European Youth and Prejudice – the elephant in the room

One thing we have learnt from the 2008 Summer Media School (SMS) in Lisbon? That there is still a lot to do to when it comes to uniting young European journalists behind a common vision of how the press can be a force for unity in Europe.

The point of this event in Lisbon was to bring together those interested in journalism from all across Europe to learn from each other in an atmosphere of mutual intercultural understanding. Yet this aim made one large assumption – that we have intercultural understanding in the first place. So far the program has been marred by a remarkable lack of racial and cultural sensitivity. The European Youth Press (EYP) now, more than ever, has its work cut out for it.

Five days into the SMS and we are finally talking to one another with honesty – cracks begin to show in the edifice that is “generation Europe”. So far SMS in Lisbon has been a whirr of media workshops, street interviews and brainstorming sessions. Getting to know all the participants, from 7 different European nations has been an incredible experience. Yet in the midst of all this excitement and chaos, we have forgotten to ask some important questions: What are we all doing here? What does the European Youth Press stand for? Why are we involved?

This is not a question that can be answered now. We must simply recognise the gulf between who we profess to be and who we really are as the new “generation Europe”. Once our prejudices are out in the open then we can discuss them. In some cases this may simply be a miscommunication – a product of the language barrier or differences in humour – yet it may also be evidence of much deeper differences. If we simply continue to believe that we have no prejudices then we will forever remain divided, as though by some invisible force – an elephant in the room that is not confronted.

The European Youth Press is a space where young journalists who believe in forging a more informed, tolerant and educated Europe through the press can come together to share experiences and ideas. In the mainstream media where some of us work we are under pressure to produce articles that will sell, with sensationalist headlines and with conclusions often based upon dubious evidence. But EYP is not about profit. It is about young people having a voice on important issues, not sometime in the distant future, but here and now in the present.

Text: Tanyella Allison