EVENT

Event: “Future-Proof Liberal Youth”

By this name, which indicates continuity for the future, FLY gives a dynamic presence in the effort to re-found a new group of people with the aim of establishing a liberal youth organization in Greece. The new group, consisting of some members of the former YLG organization, and some new faces that were carefully selected, started last week their "journey" as the continuity of one of the first liberal youth in Greece. All FLY members share the same passion for establishing a new political youth organization with a strong vision to change Greek political ethics.

After several months of preparation, planning, and thinking, on the 29th and 30th of October 2022 the launching event of Future-Proof Liberal Youth or FLY took place in Thessaloniki. Young people from all over Greece participated in a hybrid conference organized with the support of the “Friedrich Naumann foundation for Freedom'' that gave a dynamic presence, enabling once again young liberal people to envision, reflect and lay the foundations for healthy political dialogue.

The event began with Thodoris Sofianos who introduced the newly formed organization to the audience. This was followed by Alona Tatarova and Eleni Siapikoudi from FNF who presented the work and activities of the Foundation. Alexandros Skouras (President of Kefim) in his turn joined the conversation, as well as Despina Limniotaki (President of Fisy) and Panos Pournaras (President of Lep.gr).

Following the introduction speeches of the above-mentioned, Thodoris Sofianos presented the new structure of FLY. What are the goals and vision of the organization, to whom is it addressed to, what are the agenda topics, and finally what are the core values. In the light of the following values,

• Acting sustainably
• Politics with integrity
• Doer mentality
• Promoting diversity

participants, divided into four mixed groups and with the help of four facilitators from the FLY team, were able to examine each value individually and set a better framework for its implementation within the group.

Then, Mr. Skouras took the floor, starting a historical retrospective on the course of the ideology of Liberalism in Greece. During the discussion, all the attendees, with their interest undiminished, shared their views and concerns, thus promoting constructive dialogue. Afterwards, Mr. Skouras presented two very interesting policy tools. The first aims at helping the organization to make better decisions about the policies to be followed (Overton window) and second is a very useful tool to organize the argumentation in the context of a debate (Leesburg Grid).

The first day ended with the election of the new board of directors who will from now on be responsible for carrying out the vision of the organization. The new board of directors is composed of: (in alphabetical order)

• Bampalikis Petros
• Galianidou Mary
• Kelesis Ioannis
• Patlaka Eleni
• Sollakou Ornela
• Sofianos Thodoris

The aim of the second day was for the participants to discuss the action plan of the organization and through the brainstorming process to come up with new ideas that will probably reshape the FLY agenda. The contribution of the attendees (FNF,KEFIM) was significant as they facilitated all participants to set a framework and a plan for the execution of the main objectives.

Under the motto Enable Engage & Empower, the Future-Proof Liberal Youth starts its journey towards a Liberalism that stands for the values of equality, freedom, and non-discrimination, where the latter are often questioned. FLY is expected to give its own answer to what politics mean and motivate young people to participate in the decision-making process, especially when it comes to decisions that affect them.