Do you know who is a “UN Youth Delegate” and what they do?

They are young people who participate in the meetings of the United Nations, through an initiative that aims to involve young people more in the United Nations’ work.

Each country in the programme chooses one or more young individuals to represent them at meetings. The selection process and responsibilities vary by country.

Currently, 22 EU Member States are part of this programme. Unlike the UN and African Union, the European Union doesn’t have youth representatives.

The UN Youth Delegates engage in important youth discussions at the UN. They also speak up for young people’s rights in Europe, and expand the EU’s youth representation globally.

The aims of the project

The programme aims to improve EU coordination and representation on youth matters and more at the United Nations.

It will help carry out the EU Youth Strategy 2019-2027 and the 2020 EU Council Conclusions on Youth in global actions by promoting dialogue between different generations and cultures and involving youth in policy decisions.

Additionally, a network of alumni will be created to connect youth delegates over the years.

The tasks of a youth delegate differ by country but usually involve giving advice to their delegation on youth-related matters and getting involved in their delegation’s activities, like going to meetings and informal discussions.

Youth delegates can join various United Nations meetings, with many taking part in the General Assembly. Some also attend specific commissions of the Economic and Social Council.

How to become a Youth Delegade?

Some countries already pick young representatives through specific programmes.

You can find out if your country has such a programme by reaching out to government bodies like the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Youth Council, or United Nations Associations.

If your country doesn’t have a programme for choosing a youth delegate, you can try to convince your country that having a youth representative at the UN General Assembly is important.

If they agree, the responsible body needs to start the process of selecting a youth delegate.

Discover more about the initiative

If you want to learn more about this topic and would like to become a Youth Delegate visit the official website for more information!

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Erasmus Plus 2024 Annual Work Programme

2024 Annual Work Programme | Highlights on the Differences With 2023 Edition

L'articolo Join the UN Youth Delegate Programme proviene da Youth Networks.

Get to know the “Youth Guarantee”, a project to support young people in gaining work experience and developing the right skills for a changing world of work.

This initiative doesn’t have an end date and it will persist as the European Union’s primary policy framework for combating youth unemployment and inactivity.

After 2022, it will retain the substantial EU funds allocated in the 2021-2027 long-term budget and NextGenerationEU to further its mission of delivering improved outcomes for young people in Europe.

About the initiative

The Youth Guarantee represents an opportunity from every Member State to guarantee that all individuals under 30 are provided with a high-quality opportunity for:

• Employment
• Ongoing education
• Apprenticeships
• Traineeships

Within a timeframe of four months from the moment they become unemployed or conclude their education.

The initiative started during 2022, with the implementation of the reinforced Youth Guarantee.

Member States started implementing measures under their recovery and resilience plans targeting young people and youth employment related measures.

The goals of the initiative

The final goal of the project is to enhance the employability of the youth.

It aims to support individuals under 30 that want to access high-quality employment, continued education, apprenticeships, or traineeships.

In 2020, the Youth Guarantee underwent a strengthening process to better cater to the needs of young individuals.

This reinforced approach places a primary emphasis on preventing unemployment and inactivity while facilitating smoother transitions from school to work.

One of its central objectives is to support young people in acquiring valuable work experience and cultivating the necessary skills to thrive in an ever-evolving job landscape.

What has been achieved so far?

The project has already achieved excellent results, improving the difficult situation caused by the COVID pandemic which has made it difficult for many young Europeans to find employment.

Over 24 million young people who were once registered in Youth Guarantee schemes started a job, continued education and traineeships.

To learn more about the results obtained in recent years through the program we recommend you visit the official website of the initiative.

Discover more about the initiative

For more information about this initiative, its results and future objectives you can consult the official website.

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Capacity-Building in the field of Youth

Youth Sounding Board | A Project for Youth Empowerment

L'articolo Reinforced Youth Guarantee | Youth Employment and Education proviene da Youth Networks.

Are you a young person or an association that deals with youth work? Discover capacity-building opportunities!

Capacity-building projects promote international collaboration, fostering multilateral partnerships among organisations engaged in youth-related activities in the European Union (EU) and other program nations, alongside non-affiliated third countries in the Western Balkans and the Southern Mediterranean.

These initiatives want to boost global cooperation and policy discussions concerning youth and informal education.

Furthermore these are projects funded by the Erasmus+ programme and are recommended to all youth workers who want to improve their skills in youth work.

The goals of the projects

The capacity building projects have many objectives that are achieved through non-formal education activities and comparison between participants.

Particularly the main objectives can be summarised as follows:

• Helping organisations that work with young people outside of traditional schools to become better at what they do
• Encouraging activities that teach things in informal settings in countries that are not part of a specific program. In fact these activities are especially for young people who face challenges, and the goal is to improve their skills and get them more involved in society.
• Supporting the growth of youth programs in countries that aren’t in the main program, making them better and more recognised.
• Promoting the creation and testing of programs that allow young people to learn outside of traditional school settings in countries not part of the main program.
• Helping achieve the goals set out in the EU Youth Strategy for 2019-2027, including 11 goals for young people in Europe.
• Encouraging cooperation between different parts of the world through joint projects.
• Making sure that non-formal education and youth work fit well with formal education and the job market.

The topics of the projects

Finally from the capacity building projects, participants have the opportunity to deepen themes such as:

• political participation and dialogue with decision-makers
• inclusion of young people with fewer opportunities
• democracy, rule of law and values
• empowerment / engagement / employability of young people
• peace and post-conflict reconciliation
• environment and climate
• anti-discrimination and gender equality
• digital and entrepreneurial skills

Discover more about the initiative

For more information about this type of projects and the requirements to participate we recommend you visit the official website.

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Youth Sounding Board | A Project for Youth Empowerment

Plastic Pirates – Go Europe | Join the Fight Against Plastic Pollution

L'articolo Capacity-Building in the field of Youth proviene da Youth Networks.

Discover “The Youth Sounding Board”! It is a space for young people to have an influence on the EU’s external action through its international partnerships.

Serving as an advisor to the Directorate-General for International Partnerships and Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen, the Board works to improve the effectiveness, relevance, and participation of EU activity for youth in partner countries across all political agendas.

The goal of the Youth Sounding Board is to bring about a significant, long-lasting shift in the way the EU interacts with youth in the context of its development cooperation.

Contributing to the Youth Action Plan for EU External Action was one of the Board members’ initial tasks. The Board will remain active in the upcoming stages of the Action Plan’s development.

Keep reading to discover more about this initiative!

The initiative

The Youth Sounding Board Is a project that is also involved in other initiatives in various thematic areas:

• climate action
• peace and security
• economic empowerment
• governance and human rights

The Youth Sounding Board aims also at creating opportunities for young people and youth organisations to express their views, connect and exchange.

As part of their mandate, Youth Sounding Board members will build links with similar structures and existing youth initiatives at international, regional and country level, both in the EU and in the partner countries.

How does it work?

Through their activities, YSB members seek out the ideas and perspectives of young people both within and outside of their networks, therefore representing the views of the broadest possible variety of young people.

Members establish connections with comparable organisations and ongoing youth programs.

In keeping with their role, they also participate in capacity-building initiatives and address ad hoc concerns and requests.

The EU Youth Action Plan will start with the participation of the cohort 2023-2025.

Discover more about the initiative

If you are interested in finding out more about this project, its results and future objectives visit the official website.

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Annual Work Programme 2024 | The financing of Erasmus+

Plastic Pirates – Go Europe | Join the Fight Against Plastic Pollution

L'articolo Youth Sounding Board | A Project for Youth Empowerment proviene da Youth Networks.

Are you passionate about environmental protection and want to know more about the impact plastic waste has on our world? Learn more and discover the project “Plastic Pirates – Go Europe”!

With this project young people around Europe will take part in the European Research Area (ERA), a science initiative, which aims to monitor and address plastic pollution in rivers, beaches, and the ocean.

Since the initiative’s inception in 2020, over 7,500 youth from over 320 schools and organisations have volunteered to collect and analyse data on plastic pollution in Europe’s waterways and coastal areas.

The initiative

The initiative started in 2020 but in 2022, with funding from the Horizon Europe program, the initiative was growing even more.

In an attempt to identify the causes of the issue and increase environmental awareness, the association wants to initiate a sample program spanning the entirety of Europe.

The campaign will evaluate the sources and routes of plastic pollution.

The goals of the initiative

The Plastic Pirates will assist in achieving the goals of the “Mission Restore our Ocean and waterways”, particularly its goal to prevent and eradicate pollution in European seas and waterways.

In addition to serving as a model for the European Year of Youth 2022.

Important goals of European environmental policy are:

• Under the Directive on Marine Strategy Framework
• The Framework Directive on Water
• the Air, Water, and Soil Zero Pollution Action Plan

What the programme is offering to young people

The program aims to empower students and youth to take action for the preservation and restoration of Europe’s rivers and seas by including them in research projects that spark their interest in scientific activity related to social concerns.

The actual sampling of plastic pollution in rivers, beaches, and oceans will be done by youth and students.

In order to help teachers educate students about plastic pollution in the classroom. The project also gives educators access to specialised didactic materials on the subject.

Discover more about the initiative

If you are interested in finding out more about this project, its results and future objectives visit the official website.

You will find many materials, information and events to deepen the theme of environmental protection.

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Annual Work Programme 2024 | The financing of Erasmus+

Youth In Global Politics | Policy Dialogue

L'articolo Plastic Pirates – Go Europe | Join the Fight Against Plastic Pollution proviene da Youth Networks.

If you are interested in discovering the latest decisions of the European Parliament regarding the funding of Erasmus+ projects, read on! The 2024 annual work programme is available online, explaining the criteria for dividing the budget between the various youth mobility projects.

The document is available for download in the pdf version and you can find the version in French, German and English.

General Overview

The introduction to the document specifies the general overview of the Erasmus+ programme:

“The Programme shall be a key instrument for building a European Education Area, supporting the implementation of the European strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training towards the European Education Area and beyond, with its underlying sectoral agendas, advancing youth policy cooperation under the Union Youth Strategy 2019-2027 and developing the European dimension in sport. The programme also offers a strong international dimension contributing to a stronger voice for Europe in the world.”

The goals of the programme

The work programme also explain the objectives that the programme aims to achieve through youth mobility projects:

1. The learning mobility of individuals and groups, and cooperation, quality, inclusion and equity, excellence, creativity, and innovation.
2. Non-formal and informal learning mobility and active participation among young people.
3. The learning mobility of sport staff, and cooperation, quality, inclusion, creativity and innovation.

Then you can find the grants, procurements and other actions concerning the various mobility programmes and for each chapter the various field in which Erasmus+ operates.

In addition to budgets, for each program you can find a description of the various activities and objectives set for each sector.

The field that compete Erasmus+:

• Education and training
• Youth
• Sport

How to read the programme

If you are interested in learning more about this topic, we suggest you download the agenda from the official website.

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Reflection Beyond Language Barriers: 14 Innovative Methodologies for Reflection Groups

Youth In Global Politics | Policy Dialogue

L'articolo Annual Work Programme 2024 | The financing of Erasmus+ proviene da Youth Networks.

Do you want to learn more about topics such as youth in global politics, green transition, public diplomacy and youth engagement, disinformation, defence, the promotion of peace and security, and human rights?

These were some of the topics discussed during the policy dialogue during the celebration of the European Year of Youth 2022.

High Representative/vice-president, Josep Borrell organised a conference in which 18 young people from all over Europe participated and shared their views on the EU foreign policy.

If you could not attend the event read on to find out what were the results of the discussion. You can also find more information about the event on the official website.

The objectives of the dialogue

The conference focused mainly on the following topics:

1. Host a platform where the young leaders of tomorrow could present and discuss with the HR/VP youth initiatives that play (or could play) a role in foreign affairs.
2. Bring together young experts and today’s policy makers, forging a constructive dialogue on the future of the European Union in the world.
3. Discuss the role of youth on EU foreign affairs and share a young vision for the future of the EU and youth in global politics, as the leaders of tomorrow.

The event was a useful opportunity to share views among participants and create new guidelines for future decisions.

Take aways from the dialogue

At the end of the event participants could draw some final decisions that the EU commission will use in the future for new youth policies.

These were the take aways from the dialogue:

1. A youth approach to EU Foreign Policy, including Security and Defence. A few people brought up the point that security encompasses more than just military activities and can also refer to more general topics like social welfare, economy, and climate change.
2. Youth participation in External Action. The EU should further encourage youth participation in EU external policies and actions. It is important to implement programs like the EU Youth Action Plan.
3. Cultural exchanges between Europe and the World. Participants discussed on how culture is much more than just the arts or literature. It encompasses customs, ancestry, understanding between people, history, and knowledge in general. In order to do this, cultural diplomacy is crucial. Participants commented programs like Erasmus+ for serving as a model of are useful to achieve these goals.
4. Living conditions of youth worldwide. It is very important that the youth perspective are taken into account in all policy goals, including EU external activity.

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Reflection Beyond Language Barriers: 14 Innovative Methodologies for Reflection Groups

Addressing the Brain Drain from the EU | Policy Dialogue

L'articolo Youth In Global Politics | Policy Dialogue proviene da Youth Networks.

If you are interested to know how the European Parliament intends to change the distribution of the EU budget in the future and what areas the European financial plan should focus on keep reading!

During the Policy dialogue with EU Commissioner Johannes, participants addressed the issue of the European budget for youth opportunities.

During the event that took place on the occasion of the celebration of the European Year of Youth 2022, 12 young people from all over Europe participated and discussed the issue and try to meet a common point.

If you are interested in the topic read on and find out how to see the video summary of the event!

Take aways from the dialogue

The event was a useful meeting to bring out new points of view and try to calibrate future choices by listening to the opinions of young participants.

The following points are the result of the debate:

1. Youth Test on the MFF and the Financial Regulation. The EU budget serves as a long-term financial instrument for implementing EU policies. For example, funds borrowed through initiatives like NextGenerationEU necessitate repayment over a three-decade horizon. Because of that it should prioritise the interests and consequences for the youth.
2. Increasing the size of the EU budget as well as competences of the EU as a whole. The EU should be endowed with greater financial resources and enhanced political authority to proactively address matters that affect all EU citizens, effectively representing the interests of the entire European community.
3. Enhancing communication efforts in Member States. To address this issue, there must be a significant escalation in communication initiatives throughout regions and cities across the EU. It is imperative that every EU citizen, at the very least, receives a fundamental education about the EU’s operations, its mission, and its significance.

The Video Resume

To find out more about the topic watch the video summary of the event on the official website.

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Entrepreneur+ | Entrepreneurship Explained… in 2 Minutes

“I want (you)th”. An Erasmus+ youth exchange to create opportunities for youth

L'articolo A Better Reset of the EU Budget | Policy Dialogue proviene da Youth Networks.

If you are passionate about finance and want to discover new European policies on this topic read on!

During the celebration of the European Year of Youth 2022, Commissioner McGuinness held a dialogue with young people from throughout Europe about their vision for the future of finance.

The event was a useful discussion for participants (young people from all over Europe from 18 to 25 years) to discuss and compare their opinions.

At the end of the meeting, options were drawn up to improve future European policies and improve the living conditions of young people.

If you have not been able to attend the event but are interested to know more about this topic read on and learn how to see the video summary of the conference.

The topics of the dialogue

The policy dialogue addressed the impact of the economic factor on the lives of young Europeans.

It has been discussed how the economy is changing over time and for this reason it is necessary to resort to new decisions to regulate the new existing types.

The participants discussed in particular:

1. Sustainable finance:

• Emphasising the importance of an equitable transition that doesn’t exclude anyone, both within Europe and on a global scale.
• The necessity to establish consistent sustainability finance information standards, such as ESG ratings, to guarantee comparability and trustworthiness, while combatting deceptive environmental claims.

2. Digital finance:

• Across Europe, young individuals want to adoption of contactless digital payments and express excitement about advancements in the realm of digital currencies, including the concept of a digital euro. Europe should endorse financial innovation while maintaining safeguards for overall financial stability and individual protection.

3. Financial literacy and inclusion

• A new EU initiative or promotional campaign aimed at enhancing financial literacy should extend beyond the current efforts in this field. It should consider the following points:
  • Ensuring that young people have access to financial literacy programs, starting either in primary schools or, at the latest, in secondary schools. Alternatively, targeting parents to pass on this knowledge to their children.
  • Expanding financial education beyond the traditional educational system to reach marginalised communities and individuals who did not receive financial education during their school years.
  • While emphasising the importance of individual financial education, it should not undermine collective measures aimed at supporting social and economic well-being.

The Video Resume

To find out more about the topic watch the video summary of the event on the official website.

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Climate Change and Humanitarian Aid | The Policy Dialogue

L'articolo The future of Finance in the EU | Policy Dialogue proviene da Youth Networks.

One of the current issues affecting all European citizens is the increase in the cost of energy and of life in general.

The theme was discussed by Executive vice-president Dombrovskis during a Policy Dialogue on 10 January during the celebration of the European Year of Youth 2022.

The event was attended by young people from all over Europe.

They were able to exchange ideas on the subject and propose a series of solutions to this current problem.

If you missed the live discussion keep reading and find out how you can view the recorded version on the European Commission’s live stream page.

The focus of the dialogue

During the event, the participants discussed many issues related to the increase in the cost of living and energy in the European Union.

They tried to identify the causes (such as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine) and at the end of the event they drawn up a series of proposals to this problem.

The conference discussed the following points:

1. How can we support EU citizens to deal with the immediate effects of the energy crisis and inflation?
2. How can we build a fair, more inclusive and sustainable future for the next generation?
3. How can we safeguard our fundamental values while building stronger cooperation with like-minded countries?

The discussion allowed the 15 participants from all over Europe to discuss this topic and to express their opinions.

The take aways from the dialogue

At the end of the event were drawn up three key points that will be used to create awareness among the young generations of Europe:

1. It’s crucial to take measures towards the people and sectors that need them the most and safeguard the most vulnerable through well-targeted policies.
2. When crafting policies for the future, the foremost concern is establishing the right budget, investments, and incentives to combat climate change. There’s a need to evaluate the impact of these policies on younger generations by introducing a Youth Test.
3. Diversifying energy sources and supporting the innovation for the shift to renewable energy.
4. Collaboration is indispensable in this transition. The participation of youth organisations is crucial in creating appropriate policies. Moreover, expanding our partnerships with countries outside the EU is essential.

The Video Resume

To find out more about the topic watch the video summary of the event on the official website.

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Entrepreneur + | From Idea to Business is Already Available!

Climate Change and Humanitarian Aid | The Policy Dialogue

L'articolo The Energy Crisis and Inflation | Dialogue with Young Europeans proviene da Youth Networks.