During three days, 23 young people, from Sălcuța village, Causeni district, Ialpujeni commune, Cimislia district, and Braniște village, Riscani district, actively participated in an Electoral School outside of Chisinau, targeting first-time voters.
“For the Council of Europe, the promotion of the interests of young citizens from all 46 member states represents a priority. We have a special tool targeting the participation of young people in electoral processes – Vote Outside the Box. I was happy to see that at the electoral school, young people discussed the importance of their participation in the elections and learned how to identify the most innovative methods to promote the youth agenda in the elections” highlighted Giulia Re, Deputy Head of Council of Europe Office in Chisinau.
Guided by the Council of Europe experts, the participants learnt and exchanged experiences on the use of social media platforms to gather information about candidates, on the impact of fake news and ways to get proper information, as well as on hate speech and discrimination in electoral campaigns. They also received training on different Council of Europe’s tools concerning youth engagement in elections, proper use of administrative resources in electoral campaigns, power of data and surveys, accessibility to electoral processes, as well as voting and vote counting procedures.
"It was very interesting. Even if at first it was difficult for me, the trainers explained everything per my understanding. They did it in a clear and entertaining way, making sure that there was no barrier between the participants. Thanks to this electoral school I feel much better informed about the electoral processes and the importance for us to vote ", said Madalina Turcanu, a young girl from Salcută village, district Causeni.
The Electoral School for Young People was organised by the Council of Europe Project Improving Electoral Practice in the Republic of Moldova, Phase II, in co-operation with the Centre for Continuous Electoral Training and the National Youth Council of Moldova.
