About BETA

Our Association

BETA Europe is a politically independent and non-profit association, seated in Brussels, with national branches in 16 countries. Our name stands for Bringing Europeans Together Association because this is at the heart of our mission: to strengthen the European civil society by educating about democratic processes and encouraging active participation, as well as developing consciousness about the plurality of European identities.

The expression of our goal is to actively support such political simulations as the Model European Union (MEU), events which allow young people to engage in politics and discover the founding principles behind Europe through a first hand experience of the democratic process.

Founded in Germany in 2008, BETA Europe has now grown to have 16 national branches, many partner organisations and more than 500 individual members, involving more than 2500 youth of 33 nationalities and supporting over 20 annual events in Europe and worldwide.

BETA Europe is the growing managerial infrastructure behind MEU events driven by the maximum professionalism of its members to promote learning, supporting and inspiring young European generations, in the respect of the diversities and under the sign of tolerance and inclusiveness.

Our Mission

Our mission is to foster mutual understanding and cooperation between young Europeans and to contribute to the promotion of European ideals in accordance with the values of the Council of Europe and the European Union.

Our Goals

We aim to become a leading, well-run and supportive organisation which facilitates understanding of and within Europe by organising MEU simulations and other non-formal educational activities. Young people need to have this knowledge in order to become active citizens in Europe and in their home countries, and we facilitate exactly that. We will do this through supporting organisations, projects and activities which are in accordance with our mission. BETA will encourage informed and active citizenship in Europe through:

  • Promoting intercultural exchange throughout our activities and events;
  • Strengthening civic networks by bringing organisations and people together;
  • Supporting non-formal education and advocating access to information about the work of the European Union;
  • Encouraging civic participation and volunteer work among our members and beyond;
  • Developing sustainable, impactful and professional educational events about EU politics, such as Model European Union conferences in Strasbourg and elsewhere.

Our statutes, which explain the functioning of BETA Europe as well as its values and mission, can be found here: http://bit.ly/BETA-Europe_Statutes   

Our Values

What drives BETA is not a certain political ideology but shared values which unify our team and our actions.

Learning

We believe in the value of learning, especially through practice. Both through the management of the association as well as by participating in and organising political simulations, we allow our members to experience the complex realities of the European policy making process. This provides for a unique informal learning experience, allowing everyone involved to gain valuable experience, make laying connections and further develop useful soft skills.

Supporting

As a non-profit organisation, we want to contribute to society as much as we possibly can. In addition to running our own activities, we strive to ensure that others will be able to do the same. We are strong advocates of the power of active youth participation and want to help young people deliver high-quality projects and initiatives that are in accordance with our mission.

Professionalism

We go all out to make sure that our activities are of the highest quality. Internally, we ensure that all our volunteers are supported, given the tools to succeed, learn together and enjoy their roles. We have a highly experienced management team and we are an outstanding organisation to volunteer for. Externally, our teams aim to treat participants, partners and guests with utmost respect and professionalism.

Tolerance and inclusivity

We believe in the power of diversity, and this starts with us. We strive towards ensuring that our activities are open to all, regardless of people’s respective backgrounds. Tolerance and inclusivity are integral parts of the way we conduct and organise our activities as an association.

Diversity

Although BETA is registered in Germany, we are European by nature. Our members are present in over 30 different countries in Europe and beyond. Ensuring that this diversity is also reflected within our projects and their teams is paramount for us. We will continue to value difference, making sure that our teams and participants in our activities are as diverse as they can be.

Inspire

We want our activities to be exciting and motivating, and our members to be passionate about what they do. Our goal is to encourage young people to become active citizens and promote our goals through attending and running our events, taking part in our initiatives and engaging with our association.

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