A jury consisting of Czech MEPs and a representative of a youth organization chose the "Speechless Reconciliation" project as the winner of the national round of the Charlemagne Prize for Young Europeans for 2023. Speechless Reconciliation helps young people who are transitioning from a children's home to an independent life. The award is given annually to projects that promote the common idea of Europeanness and mutual understanding based on democratic values such as respect for human dignity, freedom, equality and respect for human rights.
 
The Speechless Reconciliation program was established in February 2021 with the aim of helping young people aged 16 to 21 from children's homes and homes for children without proper parental care in the transition from their home to independent life by organizing development camps and subsequently offering opportunities for personal and professional development through online platform. "The project aims to give these young people a chance for a better future and prevent them from falling into the circle of poverty or, for example, social exclusion," describes project founder Matěj Keka. "What characterizes the Speechless Reconciliation program is that it tries to provide hope," he adds.
 
One representative of each winning national project will be invited to the award ceremony of the Charlemagne Prize for Young Europeans, which will take place on 12 May 2023 in Aachen. As part of the ceremony, three European winners will be announced, selected from national winning projects by a European jury consisting of members of the European Parliament and representatives of the Foundation for the International Charlemagne Prize in Aachen. The three winning projects will receive a cash prize of €7,500, €5,000 and €2,500. In addition to the financial award, the European winners will be invited to visit the European Parliament in Brussels or Strasbourg.
 
Context
 
The Charlemagne Prize for Young Europeans is awarded annually by the European Parliament together with the Foundation for the International Charlemagne Prize in Aachen to young people between the ages of 16 and 30. The winning projects promote understanding in Europe, develop the idea of European identity and integration, encourage young people to get involved in European democracy or present real examples of Europeans living together in one community. Among the award-winning projects from previous years were, for example, youth exchange programs or art and internet projects with a European dimension.
 
On this link you can find winning projects from the preivous years.
 
Additional links:

• Website with the list of the winners of the national rounds of the Charlemagne Youth Prize 2023

 

• International Charlemagne Prize Foundation in Aachen

 

The Rotary Club of Santa Monica has shown its support for the development of young people by donating 1000 USD to the Speechless Reconciliation program. This program focuses on the growth and well-being of young people aged 16 to 21 who have experienced a lack of proper care from their parents.
The donation from the Rotary Club of Santa Monica will help to provide these young people with the resources and support they need to succeed and reach their full potential. Through the Speechless Reconciliation program, they will have the opportunity to participate in activities and experiences that will help them to develop their communication skills, teamwork abilities, and leadership qualities.
The generosity of the Rotary Club of Santa Monica is deeply appreciated by the Speechless Reconciliation program and the young people it serves. This donation will help to make a real difference in the lives of young people who may otherwise struggle to find support and resources.
The Speechless Reconciliation program is committed to providing a safe and supportive environment for these young people to learn and grow. With the help of donations like this one from the Rotary Club of Santa Monica, the program can continue to make a positive impact on the lives of young people in need.
On behalf of the Speechless Reconciliation program and the young people it serves, we would like to express our heartfelt thanks to the Rotary Club of Santa Monica for their generosity and support. Your donation will go a long way in helping these young people reach their full potential and build a brighter future for themselves.

Peace Jam is the only global youth organization led by 14 Nobel Peace Laureates dedicated to growing and supporting a generation of future Nobel Peace Laureates who believe peace is possible - and know how to get it done.
​The motivation we share and the idea and power we want to install into the young individuals who are undergoing our SR camps as well as the additional arrangements and projects. The Peace Jam aims to give every young person the chance to discover their purpose, unleash their potential, and build strong character and leadership skills - because in Peace Jam they believe that each is a Nobel Peace Laureate in training – so as we do in Speechless Reconciliation! Their motto Mentoring Youth to Change the World is the dogma we operate by!
​That is why we are delighted to know and share that PeaceJam Foundation Czech Republic will design and deliver workshops in some of the areas we view as essential for our participants and their age, such as; Self-Development, Leadership and Compassion, Professional Action Planning, and Service Project Implementation. Moreover, not only will they be obtained during our developmental camps but also at Czech children's homes on an ongoing basis.
Furthermore, The Peace Jam will invite our alumni to connect with the Czech PeaceJam Youth team as well as the European Youth Team, and in this way ensure an opportunity for youngsters to carry on with the ideas and aspirations they might develop during our camp and its workshops as well as to continue to develop skills and networks in the field once a camp week is over. Finally, last but certainly not least, The Peace Jam will provide extensive training to our enthusiastic volunteers at the developmental camps so that they could conduct and carry out designed workshops at their finest.
This collaboration is of big significance for both of our organizations and everyone involved in our mission to make the world a better place by bringing up and supporting young and prosperous individuals such as our proteges to do the same and more!     

This year, young Aleksandar from our partner organization SOS North Macedonia managed to get an offer from our partner Wenable Solutions based in Barcelona. Andrea Obach from Wenable Solutions offered Aleksandar opportunity to get training in editing video material as well as training in photography and photo processing. This is a huge opportunity for Alexander, who works hard every day. The next step for him is a possible offer of an employment from one of our partners.

This is what the Speechless Reconciliation Project, its supporters and partners stand for and we are so happy for Aleksandar to have such a opportunity. In the future, there will be many activities aimed at supporting the development of young people from the region and beyond that will be facilitated through the online platform. This project has a tendency to expand to other countries and enable support for young people in a broader sense.