New democratic community for students in Aarhus: “You don't have to be a tech nerd”
The Digital Infrastructure Think Tank is this October launching a new democratic forum for young people in Aarhus called Youth CTRL, focusing on tech and digital infrastructure. But you don't have to be a tech nerd to participate, says project manager Andrea Taul.
Whether you pay with your credit card at the supermarket, send emails at work, or stream a Netflix series on the couch, we rely on the internet for much of our daily lives. But we don't know much about how the digital infrastructure is connected, Andrea Taul points out. She is the communications consultant at the Digital Infrastructure Think Tank and the project manager for the Youth CTRL.
She hopes that her new initiative, Youth CTRL – Youth Coalition for Tech Rights and Legitimacy, can help change that. The purpose of the initiative is partly to gain more knowledge in the area and partly to establish a new democratic community for young people in Aarhus across education levels and backgrounds.
“You don't have to be a tech nerd or good at coding to join. It's a community where many different perspectives are needed," she says and continues:
"The tech sector is enormously complex and has a major impact on our everyday lives and future. That's why we want to give young people insight into the engine room of our digital infrastructure and a chance to join the conversation about the future of technology and society," says Andrea Taul.
Debate and Networks were missing in Aarhus
She herself graduated in Rhetoric from AU in 2024, and it is her background as a student in Aarhus that has given her a strong personal motivation for the creation of Youth CTRL.
“I really missed having communities where you could engage in important debates and learn together with others,” Andrea Taul says, adding that she herself would’ve liked a community that provided access to a broad network, both inside and outside the university walls.
Therefore, the plan is that the members, in addition to the monthly meetings in Aarhus, can look forward to a study trip to Copenhagen in November, which will include three visits. They will meet the Danish tech ambassador Anne Marie Engtoft, the Danish Institute for Human Rights, and the Think Tank Europe.
Youth CTRL has received support from the Tuborg Foundation. Therefore, membership and the trip to Copenhagen are both completely free. The application deadline is September 22nd, and the first meeting will take place on October 2nd in the Student House.