(Brussels) “We are really glad that you are here, 23 days ahead of the European elections”, said Jaume Duch, Director General for Communication and Spokesperson of the European Parliament, as he opened the second day of activities of the European Youth Week in the hemicycle of the EP in Brussels. “This is the first time that this event is hosted by the European Parliament”, Mr Duch added, “this is no coincidence: there is no better place to discuss democracy and the future of the European Union than the hemicycle of this Parliament”. “In just a few months, this very place will be filled with MEPs who will shape the future of the Union during the next five years”, he continued. In a few weeks, European voters will “decide on the way the Union is going to progress or not”, it “will depend on you”, he said, addressing young people. Mr Duch entrusted young people with the task of encouraging people they know to “take on their own responsibility” and vote. The plenary then exchanged views on some “ideas” linked to the “This Time I’m Voting” campaign, like that of Evangelos Kassos who proposed the creation of “voting squads”, inspired by the experience of the US elections in November 2018. The steps are simple: you pick 5 people and start a group chat with them, sharing photos, messages and videos to encourage voting, since “as the leader of the group, you are responsible to make sure that everyone knows and is ready to vote”, Evangelos said. Finally, the young people present were invited to exchange ideas and information on the election campaign in small informal groups.