Co-organiser of the European Interns’ Day
Project 668 is one of the official organisers of the first European Interns’ Day which will take place on Friday, 18th July in Brussels, Belgium. This massive event will bring together participants from all over Europe to stand up and call for quality internships and job opportunities for young unemployed people.
Members of Project 668 will be volunteering to organise an assembly in Place du Luxembourg to protest against the precarious conditions of interns in Europe and demand access to early job experience with fair salaries, social protection schemes and the acquisition of skills that help bridging the gap between education and work.
The protest will be followed by a panel debate at the European Parliament where youth NGO leaders and representatives from EU Institutions, the private sector and trade unions will discuss what can be done to improve this situation. Project 668 is also working on preparing this debate, together with more than 20 non-profit associations such as InternsGoPro, a long-term partner, and B!ngo, its most recent ally in the fight against youth unemployment.
This event follows last year‘s “Sandwich Protest” which was supported by 40 Members of the European Parliament and had wide international press coverage. The protest in 2013 gathered more than 300 participants in front of the European Parliament in Brussels to rally against all too common employment conditions for interns who are working up to 50 hours, but who often do not receive enough financial compensation to cover their living costs. The event was also meant to raise awareness around a situation that creates a regime of social exclusion of less affluent but equally talented people – an issue which is as pressing in 2014 as it was in 2013.