EUskal YOUth

EUskal YOUth (basque youth) is a new initiative to promote the Basque culture and the European values. The most precious wealth of the Basque culture is its language, Euskara. It is spoken in the Basque Country which spans the area in the western Pyrenees on the Atlantic coast of Spain and over the border into France. Basque is the most mysterious European language; it doesn't belong to the Indo-European family, its origin is unknown and it is supposed to be 8000 years old. Unfortunately, the use of Euskara was forbidden several times in history. For example, during Franco's fascist dictatorship in Spain, Basque culture was persecuted. As a consequence, the violence has been present in the Basque Country, which now seems to enter in a peace process. Nowadays, there is less than 1 million people that uses Basque in their daily life. Basque is then a minority language of the European Union. The challenge of the Basque youth is to keep Euskara and its culture alive and to consolidate peace in the region. According to a slogan: "The challenge of Basque people is to be contemporary". This means preserving traditions by adapting them to the new values and need of the future. EUskal YOUth wants to collaborate with that goal promoting European values among Basque youth by supporting youth exchanges as an opportunity to show the Basque culture abroad and giving foreign young people the chance to meet our land and society. https://www.facebook.com/euskalyouth