The European Youth Forum has announced that applications are now open for the European Youth Capital 2026. This annual award is given to a city that demonstrates a strong commitment to the development and participation of young people in society.

Being named the European Youth Capital has a lot of benefits for a city. It may boost the city’s reputation and attract tourists and companies, while also inspiring other towns to invest in the development of their own young citizens.

Moreover, the application process also provides a chance for decision-makers and youth organisations to collaborate, discuss youth goals, and get feedback on their ideas from an expert committee.

If you think your city has enough of what it takes to become the next European Youth Capital, keep reading!

The Selection Process

The selection process is very competitive, with towns from all throughout Europe invited to apply. To be eligible for the title, communities must submit a detailed submission outlining their objectives for youth development; a team of experts will then evaluate the applications. 

More in detail, cities must submit an application together with a local youth organisation, outlining the following:

• the past performance in the youth field;
• their motivation;
• an initial plan for the year;
• and their willingness to secure the long-lasting legacy of the proposed actions.

An expert jury will select up to five short-listed candidates:  they will receive feedback and ideas on how they can improve their applications before a final winner is chosen and revealed at the European Youth Capital Award Ceremony in November 2023.

The application deadline is on 6th of February 2023; if you need more info about the application process, follow the European Youth Forum webinar that will take place on Tuesday 10 January 2023.

Conclusion

Since 2009, the European Youth Capital title has brought communities together by creating friendly city environments for young people. This title can be a great chance for towns to demonstrate their commitment to young people and inspire other cities to follow their example. Don’t miss the opportunity to apply!

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The EYP History Book is Now Available

The Charter on Youth and Democracy

L'articolo Applications open for the European Youth Capital 2026 proviene da Youth Networks.

The European Youth Parliament (EYP) is a non-profit organization that brings together young people from all over Europe to encourage intercultural dialogue and active citizenship. EYP just published a book that covers the history of the organisation and its members to commemorate its rich history and effect.

If you want to know more about the EYP history book and how to get a copy, keep reading!

The meaning of the EYP history book

The European Commission, in partnership with the European Parliament and the Robert Bosch Stiftung, published this book. A team of authors and editors, including EYP’s previous president, Tomasz Grzyb, collaborated on it.

The goal of the EYP history book is to give a detailed description of the organization’s history from its creation to the present. It covers chapters on EYP’s founders, the organization’s early years, and its growth and spread across Europe. But not only this: inside the book there are interviews with former members and employees, as well as images that visually tell the story of the organization.

The EYP history book is available for purchase on the EYP website. The book is also available for download as a PDF from the EYP’s publication library.

If you are interested in the topics of youth policy and active participation, this book and the story it tells will surely end up inspiring you.

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The Charter on Youth and Democracy

Dialogue with Young People on Energy, Inflation, and Conflict

L'articolo The EYP History Book is Now Available proviene da Youth Networks.

The European Youth Forum, an organisation that represents over 25 million young people in Europe, in 2022 developed the Charter on Youth and Democracy: a document that outlines the rights and responsibilities of young people in democratic societies. 

The Charter on Youth and Democracy is a detailed document that addresses various topics related to young people’s involvement in democracy, such as:

• the right to vote;
• the freedom of speech and assembly;
• the access to information:

The Charter highlights the necessity of young engagement in decision-making and encourages the development of structures and procedures to facilitate youth participation.

Let’s take a closer look at this document!

The Importance of Youth Participation

Youth participation makes a significant impact on the functioning of a healthy democracy. Through that, young people can have a say in the decisions that affect their lives; moreover, it ensures that the needs and perspective of young people are taken into consideration.

In this scenario, representatives from youth organisations and young elected from around the EU co-created the Charter in a bottom-up approach. It has 49 recommendations organised into four categories:

1 Education, collaboration, and information;

2 Empowerment, leadership, and democratic involvement of youth;

3 The Impact of New Technologies and Digitalization;

4 Youth policy inclusion and political representation;

But how can this document lead to a concrete outcome? Keep reading to find out!

The Role of Governments and Civil Society in Youth Participation

The importance of this document lies in its ability to require governments to take specific actions to support and encourage youth participation. To make youth participation a concrete outcome, governments can move in two directions. 

On one hand, providing young people with the necessary information, resources, and support to enable them to participate in the democratic process. Alternatively, governments can also create opportunities for young people to get involved in decision-making processes at the local, national, and international levels.

Governments are not the only ones having a key-role in this context: civil society organizations, like youth organizations and NGOs, also have an important role to play in promoting youth participation in democracy. These organisations provide young people with the necessary skills, knowledge, and support to become active citizens. 

Conclusion

The Charter on Youth and Democracy is an important document that recognizes the vital role that young people play in democratic societies. It promotes the empowerment of young people to engage in democracy and make choices that affect their lives.

For more information, you can read the charter on Youth and Democracy here.

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Dialogue with Young People on Energy, Inflation, and Conflict

European Solidarity Corps Proposals 2023 with €142 Million in Funding

L'articolo The Charter on Youth and Democracy proviene da Youth Networks.

All organizations involved (whether they are direct beneficiaries or project partners) in mobility activities within Erasmus +: Youth and ESC in the national territory are required to comply fully with the ordinances ordered by the Ministry of Health and the Region Presidents. The organizations are required to liaise with the competent local and health authorities and are invited to inform the National Youth Agency of the decisions taken. 

There will be the opportunity to ask the Italian National Agency for a refund of the costs of the activities and mobilities that will be canceled due to this situation. The Agency has not yet communicated on how to proceed with the request, or whether the lump-sum or only the actual expenditures will be refunded.

For more information check the official announcement (in Italian) HERE and HERE.

L'articolo Indications of the Erasmus+ Agency for the management of the Covid-19 emergency proviene da Youth Networks.

What are the objectives of the call?

• Support initiatives from at least five youth organizations from different regions spread across the EU’s and further Programme Countries’ territory to share their ideas about the EU values.
• Encourage wider civic participation and help foster a sense of European citizenship.

The budget foreseen for this call is 5.000.000 euros, and up to 500.000€ for each project!

The maximum EU co-financing rate will be 80%.

The call is not released yet, stay tuned!

To learn more about the call check the annual work programme 2020

L'articolo European Youth Together call included in the work programme 2020! proviene da Youth Networks.

Since the beginning of the ‘Erasmus+’: the Union Programme for Education, Training, Youth and Sport many things changed, but not the growing tendency of the funds for the actions under this programme! In 2014 the amount of the fund was almost 1.8 billion euro, when for this year the founds reached almost 3.4 billion euro!

The programme aims to provide over 4 million Europeans with the opportunity to gain competences and have a personal, socio-educational and professional development through studies, training, work experiences or volunteering abroad. Furthermore, the programme also fosters quality improvements, innovation, excellence and internationalisation of organisations active in education and training, youth and sport, and promotes initiatives that support policy reforms at all levels.

In the fields of education, training and youth, the Erasmus+ Programme supports three types of Key Actions:

Key Action 1: Learning mobility of individuals;

Key Action 2: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices;

Key Action 3: Support for policy reform.

As you can compare with the Annual Work Programme of “Erasmus+”: the Union Programme for Education, Training, Youth and Sport for the year 2019, these main 3 Key Actions remain the same as last year.

In addition to these three Key Actions, specific activities are also covered by Erasmus+, namely activities related to European integration through Jean Monnet and activities in the field of sport.

Through its different actions, the programme aims to reach a positive and sustainable impact on education, training, youth and sport policies and practices.

Check out the article to learn more about the opportunities supported by Erasmus +: New Erasmus+ Programme Guide!

And enjoy the possibilities we are given!

L'articolo Where the European money will go in 2020? proviene da Youth Networks.

The most recent evidence of this ocurred three days before the approval of the declaration. At the end of a demonstration in support of the kurdish population, a group of supporters of Dynamo Dresden football team assaulted the protestors while some of them were making the nazi salute, as local newspapers confirm.

The proposal of the councillor was approved by 39 votes to 29. It was supported by members of the Left Party, the environmentalist Greens, the center-left Social Democrats, the pro-business Free Democrats and left-wing satirical party ‘The Party’. However, not everyone agreed with this: Jan Donhauser, chairman of the CDU group on the council, told CNN the resolution was damaging to Dresden’s reputation and denied there was an emergency.

Nontheless, Dresden is the city where anti-Islam protests started after the 2015 Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris. And even before that, in 2014, a extreme-right movement called Patriotic Europeans against the Islamization of the West (PEGIDA) emerged in this city, holding meetings regulary as this report of The Washington Post proves.

No matter if the measure is not binding, Mr Aschenbach took the decision of declaring a “Nazi emergency” as a way to point out a tendency -the rise and normalization of extreme right movements and parties in Europe- that is growing more and more along the continent. As the Climate emergency declaration is being proclaimed in different cities around the world, should this be the beggining of an intenational chain against extreme-right movements?

L'articolo Is Europe waking up? Dresden declares a “Nazi emergency” to fight against far-right extremism proviene da Youth Networks.

• encouraging the participation of young people in democratic life in Europe;
• promoting equal participation of young women and men;
• including diverse voices and ensuring that all young people are able to contribute to policy-shaping.

The goal

The main goal of the guidelines is to provide an orientation for such dialogue. The European Youth Strategy stated a certain flexibility for the member States in order to implement the key elements of the EUYD, in the framework of the following measures (see pt. 3 of the official document):

• Building on experiences from the past;
• Aiming at a clearer and leaner process
• Preferably follow 18-months work-cycles;
• One thematic priority per cycle;
• Its Work Plan;
• Flexibility with regard to the actors taking part in the governance and implementation of the EUYD;
• Continuous follow-up to monitor quality outcomes and the impact of the whole process;
• Recognition of the role of National Working Groups. They are the entities at Member State level, that are tasked with contributing to the organisation of consultations, promotion and impact of the dialogue with youth.

The roles

What is clear here is the main role of the member states, that are strongly driven to enable the participation of the young people to the dialogue. For this purpose, National Working groups are being created (see pt. 13 of the document), that are meant to collaborate closely with the Young Working Party at European level. The works would ideally last for cycles of 18 months each.

Great flexibility is given to the member states for this, keeping in mind the guidelines provided by the European Youth Strategy and the suggestions of the Trio Presidency (this resolution is going to take effect from July 2019, so the one starting from the next semester). The Trio plays a leading role for the implementation of the EUYD. It shall work in cooperation with the European Commission and European Youth Forum as for the European level, and with the National Agencies and civil society representatives, as for the national one.

A coordinating group will fill the gap between the two levels: the so-called European Steering group (ESG, see pt. 9 of the document). It will have the task of connecting the institutions and their bodies to the needs and demands of the people they represent, through the filter of the member states. It will be an additional guarantee of equality and representativeness, since it’s meant to have a special attention for the people with fewer opportunities and the ones that needs such dialogues most. The ESG will smooth the relation between the two realities, taking into account also contributions coming from relevant stakeholders, such as youth organisations and associations.

L'articolo Youth Dialogue: European Guidelines on the governance proviene da Youth Networks.

The ministers of Education coming from the EU member States started following a draft document written on 16 April by the “Youth” group, that transmitted it to the permanent representation in the Council.

The youth organisations as relevant stakeholders

On the basis of the European Youth Strategy 2019/2027, the paper aims at providing a series of measures to resettle the difficult work situation awaiting the youngsters of nowadays. Young people shall be free to develop their working, social and personal skills and the European Union is asked to provide them with all the available tools to accomplish this goal.

It addresses to the youth sector’s stakeholders: member states, the European Commission and, this time, there’s space also for youth organisations (see p. 10 of the document). What does it recommend? Member states shall adopt concrete measures to promote formal and non formal education, deepen the development of the key competences recognized at European level, further explore ways of cooperation and youth entrepreneurship possibilities (in the framework of the Erasmus+ Programme and European Solidarity Corps too) and, overall, a special attention to steer national politics towards a better inclusion of youngsters into the work market.

The European Commission shall go on with the analysis of tools as the Youthpass and Europass, as well as guide national institutes to help young people exploit the possibilities offered by the EU in order to get into the work market. It will also provide information and results coming from the follow-up of studies based on qualitative and quantitavie researches in the field.

Finally, it is of great importance the fact that the Counil addresses also to youth organisations. They’re asked to sensibilize young people in relation of their rights and responsibilities; keeping their methodologies and their programmes updated, in order to comply with the work market needs; keep on to strive with the inclusion of youngsters with fewer opportunities in their programmes; making contacts with the national work market stakeholders, in regular dialogues that can provide the right guarantees for young people.

The Council recommended the youth workers (speaking for NGOs, youth associations and organisations) to implement always new programmes and encourage the young people to do an European mobility, also in light of the new European programmes such as Erasmus+ and European Solidarity corps (link). These in fact give to youngsters the possibility to do not only a study period aborad, but also to do an internship, a training course, a volunteering.

The issues to tackle

The paper gives an overview of the working situation in Europe. It focuses on the factors that are shaping a change with regards to this context.

• The demographical issue: the population is ageing and the work market is losing labour that needs to be quickly subsituted, in order to keep up with the needs of an assistance system that is going to become particularly demanding;
• The progress of technology: the process of digitalization, that the EU is fostering in the first place, is going to bring about a reshaping of the work market needs. It is causing a rapid obsoloescence both of tools and jobs, creating at the same time new possibilities for digital natives – as the European young people are;
• The mismatch between high qualified workers needed and the number (still to low) of graduated people coming from European universities;
• The climate change and the challenges that are to be tackled;
• The ageing population that reconnects with the first point;
• Finally, the development of a global economy, that’s reshaping the relationships between employers and employees.

The measures to implement

The European Council has proposed the following measures, included in the press release:

• adaptable and responsive education and training systems;
• the promotion of lifelong learning;
• smooth school-to-work and work-to-work transitions;
• equal access to quality jobs for all young people in the future.

L'articolo Youth policies: new EU Council conclusions proviene da Youth Networks.

Should Russia evetually leave the CoE, in fact, this last one could be discontinued after 2020. The alternative would be a partial agreement on voluntary basis according to the will of the member states (with extra funding needed). The formal committee will meet on 23 May, after some informal consultations. In the meantime, the affected stakeholders did not stay quiet.

The reactions

The European Youth Forum, together with representatives from the major Political Party Youth Organisations active in Europe and beyond, released a public statement denouncing the cut:

The news is spreading across Europe and the Youth organisations are already clustering to prevent the cuts that are going to affect the Youth sector. The Youth department of the Council of Europe, that works closely to the European Commission in many co-operation projects, is as much pivotal as the European Union for the education of the new generations of Europeans. The fact that political matters, as the ones behind the decision from Russia and Turkey are, can affect the core of European values, is what is being contested.

The Youth department of the CoE

The international organisation of the Council of Europe was founded in 1949 by 47 countries. It aims at fostering human rights, democracy and the rule of law. Since 1972, the works within the Youth Department are managend in co-operation with the Advisory Council. This is made up of 30 representatives from youth NGOs and networks who provide opinions and input on all youth sector activities, together with setting the priorities and suggestions.

It also ensures that young people are involved in other activities of the Council of Europe. Here, representatives of the governements of the member states work closely with young people, who are then in the position of being able to influence important decisions on the functioning of the Youth Department. That is why it is so important to push for a better understanding of the issue: the more we know, the more we can make an impact.

L'articolo The youth department of Council of Europe is in danger due to financial cuts proviene da Youth Networks.