BIENVENIDA, CHINESE YOUTH

By Paula Nieto

“Chinese youth may have a traditional spirit, but at the same time they seem to have a cosmopolitan and innovating vision of the world,” says Daniel Arévalo, 29, from Spain. Whether they agree or not, young people from Spain will soon have the chance to redefine the image they have about youth in China.

BUILDING LINKS

Guests at the opening of the EU China Year of Youth 2011 in Brussels / Photo credit: Fred Guerdin

In the EU-China Year of Youth 2011, Spain will play an active role along with six other EU member states, and a delegation of 16 Chinese youth representatives. It will be hosted from 19 to 23 May in Pamplona in the region of Navarre in northern Spain.

Given that one of the main goals of this initiative is to approach both cultures and to develop links for future collaborations, Chinese participants will be accompanied by 16 other Spanish participants. The Spanish group will be integrated by youth workers, youth leaders, organisations and youth institutional representatives.

POSSIBILITIES FOR FURTHER COLLABORATION

Time is set aside for getting to know each other.

On Saturday 21 May, a meeting is set up between Spanish students of Chinese language, the Navarre Network for Chinese Studies, and the Chinese delegation. They will be able to share the interest of Spanish people in China in today’s context.

Important topics regarding today’s Spanish youth, such as housing, employment, education, entertainment or youth participation are not going not fall apart during the bilateral exchange.

The Youth Council of Navarre will be responsible for this event, which will also be useful to analyse the possibilities for future collaborations between the two countries.

A TOUR OF PAMPLONA

The programme for those days includes a tour of Pamplona’s old town and its tourist spots, as well as a visit to the contemporary art centre in Huarte. However, there are other curiosities in the planning.

The delegation will be witness to an important event for Spanish people all over the country, the regional and local elections on 22 May. They will visit one of the voting points of the city, including the Colegio Plaza de la Cruz, to see how the system works in Spain.

Lara Graña, a Spanish journalist believes that, “young Chinese people are less submissive than their parents and less easy to submit to the regime”.

Guests enjoying delicacies at the opening of the EU China Year of Youth 2011 / Photo credit: Fred Guerdin

Europe is giving the opportunity to European youngsters to cross their countries borders and to get to know their continental neighbours, thanks to many mobility programmes.

However, the EU-China Year of Youth expects to connect our youth with the young people of the Asian country.

“They are China’s future, it will be the leading country in the world in two or three years, it is worth paying attention to them,” says Lara.

“I think they are more relevant than they probably think.”