What about the former fellows?

The starting point of the Fellowship Programme was in September 2000 at the Annual Meeting of the EMC in Bonn. After a presentation of the work of the European Parliament of Young Musicians (EPYM), the interest of the EMC Board and the participants encouraged the members of the EPYM to continue their work, as it became apparent that a better participation of young people in European music organisations was necessary. Therefore, the first Working Group Youth (WGY) was founded in Bonn in October 2000 by three members of the former EPYM.

Then the WGY grew in size and scope and built up strong links with other international youth groups. Some of its biggest achievements included carrying out two Youth in Action-funded cooperation projects: Access! And Make Music! Be Heard! (that included work placement schemes all across Europe and a European Youth Forum on Music held in Turin), hosting various sessions and formats at EMC events and activities, drafting and disseminating the Manifesto for Youth and Music in Europe, including a presentation of the document at a meeting of the Committee on Culture and Education of the European Parliament and much more.

Whilst the EMC has always been a strong advocate of the voice of young people, the EMC team, Board and members of the last WGY (2013 - 2015) questioned whether the format in which the committee operated was still the best solution for guaranteeing the voice of youth in the EMC’s activities. Experience has shown that the study commitments and working schedules of young people at the start of their careers does not always allow them the flexibility for travels and the fulfilment of the commitments to such a committee. The idea therefore emerged to make the strategy for youth involvement more open, allowing more young professionals to get involved in the EMC and at the same time take the pressure of the responsibilities of the committee from a small group of people. These discussions led to the creation of the Fellowship Programme which was adopted at the Annual Meeting of Members 2016 in Wroclaw.

Learn more about the various activities and projects carried out by former EMC Working Groups Youth.