The 'You Lead' Final national contest for delegate students took place on May 30-31 and June 1 in Milan, Italy.
In total, 61 students, 17 teachers and 18 people as audience and judges participated in the YouLead Finals.
The teams were made up of 6 students each and one or two accompanying teachers. Participants were selected from the 10 Italian High School that participated in the debate contests in Italy (WP8) and they came from nine different Italian cities.
Each team was asked to debate supporting the thesis pro or cons of 4 selected topics. The topics were formulated and introduced to the teams through debate papers, written and edited by WeWorld experts.
The two finalist teams, the ones that had accumulated the most points with the debates on 30 and 31 May, then held a final debate on a fifth issue on June 1.
Topics discussed covered the issues of climate change and EU values and rights.
The final day of 1 June was held at the prestigious headquarters of the University of Milan, presented by Stefano Piziali, Head of Advocacy & Programs in Europe and Italy Department of WeWorld. The final was also characterized by speeches by:
· Angela Biscaldi, Head of Study Programme - Academic Board for the Bachelor'S Degree Programme in Social Sciences for Globalization and the Master'S Degree Programme in Social Sciences for Research and Institutions;
· Claudia Sorlini, Vice President of the Cariplo Foundation a philanthropic organization that promotes and supports initiatives aimed at the common good and at realizing people's potential.
· Felice Angelo Manfroi, founding partner and voluntary consultant of the Sodalitas Foundation - a territorial association that promotes corporate sustainability in the Italy which contributed to the realization of the project.
The intervention of the Cambodian activist Mealea Tep, interviewed by Margherita Romanelli, Area Coordinator – EU programs and International Policies, Advocacy, Partnership and Evaluation, enriched the educational value of the experience. Mealea Tep, offers legal support to women and minors and is taking part in a Speaker tour organized by WeWorld as part of the European campaign #OurFoodOurFuture, which aims to inform and raise awareness on how the agri-food chain is closely connected to global crises.
20 selected finalists will have the opportunity to participate in the European online exchange preparatory meeting for school students (WP18) and contribute to the formulation of the Common Manifesto (WP19). Furthermore, five people from this group have been chosen to represent their country at the prestigious European Youth Conference in Brussels (WP20 and WP21).
