to diverse sources and points of view.

“Media plays a big part in young people's lives, so it's normal for young people to play a big role in the media as well,” says Carmen Păun, Projects & Funding officer for EYP.

In partnership with the UN Environment Program (UNEP) and with support from Internews’ Earth Journalism Network (EJN), EYP recently held a competition for reporting on the green economy. Thirty-three young journalists were selected to publish stories about the green economy and sustainable development on the GreenUp blog of UNEP in Brussels. From those, a jury selected three to travel to and report from the Rio+20 climate conference, in partnership with the 17 Fellows EJN is bringing to Rio+20, creating a joint cohort that will help each other with stories, tips, and information.

The Fellows are Peter Bjerregaard of Denmark, Lidija Grozdanić of Montenegro, and Sanja Jovanović of Serbia. Read their contributions on the GreenUp blog.

EYP was founded in 2005 in Berlin and has now has 24 member organizations across Europe, from Sweden to Armenia. Since 2007, EYP has organized European Youth Media Days, the largest event for young journalists in Europe. Each fall around 100 European young journalists travel to the European Parliament in Brussels to question politicians, lobbyists, representatives of NGOs and reputable journalists on topics of European and global concern.

EYP also produces Orange Magazine, which has brought diverse teams of young journalists from Europe, Asia and Africa  to report from nearly 50 major international events since 2006. The reporting project challenges young journalists to work under pressure, in English, with colleagues they have never met before. Events have included the NATO-Afghan Student Forum, the UN Narcotic Drugs Commission meeting in Vienna, the International AIDS Conference in Vienna in 2010, and elections in Armenia in 2008.