Andrew Byrne had planned to move to Belgium to pursue a masters degree. Suddenly, though, it became clear to him that he had something more important to do first -- he needed to stay and protect his country from the catastrophe of isolation.
"This decision is too important to leave it to the politicians." says Byrne, 24. So he took a year off and in December founded Generation Yes. It's an initiative comprised of young people, independent of any political or business interests, who are promoting the European Union. Byrne wants to convince his fellow Irish to vote "yes" on Oct. 2 when the country goes to the polls for a repeat of the failed 2008 referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. The treaty, a successor to the 2005 failed attempt at adopting a European Constitution, is meant to streamline EU decision-making and establish a single voice to the outside world in the form of a president.
Byrne isn't alone. Dozens of volunteers are helping him -- working without pay, nearly around the clock. Not a single volunteer is older than 27. They explain the treaty over the Internet, Facebook and through Twitter. And every day they take their message to the streets, handing out informational brochures about what they see as a "fateful vote." "Talking to people is the most effective way of winning somebody's vote," Byrne explains.
One of his activists previously spent a year working for Amnesty International. Another cared for former child soldiers in Liberia, and one woman was on Barack Obama's campaign team. For these young people, the EU and its seat in Brussels are synonymous with a new start and participation in a modern life rather that bureaucracy and a mania for regulations.
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