DG Democracy
Directorate of Democratic Participation
Youth Department

THINK YOUTH No 79 - April 2020

Youth sector’s response to COVID-19

The Youth Department has launched a new webpage dedicated to all things COVID-19.

Here, the youth sector’s stakeholders can find Council of Europe youth standards and resources which are particularly useful in this period, and are invited to share examples of good practice to attenuate the repercussions of COVID-19.

We also invite you to consult the good practices we have received from our partners and which we have published on the dedicated page >>

Consult the Youth sector's special webpage ›

CMJ working group on responses to COVID-19

The Council of Europe youth sector has mobilised to mitigate the negative effects of the COVID-19 crisis.

On the initiative of the Advisory Council on Youth, the Joint Council on Youth has set up a working group to explore how best to adapt the Council of Europe youth sector’s work in light of the current unprecedented circumstances, in order to continue pursuing its mission for the benefit of young people in Europe.

As the group fully reflects co-management, the youth sector will benefit from the experience of both youth civil society and governmental representatives.

Read more about the working group ›

The Advisory Council on Youth calls on member states to protect young people’s human rights during the pandemic

Recalling the importance of respect for human rights, including in times of pandemic, the Advisory Council on Youth has issued a statement in which it invites member states to continue protecting young people’s rights, especially those of vulnerable and minority groups, and to promote their democratic participation.

In light of the changes young people can effect through their crucial action, the statement underlines the need to safeguard the existence and sustainability of youth organisations by providing access to funding and other forms of support

Read the Advisory Council on Youth statement ›

Good practices from the Youth sector partners!

We are happy to share examples of good practices sent from our partners, that include the online youthwork services set up by the National Youth Agency of Malta thus ensuring a new way of contacting, staying in touch and supporting young people; the initiatives taken by the European Youth Card Association-EYCA and its member organisations; an example of digital creativity from the NGO Living Library Zasavje (Slovenia) which managed to gather online human books and their readers, as well as very creative examples of activities organised by Youth centres holding the Council of Europe quality label (see detailed news below).

A special feature on the youth portal provides a database presenting these inspiring illustrations of resilience from youth NGOs and from our member states across Europe

Good practices of Youth centres holding the Council of Europe quality label

The Council of Europe Quality Label for Youth Centres provides an opportunity for youth centres with a structured relationship to a public authority to benefit from the Organisation’s approach to youth work and youth policy. Currently 14 youth centres hold the label; all of them are strongly affected by the pandemic and respond to the situation in different ways:

Destelheide Youth Centre (Belgium): visit Alex Vanhee “Big and small heroes” online, playful and interactive exhibition! Open until 31st May 2020
International Youth Centre Strara Zagora (Bulgaria): a “Daily Sport Challenge” to post videos on Facebook, online training on emotional intelligence to express oneself in a creative way
The Lisbon Youth Centre (Portugal): runs a campaign on rights through its digital channels #DIREITOATERDIREITOS (right to have rights) and contributes to #SERJOVEMEMCASA (be young at home) of the Portuguese Institute of Sport and Youth
the Youth Centre Plovdiv (Bulgaria): coordinated Plovdiv youth participation in the 11th edition of the festival "Hello Health!" dedicated to healthy lifestyles, which reached over 4000 viewers online across the country
Eurog KDYS (Ireland), in responding to the Covid-19 crisis reorganised its vital services to respond to the evolving needs of young people and communities in Kerry County.
the Marienthal Youth Centre (Luxembourg): the initiative “Keeping kids active“ a new website with activities for children during the confinement period
Brežice Youth Centre (Slovenia) while maintaining the project “Youth Incubator” to integrate young people in the labour market, the centre has adapted to the crisis and engaged into intergenerational support initiatives.

Ukraine: Online Compass Long Term Training Course for Trainers - LTTC

The Compass LTTC for Trainers in Ukraine started in November 2019. The participants continued their learning path through a mid-term meeting which because of the pandemic was replaced partially by online work.

Twenty-six participants and trainers connected to discuss their learning achievements and to address problems with the projects. They highlighted that most of their challenges for implementing their projects are due to the pandemic, often resulting with cancelations or postponement of the activities. In some cases, the funding for Human Rights Education activities has also been frozen.

The participants concluded that during these times Human Rights Education is more needed than ever to address growing social inequalities, discrimination and hate speech present on social media. Similar meetings were proposed for the upcoming period in order to provide space for networking and peer support among participants.