Revitalising democracy is an intergenerational effort where people of all ages are both learners and agents of change, say participants in the Youth Action Week!

In an era when democracy is being threatened on many fronts, be it by war on our European continent, the rise of authoritarian regimes, the restriction of citizens’ rights and freedoms, or by the devastating effects of climate change, young people are mobilising across Europe – at local, national and international levels – to reflect on how to regenerate democracy for the benefit of all.

The Council of Europe youth campaign Democracy Here | Democracy Now was launched on the initiative of young people to promote human rights, meaningful youth participation and the impact of digitalisation as factors for revitalising democracy.  The 450 youth activists gathered in Strasbourg (28 June-1st July 2022) for a Youth Action Week worked together to issue a call for fifty priority actions – symbolising the 50 years of the Council of Europe youth sector in 2022.

The Council of Europe Youth sector strategy 2030 on revitalising pluralistic democracy, young people’s access to rights, youth work and peaceful and inclusive societies is a commitment to and a contribution to achieving the UN SDGs.

On 22-23 June 2022, a study visit took place at the European Youth Centre Budapest with the participation of government representatives of Brčko District in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The visit aimed at exchanging experiences and practices for setting up a new youth centre in Brčko District in accordance with the Council of Europe quality criteria for residential youth centres, which has been defined as one of the main objectives of Brčko District.

The visit was held in the presence of the Head of Department for Professional and Administrative Affairs, Nedim Hamzabegović; Chief of the Mayor's Cabinet, Amir Softić and Advisor to the Mayor, Tea Ružić.

Representatives of Brčko District reinforced their commitment to support young people by providing them with adequate space and a safe environment and to integrate existing standards of the Council of Europe into their work on the local and regional levels. As a next step, a representative of Brčko District will be invited to take part in the European Platform of Youth Centres which will be organised on 20-21 September in Marttinen youth centre, Finland.

Through its pilot activity grants, the EYF has supported local youth projects of youth organisations for many years. Every project is unique, as every activity has been designed to respond to young people’s local challenges and needs. For the EYF, pilot activities are based on non-formal education approaches, involve young people at all levels, from participants, to project team, and have an impact at local level. These projects also respond to the youth sector’s priorities.

So far, in 2022, the EYF has supported 89 pilot activities, in 24 countries. Out of these 89 projects, 34 were projects supported in the framework of the Campaign “Democracy here. Democracy now”. These were, for example, educational projects about democratic youth engagement, projects to support youth participation at local level and on building bridges between young people and democratic institutions.

Other projects supported are concerned with, for example, working with young women and girls on health issues; raising youth skills on using digitalisation in respectful ways; empowering different marginalised communities; promoting volunteering among young people at local level; using arts to raise awareness about human rights; engaging young people in positive activities of learning together about important topics, such as climate change or discrimination.

On 2-3 June 2022, an end-of-term visit of the Council of Europe Quality Label for Youth Centres took place in Stara Zagora Youth Centre, Bulgaria to evaluate the fulfilment of the 15 quality criteria of the Quality Label which Stara Zagora Youth Centre has been holding since 2017.

The Quality Label Expert Team was presented recent initiatives and major developments introduced in Stara Zagora Youth Centre based on the recommendations made by the Expert Team during the previous monitoring visit in 2019.

As part of a new EEA grant the youth centre has expanded its premises which will allow more young people to take part in its educational activities. The visit was held in the presence of the Head of Department of the Ministry of Education and Science in Bulgaria, Ms Maria Vasileva-Valova, the Deputy Mayor of Stara Zagora Municipality, Ms Ivanka Sotirova as well as local and regional partners and stakeholders of the youth centre.

The Quality Label Expert Team will make its recommendation to the European Steering Committee for Youth (CDEJ) to prolong the Quality Label for Stara Zagora Youth Centre. The final decision will be taken at the next CDEJ meeting on 10 October 2022.

WOSM, with the support of the European Youth Foundation, implemented the project “The Power of Human Rights Education”, as part of the youth campaign “Democracy here. Democracy now”. Their goal was to provide young people with opportunities to become responsible citizens and actively contribute to the community around them in a constantly changing world.

In the context of this project, from 18 to 22 May 2022, 21 youth leaders from 16 European countries met to increase their skills and knowledge in human rights education. They then went back to their national scout organisations to further work on including human rights education in their work, enabling volunteers to increase their competences and internally bring new perspectives to their diversity and inclusion approach. Participants used the manuals and tools of the Council of Europe on human rights education with young people.

Find out more about the project and participants’ testimonies and watch the video about the training course.

On 9 July, the European Youth Centre Strasbourg hosted an informal event for our colleagues from Ukraine and their children who spent an enjoyable sunny day in the garden and delighted in a tasty picnic together.

The children learned how to paint using different techniques, methods and utensils, in addition to traditional painting brushes and colours.  During their painting lesson, they used a special technique to paint “PEACE”.

The purpose of this very special day was to allow our Ukrainian colleagues and their children to spend a wonderful, peaceful time together in the beautiful EYCS garden. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed getting creative – even the parents, who remembered more peaceful times by painting the beautiful sunflower-filled fields of Ukraine.