Yasmine Ouirhrane Receives 2019 Young European of the Year Award
Moroccan-Italian Yasmine Ouirhrane, 23, has been awarded the 2019 Young European of the Year title in recognition for her commitment to equality for women and equal participation opportunities for migrants in Europe.
The €5,000-money prize was handed to Yasmine over the weekend at a European Youth meeting in Brussels.
The prize is awarded by the Schwarzkopf Foundation to young people who made outstanding accomplishments and efforts to enhance understanding between peoples or European integration.
This year, the title has been granted to Yasmine Ouirhrane who lives in France. She is already an award-winning fellow of the “Women Deliver Young Leader” program. She helped organize the European Youth Forum’s Yo!Fest 2018 in Strasbourg and engages in projects with young people in underprivileged neighborhoods of France.
The prize money enables winners either to finance an internship with a member of a European Parliament, or at another international institution. The grant can also be used to fund a project which promotes European integration.
“As the daughter of an Italian mother and a father who immigrated to Italy, I’ve struggled all my life to be integrated and accepted. This award symbolizes a milestone and a big step towards the integration of all young European citizens,” says Yasmine.
The winner of the Young European of the Year title is chosen by a jury consisting of the Schwarzkopf Foundation’s chairman, a representative of the European Commission Representation in Germany, a representative of the European Youth Forum and two former prize-winners.
According to the jury, Yasmine expressed a dream of a European society in which all human beings are equal and treated with dignity. Her courageous engagement against right-wing actors is a great inspiration.
The Schwarzkopf Foundation is the international umbrella organization of the European Youth Parliament. It seeks to empower young people from all backgrounds and encourage them to contribute to a pluralistic, democratic society, leading to mutual understanding, solidarity and peaceful collaboration across Europe.
