Addressing linguistic discrimination in youth international mobility and participation

Language barriers perpetuate inequalities among young people, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, minority groups, and peripheral and rural areas. They prevent them from participating in international learning mobility opportunities and a wider range of European programmes, and, in the process, hinder a rights-based approach to youth participation. They also result in fewer opportunities for young people to participate in public life, in the exchange of knowledge, collaboration, and advocacy at the regional, national, and transnational levels. Overall, language barriers become tall barriers that have partly denied access even to human rights themselves.

This motion seeks to reduce language barriers by combating language discrimination and promote equal opportunities for everyone regardless of the languages they speak, fostering cross-cultural understanding and empowering youth towards active participation in society. This motion, furthermore, aims to emphasise that European integration is built on the principles of equal rights and dignity among all European cultures and, therefore, that European integration cannot be built upon the dominance of a few select national languages or cultures.

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