Please pre-register to be sure of a spot at this session. Can't make it? Then please cancel your reservation by e-mailing us, so we can make someone else happy! Please note that this is an in-person meeting.

About the session

On 2 and 9 September 2021, Ineke Malsch organizes dialogue workshops to engage participants in Venture Café Rotterdam in the dialogue on the Sustainable Future of Europe. 

The innovative workshop method is based on the concept of the forward-looking mirror, inspired by serious games and the Worldwide Views method. After a brief explanation of the sustainable development goals and how citizens in Europe and can contribute to them, the first session on 2 September is dedicated to a role-playing game. In this role-playing game, participants will imagine they live in 2050, when policy scenarios for the Green Deal and SDGs have been put into practice. The role-playing game is a modified version based on the fictional city of Costech in the story Climate Change. In the session on 9 September, the participants discuss desirable and undesirable developments in groups, culminating in a few group recommendations for the European Union. At the end, each participant is invited to submit their own opinion or proposal on the website of the Conference on the Future of Europe futureu.europa.eu. 

Agenda

Session 1: Introduction to the sustainable development goals and how citizens in Europe can contribute to them (15min) and role playing game (30 min)

Session 2: Group dialogue on desired and undesirable visions of the future, and preferences for European policy (30 min) and completing questionnaire (knowledge quiz SDGs and EU policy, suggestions for the EU, satisfaction, 15min)

Background info, European dimension

On 9 May 2021, the European Union launched the Conference on the Future of Europe, in which all European citizens are allowed to give their views on future developments of the European Union and European policies for a year on 9 different themes including climate change and the environment. Everyone can contribute ideas via the website futureu.europa.eu and organize activities that are announced on this site. With the European Green Deal 2050, the European Union aims to contribute to various sustainable development goals. The Participants in Venture Café Rotterdam now have an excellent opportunity to exert influence on European sustainable development. The dialogue workshop can discuss the following two European policy strategies:

• The EU is already working on measures to promote the efficient use of raw materials, including in the field of clean energy – how we use energy in our daily lives, with a view to increasing new digital work. This objective is mainly in line with SDG 7 – Sustainable and affordable energy.
• The EU is encouraging the transition to sustainability by looking for more environmentally friendly production methods and how European industries can benefit from pioneers’ advantage. This objective is in line with SDG 12 – Sustainable consumption and production. 

At the end of the workshop, participants will be aware of relevant European plans in the field of the Green Deal until 2050 

We recommend participating in both sessions, because the first session helps imagining the future consequences of the EU Green Deal. With this in mind, your recommendations in the second session will be more targeted to the policy choices which can influence developments in society.