Federation of Young European Greens

Young Greens Gather to Tackle Concept of Digital Rights: Can the Internet be Both Free and Fair?

80 young people from all around Europe will gather in Switzerland next week to talk about digital rights at the annual wintercamp of FYEG (Federation of Young European Greens). The weeklong event is supported from Youth in Action and by the Council of Europe (European Youth Foundation).

During the event, the young participants will tackle a topic that has never been more pertinent and controversial than it is today. The question of if and how to regulate internet freedoms is an issue which can no longer be ignored, by politicians and citizens alike. It is an inherently international question, and therefore international institutions have a key role to play, as do civil society actors and other groups who need to speak up for the rights of internet users against the powers of corporate lobbyists, who have in recent months been pushing for regulation that threatens current internet freedoms and would radically change the way everyone is able to use the internet.

In this context, participants will attempt to identify the principles according to which we can attain an open, neutral and free internet. One of the main objectives is to empower the participants to be responsible, informed, and proactive net users. To this end, we will discuss the tricky issues of intellectual property rights, file sharing and privacy, piracy, and censorship, to name but a few. We will explore the potential ways in which the internet can be a means towards fulfilling human rights and reinforcing democracy.

This forum should enable participants to share ideas and methods of using the internet as a tool for youth work and as a platform for activism (for example through the outlets of social media and blogging.), as well to develop strategies to respond to abuses of internet freedoms, such as online hate speech, conflict and xenophobia. Through this, it is hoped we can inspire and enable the young people to conceptualise and subsequently contribute to building an open, innovative and multicultural model of digital rights, which accounts for both creators’ and users’ rights, without excessive restriction or regulation.

Details

What: FYEG Wintercamp on digital rights; “Living together on the net: Diversity and Intercultural Dialogue in On-Line Youth Debate and Youth Work”
Who: Over 80 young Green activists from all across Europe.
When: From the 19th to the 26th of February, 2012.
Where: Le Bemont, Switzerland.

For more detailed information about the camp, please contact the event organisers:
Mária Dokupilová: mdokupilova@gmail.com
Clarence Chollet: clarence.chollet@gmail.com

For all press-related inquiries, please contact FYEG Press Officer:
Beatrice White: bea.white@gmail.com