The European Parliament and the International Charlemagne Prize Foundation in Aachen award the European Charlemagne Youth Prize, which promotes projects by young people that uphold the values of the European Union. This year, the first place and €7,500 were won by the AY Institute project “Sisterhood Pathways.”
Goal of the “Sisterhood Pathways” project
“Sisterhood Pathways” is a project aimed at combating violence against women in the Baltic Sea region. Through mural painting, seminars, and social media campaigns, we aim to unite the community and provide information on how to combat this crime and assist its victims. The first mural, “Stronger Than Fear,” depicting the fight against violence against women, has already been unveiled in Utena. In the future, murals will be painted in cities in Latvia and Poland.
Project leader shares joy
The project manager, Akvile Latožaite from the AY Institute, shared her joy at the victory. She emphasized that this recognition will benefit both in raising awareness of the important issue and motivating those who initiated and carried out the project. Akvile says: “Statistics show that about 30 percent of women in Europe face violence. So the numbers are alarming. The fact that we received recognition in seeking ways to address this problem is the best response our initiative could hope for. Such a victory truly helps to raise awareness of such and similar initiatives and attract more people.”
Aachen also recognized other outstanding projects
In addition to the first-place winner, other interesting projects were also recognized. The second place and €5,000 were won by the French youth empowerment platform “Think, Act, and Come Together So You Don’t Forget Youth.” The third place and €2,500 were awarded to the German online journal about Europe, presenting information about Europe using informational graphics, maps, and simple numbers.
