We are entering year two of the pandemic, not knowing what we can and cannot do in 2021. Nevertheless, we don’t let that stop us from planning. A number of interesting projects are underway this year, of course always considering the possibilities that the pandemic allows us. For the time being, the European Youth Forum 2021 is planned for the spring, where we can go with a large delegation of young people thanks to the support of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment. Communication with the organisation is perfect and we are looking forward to having, for the first time, a delegation of young people from an EAPN background, poverty and/or social exclusion experience, to participate in this wonderful initiative of the European Parliament. Will that work? More on that later.
With the Onze DROOM foundation, we are now planning to finally be able to carry out the quiz we made around the European Pillar of Social Rights. We are invited to participate in a 4 country initiative set up by the Landesarmutskonferenz Baden Württemberg (LAK BW) in Germany, the Maison des citoyens/nes Mulhouse in the Bas Rhine region of France and two local organizations from Basel and Zurich in Switzerland. The cooperation is based on cooperation across the Rhine borders. For August we plan our Policy Days, as we do every year. And a workshop on Housing together with the NoordAs Amsterdam.
One of the most important activities that we as EAPN network carry out every year is the European Meeting of People Experiencing Poverty, the PeP (People experiencing Poverty) conference, which EAPN organises together with the European Commission. In 2020 we had to accept that the pandemic made this important conference impossible. We want it to take place in 2021, if there is no other option in a kind of hybrid situation. We will see.
The next question is whether we can travel and meet again this year or whether we have another year of video meetings ahead of us for international work.