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DG Democracy
Directorate of Democratic Participation
Youth Department
THINK YOUTH No 78 - March 2020
Stay safe and stay in touch!
Dear readers,
have you also received many messages signed like this over the past few weeks while working from home and in confinement? The message of the moment can also be put in other words: physical distance is important for health reasons while, at the same time, maintaining social proximity is crucial – in this period of significant restrictions of freedom of movement – for the mental health of individuals, as well as for the coherence of our families, communities, societies and indeed for democracy.

Welcome to this issue of Think Youth! the first edition produced in home office. As you will see, the first half of March was very busy as usual with international and multilateral study sessions, training courses and meetings implemented as part of the ‘Youth for Democracy’ programme. Since 16 March, however, our European Youth Centres in Strasbourg and Budapest have been temporarily closed and the Council of Europe Youth Department has been working mainly from home, as you learned from our previous message.

Nevertheless, modern technology is allowing us to keep in touch and the statutory bodies of the Council of Europe youth sector made a number of important decisions online last week, so as to ensure work can continue. Watch this space for further news. In the April issue of Think Youth! we will inform you in more detail about what the Youth Department is doing concretely to respond to the effects of the global COVID-19 crisis, e.g. by supporting young people and their organisations’ projects, through new publications and educational resources to be published online, through distance-learning opportunities and through planning for the future.

Please let us know how you continue to promote human rights and democracy with young people right now for a special feature in the April issue of Think Youth! Send your messages to [email protected]  Stay safe – and please stay in touch.

Antje Rothemund on behalf of the staff of the Youth Department
Extraordinary measures to ensure the continuity of the youth statutory bodies despite COVID-19
Although the plenary meetings of the youth sector statutory bodies (planned in Budapest on 23-25 March 2020) had to be 
cancelled due to the pandemic, the European Steering Committee for Youth (CDEJ), the Advisory Council on Youth (CCJ) and the Joint Council on Youth (CMJ) took a number of important decisions by means of written procedures and online meetings and ballots, in order to ensure their essential functions in spite of this unprecedented situation. 

The Advisory Council on Youth (CCJ) elected its new Bureau for 2020-21 and its representatives to the Programming Committee on Youth (CPJ). While the European Steering Committee for Youth (CDEJ) elected its representatives to the CPJ and two new Bureau members. A number of other decisions were adopted by all committees to ensure that the youth sector’s work may continue.
Open letter to young people and youth organisations working with and through the Council of Europe
The role of young people has never been more crucial.

We are living in unprecedented times that feel like everything we know and understand has suddenly been put at risk. Less than one month ago, many of us lived normal lives, some of us even privileged ones - and yet, in the blink of an eye, a global pandemic shifted the narrative of our lives into one of global fear and uncertainty. As a generation, today’s youth has been consistently called a ‘snowflake’ generation. A generation, which is unable to understand the sacrifices our elders made for us in uniting Europe, an impatient generation, which is not willing to roll up our sleeves to get work done. Yet, in the face of this pandemic, we are one of the generations with the capacity to reimagine our world, and transform it for the better.

Read the AC Open letter to young people >>
Gender matters: a manual on gender-based violence
Gender Matters is a manual on gender-based violence affecting young people.The manual constitutes a useful introduction to gender and gender-based violence for people who work with young
New edition available
people, by providing reflections on gender and gender-based violence, a background to key social, political and legal issues.

It provides practical methods and resources for education and awareness-raising activities with young people.

You may order the pdf version of the manual on the Council of Europe Bookshop
Youth work and youth participation in Belarus
During a visit to Minsk, Antje Rothemund, Head of the Youth Department had a formal exchange with Aleksandr Kadlubay Deputy Minister of Education to discuss co-
Minsk, 25 February 2020
operation between the Republic of Belarus and the Council of Europe in the field of youth policy.

The parties highlighted the importance to strengthen bilateral cooperation according to their mutual youth policy priorities. A study visit of youth workers and youth experts from the Republic of Belarus to the Council of Europe institutions and youth sector should still be organised in 2020.

Antje Rothemund also exchanged on youth participation and youth work with representatives of youth organisations, met with the Rector of the Republican Institute of Higher Education and presented the Council of Europe’s youth work approaches to students and teaching staff of the faculty of youth work of the Institute.
The President of the Parliamentary Assembly wants to strengthen cooperation with youth organisations
On 11 March, Rik Daems, President of the Assembly met with Antje Rothemund, Head of the Youth Department. He visited the European Youth Centre on 12 March
and met with Tina Mulcahy, Executive Director of the EYCS. Mr Daems stressed his intention to increase youth participation in the PACE and to involve national youth councils in exchanges with young people during his official visits to member states.
Strengthening co-operation and partnership for youth work in Georgia
From 24 to 28 February 2020, 15 youth NGO representatives and 15 municipal employees responsible for youth issues came to the European Youth Centre in Strasbourg to explore how to work together to improve youth participation at the local level in Georgia.Organised at the request of the Youth Agency of Georgia within the Council of Europe youth sector’s programme of assistance measures to member states, the course featured in the programme of the presidency of Georgia of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers.
EYCB, 2-6 March 2020, IFM-SEI Study session
“Feminists of the World, Unite!”
The study session co-organised with the International Falcon Movement-Socialist Educational International (IFM-SEI) gathered 27 young women for an intense learning week with in-depth discussions about feminist issues.

For details on the most important outcomes and conclusions of the study session we invite you to read the news published on the youth portal.
EYCS, 2-6 March 2020, ECYC-RYE Study session
Young people share stories about shrinking youth civil spaces
The study session was implemented in cooperation with the European Confederation of Youth Clubs (ECYC) and Rural Youth Europe (RYEurope).

The 27 participants and team members mapped examples of shrinking civil space for youth organisations, on the basis of narratives which represent obstacles for youth civil society to organise itself.
EYCS, 2-6 March 2020, FEMYSO Study session
Outspoken: Advocacy for Youth Participation
The session was implemented in cooperation with FEMYSO-Forum of European Muslim Youth and Student Organisations and it provided training to 30 activists and local leaders to advocate for meaningful youth participation. 

The Committee of Ministers Recommendation on Young people’s Access to Rights and the Charter for Youth Participation in local and regional life were promoted.
EYCB, 2-7 March, ESU Study session
Level Up to Eur-UP!
Co-organised with the European Student Union (ESU), the session aimed at empowering young people who cannot access European political and social processes due to a number of obstacles which hinders their participation in European-level activities.
The session helped them to get new skills in a human rights education framework, and enabled them to play a more active role in building more democratic and participative societies.
Participants in the training course at the wannseeFORUM, Berlin, Germany, 9-13 March 2020
Training Course on Human Rights Education for youth centres in the Council of Europe Quality Label network
The annual training course for Quality Labelled youth centres on Human Rights Education was hosted by the youth centre wannseeFORUM in Berlin - one of the 14 youth centres currently holding the Council of Europe’s Quality Label.

The course was attended by educational staff and youth workers from labelled youth centres as well as candidate centres and the purpose was to bring the centres’ pedagogical programmes in line with the existing standards of the Council of Europe’s youth sector and to open up new perspectives and learn new ways to embed Human Rights Education in their work and programmes.
Kyiv, 1-2 March 2020, annual Management Committee meeting
“Youth for Democracy in Ukraine” starting soon!
The annual Management Committee meeting on the implementation of the Framework Programme for Co-operation between the Council of Europe and Ukraine in the field of youth policy was held in Kyiv. In attendance: Joint Council representatives and Council of Europe secretariat and representatives of Ukrainian youth organisations.

Discussions addressed effective involvement of youth organisations in the planning and implementation of youth policy, including through cooperation with the Council of Europe; the priorities of the new Framework programme for Co-operation as well as approaches to the implementation of the project “Youth for Democracy in Ukraine”. This project will focus on supporting democratic youth participation at local and regional level and will run until the end of 2021 within the Council of Europe Action Plan on Ukraine. The Ministry of Youth and Sport of Ukraine will be the main institutional partner.
Call for activities at the European Youth Centres Strasbourg and Budapest-1st semester 2021
DEADLINE: 15 APRIL 2020

Do not forget to apply for activities to be held in co-operation with the European Youth Centres in Strasbourg and Budapest (study sessions,1st semester 2021).

The study sessions are organised in co-operation with youth organisations/networks and the Council of Europe’s Youth Department, and are hosted by one of the European Youth Centres.International youth events lasting between 4 and 8 days, they bring together members of youth organisations or networks and experts for discussions on a specific subject relevant to the priorities 2020-2021 of the Council of Europe Youth sector
News from the European Youth Foundation
Due to Covid-19 consequences, the EYF invited NGOs to let them know whether they still can implement their activities supported by the Foundation. However, youth NGOs are invited to prepare their grant applications for 2021 until 1st April
deadline, following instructions on the EYF website.

The European Youth Foundation visited 3 projects in the last month: one training by ALLIANCE in Berlin, one WOSM activity in Porto and an event organised by the AEGEE in Moscow.

The EYF is currently assessing pilot activities planned in 2020. A pilot activity should always have an impact on the local communities and be in line with the focus themes of the Council of Europe youth programme. The next cut-off date for pilot activity applications is 10th of May.
Partnership news
- On 16 March the 1st Preparatory meeting of the Youth Knowledge Forum was held online: the Steering group discussed the scope, the focus and the target groups of the Forum.

- The brochure ‘Youth policy essentials’ was translated into Russian

- Publication of a study on ‘’Promoting quality in youth work practice in Europe’’, within the research initiative on Mapping educational and career paths of youth workers.
Upcoming activities
  • 31 March 2020, online: Expert group meeting on the Study on youth political participation
  •  April 2020: Online launch of the Study on digitalisation and social inclusion April 2020, online: Expert reflection on Youth Policy Manual
  • 23 April 2020, online: 2nd Preparatory meeting of the Youth Knowledge Forum
Useful links
The CoE Directorate General Democracy
The CoE Youth Portal
European Youth Centre Budapest
European Youth Centre Strasbourg
European Youth Foundation
Intergovernmental Cooperation
The EU-CoE Youth Parthership
Facebook pages
Advisory Council on Youth
Council of Europe - Youth
European Youth Centre Budapest
EU-CoE youth partnership
European Youth Foundation
No Hate Speech Movement
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