4th UBC Youth Conference - Bridges over the Sea

"Bridges over the sea" - the youth conference that gave youngsters all around the Baltic Sea Region new possibilities to meet new friends, get new ideas and tools for developing the region.

During three interesting and hectic days in September the Commission on Youth Issues together with the City of Kristiansand and the joint EU project Different History - Common Future organized the fourth Baltic Sea Youth Conference in Kristiansand. At the conference more than 130 youngsters, civil servants and politicians from different countries around the Baltic Sea took part.

The conference was a mixture of lectures, workshops and social activities where the participants had the opportunity to discuss and learn more about the environmental situation in and around the Baltic Sea Region, and what "I" as an individual can do about the situation, or how to make the Baltic Sea Region a more attractive and prosperous place to live.

The participants also had the possibility to discuss and to learn more about the situation of people with different sexual preferences and how we can "bridge over" the intolerance that we can experience around the Baltic Sea Region. The youth conference was also partly connected to the X UBC General Conference through a common lunch where the youth and the politicians had the opportunity to discuss the future development of the Baltic Sea Region, or how the youth can become more involved in the development of region.

The Youth Conference was also invited by the UBC Commission on Health and Social Affairs to support their workshop during the General Conference. This cooperation was very appreciated both from the youth and from the participants at the workshop and the result was very interesting.

The results of the conference will be published in the third confer- ence book "Book of Inspirations" as a follow up from the previous books "Book of Demands" and Book of Possibilities". Also, there will be a conference movie produced and a Youth Baltic Strategy created for the future work.

During the conference, City of Kalmar handed over the vice chair of the Commission on Youth Issue to Mr Gunars Ansins, Deputy Mayor, City of Liepāja.