Involvement of Young Citizens in Transnational Communications flows: Together for Europe,

The paper aims to analyse emerging communication flows of transnational public debate supported and promoted by European institutions. Innovative practices that involve young people are mainly considered. The article presents a qualitative study conducted through the analysis of the together.eu initiative, a pan-European community promoted by the European Parliament after the 2019 elections. The research was supported by semi-structured in-depth interviews with some young Italian volunteers of the community and co-founders of independent organisations that regard Europe. The results show the ability of young people to play a kind of role as ambassadors or micro-influencers. In such experiences, European institutions work like a connecting point to bring young Europeans closer together and sometimes they operate as "activators" of the participation. Nevertheless, young activists easily go beyond the institutional container if they feel confident their own initiatives can reach their generation more effectively. On the one hand, a relevant barrier emerges in managing these networks of communication: the young people involved are those already interested in European issues or public debate.