Aya is 19 years old and studies International Relations and Global Communication. She was one of the participants of the second edition of the program Opportunity for Talent program when she was a high school student and very recently, she received the news of having been selected to represent Spain in the European Youth Week held in Brussels from April 12 to 19.

Aya has had the opportunity, not only to get to know the different European institutions, but also to participate in several sessions in which the future of democracy, the importance of youth voting, the fight against disinformation, inclusion and education have been discussed.

But where the young woman played a special role was in the session on Recovery and Resilience, where she spoke to explain the importance of the NextGenerationEU Funds for young people and, in particular, the impact they have had on Tomillo. “Thanks to these funds, Tomillo Foundation has been able to equip itself with computer equipment that has helped many young people to acquire digital skills and find employment,” he said in his speech.

For Aya, “this experience has been very enriching, both personally and professionally. It has made me grow, to realize the importance of these meetings, to be able to exchange opinions with young people from other countries, to be listened to in the institutions…”.

Aya’s speech at the European Parliament

Oportunidad al Talento is an educational innovation project aimed at young people with great potential, motivation and talent, who come from vulnerable backgrounds that could limit their opportunities for personal, academic, professional and social development.

Over 3 years, this program promotes comprehensive skills development, vocational discovery and leadership training, laying the foundations for these young people to become agents of social change in their contexts and to deploy their educational potential to the fullest.