Charlemagne Youth Prize 2018 goes to Polish project on WW2 camp
The 2018 Charlemagne youth prize was awarded to a Polish project gathering young people to unravel the history of the Stalag VIII A prisoner-of-war camp.
About the prize
The annual prize, awarded by the European Parliament and the International Charlemagne Prize Foundation, goes to young people aged between 16 and 30 who have been involved with projects helping to promote understanding between people from different European countries.
Representatives of the 28 national winning projects were invited to Aachen, Germany, where the award ceremony took place on 8 May. The winning projects received €7,500, €5,000 and €2,500 respectively.
2018 winners
1st place - Worcation (Poland)
Worcation brings together young people from different countries to work on the site of Stalag VIII A, a German WW2 prisoner-of-war camp situated in Görlitz and Zgorzelec, on both sides of the river Neisse. After receiving training, the volunteers work as archaeologists or interview families of former inmates.
2nd place - Juvenilia (Italy)
Juvenilia aims to raise interest in opera, ballet and theatre among the under 35s. It organises cultural exchanges in different European cities and negotiates tickets prices to make attending the performances more affordable. Participants can go backstage and meet the artists, enjoy city tours and meet like-minded people from other countries.
3rd place - Never arrive 2 (Malta)
Young Somali refugee and blogger Farah Abdullahi Abdi wrote two books about the frustrations and hardships of being a refugee in Europe. She wants to show that refugees are not here to create chaos but are ready to embrace Europe and contribute to its development. She has crossed Europe speaking to students about her life, offering them a different picture from the one they might get from anti-immigration sources.
2018 Charlemagne Prize goes to Emmanuel Macron
On Thursday 10 May the Charlemagne Prize 2018 will be awarded to French president Emmanuel Macron for "his passion and commitment to Europe”. Charlemagne Youth Prize winners will have the chance to meet and talk with him.
