In a far away place in the middle of huge trees and the greenest grass one can find on this planet they collected fresh ideas, met new friends and spent their holidays to shape the future of Europe. 

The camp was organized by Planning Aid for Scotland and Innovation Circle Network with the aim to bring together young spirits from Norway, Germany, Scotland, Russia and Poland, Latvia who are interested in politics and planning. Guided by experts they brainstormed about issues like gypsy travellers, immigrations problems, demographic change and others things the next generation will have to deal with.

Benmore.JPG

How should a city that we all want to live in look like in 20 years? How can young people get involved in politics and play an active role in councils and parliaments? Nine participants from Spydeberg in Norway, all involved in the local youth council, shared their thoughts with Viola from St. Petersburg in Russia, Henrike from Niemegk in Germany, Nathaniel from a Scottish island and more bright minds from Suwalki in Poland and Jelgava in Latvia. A diverse group with different ideas and different backgrounds that became one big family in such a short period of time. Watch the video enclosed to learn more about their experiences at this years internaional youth camp.

„After five amazing Days at Benmore Outdoor Center, Scotland, I went home with great experiences and a lot of new friends”, said Henrike Naubert from Germany. “In addition to new knowledge, which I gained from various workshops, I`ll also keep the fun and community in my mind. Many thanks to Planning Aid for Scotland and Innovation Circle Network, who made the youth camp ‘European Cities of Tomorrow’ possible for us and showed with the help of experts on their fields how to influence our future.”

Different experts discussed with the participants about how cities in Europe could look in some 20 years. Craig McLaren, National Director at RTPI Scotland, for example talked in his presentation about “Living in the Metropolis of tomorrow”. He discussed how to make cities fit for people. The camp also included a trip to Glasgow.