precarity
'Real democracy NOW!': #spanishrevolution becomes #europeanrevolution
Spain’s so-called 15-M has become 29-M, referring to the dates of the sit-in protests of a Spain in May which saw local elections swinging to the favour of the opposition conservatives. The rage is sweeping Italy, Belgium and France
precarity, democratisation, european union, brussels, internet, youth, madrid
Nantes students eat on one euro
When doing their weekly food shop in the local supermarket, financial difficulties mean students don’t even consider buying dairy products, fruit and vegetables, meat, dried products or tinned goods, all part of a balanced diet. However these goods are sold for a token one euro (88p) at the French student solidarity association market in the western French city for the past decade
precarity, money, nantes, lifestyle, solidarity, eat, students
Six years after riots, French discuss French 'banlieue'
In France you will get a different response to this question about its high-rise estates in the suburbs depending on whether you listen to the 'cliché factory' that is the media or the personal experiences of its inhabitants. Above all, it is the magnifying glass of France’s collective identity problem, and all of Europe is involved
precarity, paris, discrimination, europe, suburbs, integration, ethnic minorities
Book review Germany: 'degree Facebook internship' generation
Generation X became generation Y and the ‘internship generation’ is a recurring topic. However, whichever letters or titles are selected for it, no one can really get a hold on us. Can we really all be lumped together, technically-speaking, in terms of a generation? German writers Manuel J. Hartung and Cosima Schmitt asked themselves this question in a 2010 book analysing the difficult future of a generation with no name
precarity, university, books, germany, youth, students, eurogeneration
French activist Julien Bayou on Europe's youth: 'Obvious to see why you’d be disenchanted'
Today’s precarious youth can just about pay their rent and have to make do with internships or makeshift ‘contracts’. This activist and politician has worked on speaking about the elephant in the room. Meet the unwitting 30-year-old ‘official face’ of a generation in difficulty, who we meet at a renowned squat in Paris
precarity, squat, paris, nicolas sarkozy, julien bayou, eurogeneration, politics
Why are students protesting in Bologna
With cries of 'block everything!', Italian students have been demonstrating for days against the university reforms currently being discussed in parliament. This report is from Bologna, where heated protests have even made headlines in the New York Times
precarity, italy, university, protest, research and innovation, best of cafebabel.com, students
No job? There’s always God, says Pope to youth
It’s not a good time to be the pope. From 16-19 September the pontiff will be visiting Britain, on his first trip to the country since John Paul II’s six-day tour in 1982. And the British don’t want it
precarity, labour, labour market, europe, youth, vatican, united kingdom
A whopping 79 million Europeans are 'poor'
cafebabel discusses three main points for the '2010 European year for combating poverty and social exclusion'; and they all fit in with popular stereotypes. Those living in the east are poorer than those in the west, thanks to higher poverty thresholds. Women suffer more social exclusion than men, though groups like the divorced and separated fathers in Italy are fighting back. The most modern calamity in 2010 though comes in the form of an armada of graduates. The young unemployed are flooding the internship markets, keeping a more than beady eye on the average European minimum wage. The clock is striking, and dignity is no longer the chime; it remains a vain word for too many Europeans. Try that for a new stereotype
- Read the special edition A whopping 79 million Europeans are 'poor'
- Europe’s graduates: lecture halls to poverty lines
- 'Conciliabules': French women fight for European poverty via theatre
- Europe makes 2010 its year for fighting poverty and social exclusion
- Introducing Italian poet Vanni Santoni's 'precarious characters'
- Minimum European income to fight poverty?
- In Italy, divorced men are down and out
Overqualified graduates desperately seek internships
They would be willing to pay to work: from the private sector to the European institutions, interns are the only category of 'workers' that we rarely hear complain. This is the story of the debate organised by cafebabel.com Brussels in the Belgian capital
precarity, bruxelles, jeudi noir, blogs, blog review, job, eurogeneration
In Greece, remembering Alexis Grigoropoulos, 15, with riots
Since 6 December, millions of Greeks have been gathering in the country's streets in memory of the teenager who was killed by a policeman during the student revolts. Collisions between anarchists and 6, 000 police have resumed with renewed vigour. 'When will we listen to what the youngsters have to say?'
precarity, university, protest, greece, youth, anarchy, athens
Film review Germany: interns feature in 'Résiste - Aufstand der Praktikanten'
'A Quantum Revolution' has been screening in German cinemas since 12 November
precarity, work, cinema, germany, labour market, film, culture
Europe’s under-25 joblessness woes
5 million under-25 job-hunters hit the European dole lists at the beginning of 2009. That’s one million more than the year before! A whopping 39% of 16- to 24-year-olds in Spain are unemployed – and they’re not alone. A generation of graduates speak out
- Read the special edition Europe’s under-25 joblessness woes
- Young graduates job-hunt in Italy, Portugal and Greece
- Young Spaniards escape crisis by moving around in Europe
- Europe's five million unemployed youth
- Young Europeans would like to be Scandinavian
- Europe's youth stack up the degrees to shun the dole
- 2009's graduate flavour comes in crisis: part one, England and Ireland
Crisis in European journalism
Between the precarious nature of the work and fear for the vocation, journalism hardly dares to testify anymore against its patrons, the big communications companies. The public’s right to information is decreasing alarmingly as a result of the current economic crisis
precarity, job, censorship, labour market, civil society, censorship, journalism
Brussels crisis: be creative, become an entrepeneur
The crisis is confronting young entrepreneurs in Brussels. Whilst some have excellent qualifications, those who don’t have a battle on their hands
precarity, belgium, european elections 2009, brussels, youth, eudebate2009, money
Gay Paris after the EU presidency
After a loud six month at the head of the EU, there's another bump on the political horizon with the European elections in June 2009. What challenges now face the French socialist party? How do the lives of illegal immigrants look in the capital? Plus the Parisian rush and dating at speed. After Tallinn, the second stop in cafebabel.com's monthly journalistic mission, 'EUdebate on the Ground', is explored by four journalists and a photographer from our network
