Interviews
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Giacomo Filibeck
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The interview
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29/07/2004
Giacomo Filibeck
Represents the interests of the European youth working together with the EU and the UN. The European Youth Forum is a regional youth plataform participating in the World Youth Festival Barcelona 2004. The Festival is a unique meeting place specially designed and run by youth organizations from around the world.
Can you tell me what the World Youth Festival (WYF) is about?
The World Youth Festival is a place for young people to get involved politically in issues such as globalization, cultural diversity, sustainability and the conditions for peace—these are the primary topics to be addressed at the WYF. The Festival was created to be an opportunity for participation, democracy, and exchange between different cultures and perspectives, with the goal of finding a common ground.
Who will be participating in the WYF?
We are hoping for 10,000 young people to come from all over the world, but in fact most will come directly from the world of youth organizations, of all political and religious representations and diverse social backgrounds, with a variety of goals and ambitions, from youths working on environmental protection, to those who believe in activism through participation with political parties, youths from the student realm, youths from the world of volunteer organizations. Youth participation is also intrinsically linked with festive gatherings and young people enjoying one another’s company, but to just throw a big party serves no purpose; festivals are organized because through dialogue—even political dialogue—it is possible to create friendship and develop understanding between different cultures, and this is done by holding a seminar or a conference…
What do young people think about these days?
The youth of today are very future-oriented. Obviously the thing that we’re most concerned about on a personal level is our education, our professional careers, having the right skills to get the jobs we want so that we can be citizens of the world on a different level.
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Young people from Europe have this set of concerns for being born into a developed society; young people from Africa must first worry about satisfying their basic needs, but in terms of development they are also concerned with their education and with learning about the world around them so that they can contribute by working toward the development of their own society. It’s the same for young people in Asia or South America. The challenge is creating the conditions so that all young people can have the opportunity for a decent life, and be afforded with all of the human rights that others have.
You have also attended the Festival in past years. What distinguishes this year’s WYF at Forum Barcelona 2004 from the others you’ve been to?
I had the opportunity to participate in the Caparnica Festival in Lisbon in 1998, an experience that made a great impact on me both personally and politically. It was six years ago that I was a participant there. It was there that I realized the importance of dialogue and international cooperation. Another world is possible, but only if people get together and talk about their different perspectives with open minds. The real difference is that we are continuing in the same direction that we were headed in Lisbon, but on a larger scale, with more focus on participation; its scope is constantly expanding and thus its potential is proportionately greater.
World Youth Festival Barcelona 2004
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The test |
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A place to live / visit
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The world
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The best invention of all time
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The telephone
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What did you want to be when you were little?
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Journalist
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What do you wear to bed?
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Nothing
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Something that bugs you the most
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Intolerance
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You have admiration for...
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Youth who work for a better world
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About the FMJ