The European Youth Event, an annual event organized by the European Parliament in Strasbourg, lands in Italy for the first time, hosted by Forlì, with three days of events and workshops from 17 to 19 May. The Eye is an initiative dedicated to young people aged 16 to 30 – around 4,000 are expected -, aimed at promoting issues of international relevance through the exchange of opinions, ideas and projects between participants and experts present, in view of the next elections European elections on 8 and 9 June 2024. For this sixth edition, in addition to Forlì, the cities chosen were Vilnius (Lithuania), Brežice (Slovenia) and Berlin (Germany).
This week also marks the anniversary of the tragic flood that hit the Romagna area in May 2023. The Eye will therefore be the perfect opportunity to celebrate the rebirth of the city. Representatives of the Region and the Municipalities affected by the flood will also be present at the opening ceremony, scheduled for tomorrow at 5.30 pm in Piazza Saffi. Re-enactments and celebrations have been entrusted to the young artists of the B-Ped group, who will propose a dance show based on the rearrangement of ‘Sulfur Dioxide’ by Lucio Dalla. The flag-wavers of the award-winning Niballo Palio from Faenza, another city hit hard by the flood, will also be present and will start the ceremony with their traditional show which has gained international fame. After the intervention of the representatives of the University of Bologna and the European institutions, the conclusion will be entrusted to the Santa Balera Orchestra, already renowned for having brought the Romagna smooth music to the Ariston stage in the last edition of the Sanremo Festival.
Co-organized by the Alma Mater Studiorum and Punto Europa of Forlì, the Eye will feature meetings, workshops and debates. Guests of national and international importance will participate, such as the astronaut Luca Parmitano, the actor Vinicio Marchioni, the multifaceted popularizer Federico Benuzzi and several journalists. The events will continue tomorrow and on the 19th at the Teaching Hub on the university campus, until the closing ceremony on Sunday at 5.30pm.
Sergio Tomaselli
