Two Local Workshops on Climate Advocacy and Leadership in Brussels
Opening Doors: Youth Voices Meet Policymakers in Brussels
As part of the ECHOES project, Coordination CRH – with the participation of CERA Europe – organised a series of visits to three Brussels institutions, giving young people the rare opportunity to step inside the halls of power and bring their climate concerns directly to elected representatives.
A visit to the Belgian Senate and Chamber of Representatives
The first visit took young participants to the federal parliament, where Senator and MP Hajib El Hajjaji (Ecolo) welcomed the group for an open exchange.
Beyond the impressive architecture of the building, the meeting offered something more valuable: a genuine conversation. Demands stemming from ECHOES’ needs analysis questionnaire with dozens of young people and youth workers across Europe on climate policy were shared – from dedicated funding for youth-led initiatives, to recognition of eco-anxiety as a public health issue, to better training programmes for young advocates. El Hajjaji listened closely and responded constructively, and later reflected that the paths to engagement are many: “for every young person, a door exists to make their voice heard – whether at local, regional, national, European or international level.”
Behind the scenes at the Parliament of the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles
The second visit brought the group to the Parliament of the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, at the invitation of MP Stéphanie Lange (Les Engagés). As much as the meeting was an opportunity to transmit the young people’s climate demands, it was also a window into how politics actually works day to day. Lange shared what her role looks like in practice, and, perhaps most usefully, explained in concrete terms how to make demands reach decision-makers effectively. She also addressed a question that often goes unasked: how a majority MP can express disagreement with the government and push for change from the inside.
Exploring participatory democracy at the Brussels Parliament
The third and final visit led the group to the Brussels Parliament, hosted by MP Jonathan de Patoul (DéFi). Alongside the youth climate advocacy, de Patoul offered an overview of the Parliament’s history and how it functions. He also highlighted the participatory mechanisms available to citizens and young people specifically – concrete tools that allow anyone to contribute to the legislative process and influence policy proposals.