Annual Youth Meeting: kick-off the project EMPATHY

The Youth Group will meet for the second time on 31 August – 2 September in Valletta, Malta. This year’s Youth Meeting will serve as the “kick-off” meeting of the first youth project: “EMPATHY: Europe Meets Young Patients”. As announced in the June issue of our newsletter, the project application under the Youth in Action programme has been successful and now it is time for the project to get off the ground.The purpose of this project is to organise a four-day seminar in the spring of 2013. It will be an opportunity for young patients with chronic diseases to establish an active dialogue with EU-level policy-makers, and stakeholder groups in the fields of health, education, social and youth policies in order to promote a more holistic approach to addressing young patients’ needs in EU decision-making processes.

As a result of this project, policy-makers and stakeholders will be able to improve their understanding of young patients’ opinions and perspectives, while young patients will be able to understand the dynamics of decision-making processes that have consequences on their lives, and learn how they can influence such processes.

This year’s Youth Meeting will kill two birds with one stone and also serve as the springboard for the annual meeting of the EPF Youth Group. The objective is to involve the EPF Youth Group in the work of EPF in 2012–2013, through the planning and implementation of the EMPATHY project and through the EPF strategic planning process.

For further information about EMPATHY, please contact Walter Atzori, EPF Senior Programme Officer, at walter.atzori@eu-patient.eu.