The first good news came about İzmir's application for 2025 European Youth Capital. The European Youth Forum announced that İzmir made it to the final. The projects implemented in line with the youth vision of the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality were influential in the election.
Mayor of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Tunç Soyer“We are working hard to support young people in every way. The second century of İzmir will be for the youth,” he said.
Mayor of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Tunç Soyer's youth vision and work led to the first good news in the 2025 European Youth Capital application. The European Youth Forum announced that İzmir and Fuenlabrada from Spain, Lviv from Ukraine and Tromso from Norway have been shortlisted for the 2025 European Youth Capital. The award-winning city will be announced at the awards ceremony in Tirana, Albania's 2022 European Youth Capital, in November.
“Young people are the treasure of this city”
President Tunç Soyer Stating that they have carried out important works that involve young people in decision-making mechanisms and support them in every field in the past three years, “We have prepared a Youth Action Plan with our relevant departments and youth organizations in the city. We established the Directorate of Youth Studies and Social Projects affiliated to the Department of Social Projects within the Metropolitan Municipality. We have an active City Council Youth Assembly. In addition, we are establishing a Youth Municipality. “Young people are the treasure of this city,” he said.
Emphasizing that, during the application process, the youth directorate of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, the Youth Organizations Forum (Go-For Association), a member of the European Youth Forum, and the youth associations in Izmir affiliated with the same organization, Mayor Soyer said: We continue to work with all our strength to include young people in their processes, to provide youth employment and to increase their access to art. We brought together all our relevant units and staff with the 'young' agenda. If Izmir is awarded the title of European Youth Capital, many young people from Europe will come here. For this, we are preparing a very strong youth program. Youth will be the second century of Izmir," he said.
Face to face presentation in Brussels
Within the scope of the European Youth Capital competition, which consists of 3 rounds, applications will also be made in June and August. In the final stage, after the face-to-face presentations in Brussels with the improved final applications, the jury will determine the winning city.
Activities will be organized with young people at the center
The title of European Youth Capital encourages European cities to work with young people in all aspects of the city, from urban transport and infrastructure to cultural education programmes. With İzmir winning the title of 2025 European Youth Capital, many activities and events will be held in the next three years in which young people are at the center.
The works of the Metropolitan Municipality were included in the application file.
Izmir Metropolitan Municipality applied to the European Youth Forum on February 21 for the title of European Youth Capital. In the prepared application file, youth policies and studies in İzmir, practices related to youth participation and employment, action plan and future plans for young people, housing and activity infrastructure of the city, and the budget allocated and planned for young people were included.
Cities that won the title of European Youth Capitals: 2024 Ghent (Belgium), 2023 Lublin (Poland), 2022 Tirana (Albania), 2021 Klapeda (Lithuania), 2020 Amiens (France).
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