The 49th meeting of the Joint Council on Youth (CMJ) brought together representatives from the European Steering Committee for Youth (CDEJ) and the Advisory Council on Youth (CCJ) and took place in the European Youth Centre Strasbourg on 24-25 October.

A broad range of issues concerning young people was discussed. The meeting started with an opening address by Matjaž Gruden, Director of Democratic Participation, followed by the newly appointed Head of the Youth Department, Tobias Flessenkemper.

Members discussed the follow-up to the 4th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe (Reykjavik, 16-17 May 2023). Special emphasis was put on integrating a youth perspective in the Organisation’s intergovernmental and other deliberations. In this regard, the CMJ reviewed elements for a Council of Europe reference framework for a youth perspective.

The CMJ studied a draft CM recommendation on young people and climate action, a priority issue for young Europeans, to encourage member States to respect their fundamental rights when they advocate for a clean and healthy environment.

The CMJ also examined its Guidelines on young people's participation, which provide up-to-date guidance on how the member States can encourage and strengthen youth participation taking into account the trends that have emerged in this field over the last 20 years.

The CMJ was updated on the Youth Revitalising Democracy project, the follow-up to the "Democracy Here | Democracy Now” campaign, and the establishment of a Roadmap on human rights education.

Taking advantage of the visit to Lisbon, on 16-17 October, to participate in the Lisbon Forum of the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe, the Deputy Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, Bjørn Berge, the Director of the Youth Department of the Council of Europe, Tobias Flessenkemper, and the Permanent Representative of Portugal to the Council of Europe, Ambassador Gilberto Jerónimo, visited the Lisbon Youth Centre-CJL, a quality labelled youth centre of the Council of Europe.

The visit was accompanied by the member of the IPDJ (Portuguese Institute of Youth and Sport) Board of Directors, Sílvia Vermelho, the president of the European Youth Steering Committee (CDEJ), Jorge Orlando Queirós, the regional director of Lisbon and Vale do Tejo of the IPDJ and the Lisbon Youth Centre (CJL), Eduarda Marques, the coordinator of the CJL, Fernanda Brito, and members of the team of this Centre.

The CJL, which belongs to the network of 14 European youth centres holding the Council of Europe's Quality Label for Youth Centres, was awarded the label in 2015 and renewed the label recently for a further five years, until 2027.

On 25 October 2023 the Joint Council on Youth, the Council of Europe’s decision-making body of young people and member states, adopted the Guidelines on young people’s participation.

These guidelines to the 46 Council of Europe member states show concrete ways to strengthen meaningful youth participation and improve youth organisations’ engagement in Council of Europe policies. They are an important step to implement the call of the Heads of States and Governments to integrate a youth perspective into the Council of Europe's intergovernmental and other deliberations, contained in the Reykjavik Declaration and Principles for Democracy.

The guidelines are building on the Committee of Ministers' Recommendation on citizenship and participation of young people in public life (Rec(2006)14) and Congress Resolution on the revised European Charter on the participation of young people in local and regional life, (RES152(2003), both call for action to adapt to the changing dynamics affecting young people throughout Europe.

1st November 2023 marks the 25th anniversary of the cooperation between the Council of Europe and the European Commission in the field of youth.

Since 1998, these institutions have been working together through the Youth Partnership to empower people who are working for a change for young people in Europe.

Watch the new animated video about the Youth Partnership and visit the dedicated website for more information.

9-13 October 2023, European Youth Centre Budapest, Educate for Democracy: Youth Democracy Academy with the DYPALL network. Key words: models of democracy and youth participation, identify policy gaps to address challenges to democracy such as growing populism, misinformation; critical thinking, skills for fact-checking; practise through ‘‘Have Your Say!’’ Manual.  Read more… and The End of Democracy? You(th) to the Rescue! with the International Federation of Youth – IFLRY. Key words: enhancing youth participation in politics and civil society to counter the further backsliding of democracy.

15-21 October 2023, European Youth Centre Strasbourg, The gender impact of the climate crisis with the International Union of Socialist Youth.  Key words: effects of climate change, multiple discrimination, solutions for inclusivity, participation of vulnerable groups. Read more… and Give peace a chance! With YMCA Europe. Key words: peace education and conflict transformation work. Read more…

16-20 October 2023, European Youth Centre Budapest, Ending Youth Homelessness by Addressing Trauma with FEANTSA Youth. Key words: support homeless service providers in adapting trauma-informed care to the needs of young people. Read more…

23-28 October 2023, European Youth Centre Budapest, Green Perspectives on European Security with Cooperation and Development Network (CDN), the Federation of Young European Greens (FYEG), and the Green European Federation (GEF). Key words: shared understanding on European security in the face of evolving global challenges; intersectional approaches. Read more…

The annual training course for youth centres in the network of the Council of Europe Quality Label for Youth Centres took place on 2-6 October 2023 at the European Youth Centre Budapest and was attended by educational staff and youth workers from 15 labelled and candidate youth centres.

This year focus was on revitalising democracy, one of the 2022-2025 priorities of the Council of Europe’s Youth Sector, and on the role the Quality Label youth centres play in responding to democratic backsliding and advancing young people’s meaningful participation and democratic citizenship.

The participants also had the opportunity to hold an exchange on the state of democracy with the new Head of Youth Department, Tobias Flessenkemper, and to share good practices of labelled youth centres in promoting different forms of youth participation. Finally, participants looked into practices to increase participation of young people in their youth centres, and planned actions connected to project Democracy Here, Democracy Now.