DG Democracy
Directorate of Democratic Participation
Youth Department

THINK YOUTH| No 96 - October 2021

2022: a youth campaign for revitalising democracy!

At its meeting on 12 and 13 October 2021, the Joint Council on Youth (CMJ) approved a proposal to launch, in 2022, a youth campaign for revitalising democracy. Youth for democracy, democracy for youth will be the rallying cry for this new youth campaign which is being organised at a time when the Council of Europe Secretary General has voiced her concerns of “a clear and worrying degree of democratic backsliding.

The Council of Europe Youth sector strategy 2030 recognises young people’s “fundamental role in promoting the Council of Europe’s core values” and aims at enabling young people across Europe to actively uphold, defend, promote and benefit from those values. Revitalising democracy is one of the Strategy’s four priorities.

The focus and themes of the campaign will be revitalising democracy, youth participation and the impact of digitalisation on young people, the aim being to increase young people’s role in the process of revitalising participatory democracy in the Council of Europe and restore mutual trust between young people and democratic institutions and processes.

The campaign will run from March to October 2022, the year that will mark 50 years of the Council of Europe youth sector. Both governmental and non-governmental youth partners will be invited to organise national and local activities and events according to a thematic monthly calendar that could cover the following issues.

Advisory Council on Youth invited to speak at the European Conference of Presidents of Parliaments

Athens, 21-22 October 2021

“A new protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights on the right to a healthy environment is in your hands”. This was the message Spyros Papadatos, Bureau member of the Advisory Council on Youth, gave to the Presidents of the Parliaments of the 47 Council of Europe member states on the occasion of a conference organised by the Hellenic Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

Speaking in a session on #EnvironmentRightNow: national parliaments and the right to a healthy and sustainable environment, Spyros Papadatos was one of three keynote speakers alongside the Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia, Kakha Kuchava and the Speaker of the Parliament of Finland Anu Vehviläinen.

Quoting the declaration of the Georgian presidency of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers in 2020, Spyros Papadatos underlined that we still fail to fully comprehend and accept the fact that the climate crisis is also a human rights crisis; he also recommended Parliaments implement sustainability within their internal working structures and practices, quoting the youth sector’s sustainability checklist which aims to ensure that it practices what it preaches.

He concluded his speech by calling on national parliaments and decision-makers to create structures similar to the Council of Europe youth sector’s co-managed system, in order to consult young people on any decision related to the environment.

Statutory bodies of the youth sector meet in plenary

11-13 October 2021, on-line

The meetings of the CDEJ, CCJ and CMJ gathered over 130 participants, important decisions were taken by each committee. The Joint Council on Youth (CMJ) agreed to start a youth campaign entitled “Youth for Democracy – Democracy for Youth” in 2022, which should focus on revitalising democracy, meaningful youth participation and digitalisation. It also approved a draft recommendation on protecting youth civil society and young people, and supporting their participation in democratic processes, as well as its draft explanatory memorandum, which will soon be examined by the Committee of Ministers.

The CMJ also took stock of the implementation of the 2020-2021 “Youth for Democracy” programme. In particular, it examined the conclusions of the review of the Committee of Ministers Recommendation on access to rights, and agreed to transmit them to the Committee of Ministers. It also acknowledged the progress with the “Human Rights Education Youth Programme” and with the implementation of a European Youth Work Agenda. It agreed to the drafting of a CM recommendation on rural youth in the next programming period. It also took note of the ongoing work on artificial intelligence and young people, as well as of the Task Force on greening the youth sector.

Joint Co-ordination Committee with the European Youth Information and Counselling Agency - ERYICA

6 October 2021, online

The Joint Co-ordination Committee between ERYICA and the Council of Europe was updated on recent developments in ERYICA, took stock of the implementation of the 2021 Grant Agreement and agreed on the work programme for 2022.

The European Youth Information Quality Label project was launched and is hoped to become an essential reference for young people and youth information providers in Europe.

Partial Agreement on Youth Mobility

8 October 2021, online

The Board of Co-ordination of the Partial Agreement on Youth Mobility through the Youth Card discussed the results of surveys conducted among member states and non-member states of the Partial Agreement. The Board was updated on recent developments in the European Youth Card Association, took stock of the implementation of the 2021 work programme and agreed on the work programme for 2022, such as “Implementing Council of Europe standards in youth work: the role of the European Youth Card”, “Democracy done right: young people as key actors in pluralistic democracy and the role of the European Youth Card” and “Mobility of youth from disadvantaged backgrounds: the role of the European youth card”.

Mental health in digital environments

The role of the European Youth Card in supporting a resilient generation

The seminar, organised on 18 October 2021 by the Partial Agreement on Youth Mobility, EYCA and the Slovenian Youth Agency aimed to ensure that mental health is being promoted as a policy priority at national and European level and that youth work adapts and includes services to identify, guide and support young people with mental health challenges.

The seminar was dedicated to policy makers, youth workers/service providers, mental health professionals and researchers, youth NGOs and youth card holders. It offered space to the professionals and young people to have a coordinated approach on this topic and come up with recommendations for policy makers and youth card organisations.

Youth Conference ReStart ReNew ReIntegrate

29 October 2021, Budapest, Hungary and online

A seminar of the Partial Agreement on Youth Mobility through the Youth Card took place in the framework of the Youth Conference ReStart ReNew ReIntegrate- Opportunities for young people after coronavirus held under the Hungarian Chairmanship of the Council of Europe.

The seminar discussed such topics as the European Youth Card as a tool to build resilient communities, to assist with youth mental health during Covid-19 pandemic, to complement youth work during and after the pandemic. The seminar was addressed to, first and foremost, policy makers, but also to the national youth card organisations, youth workers and youth service providers.

A special high-light of the Youth Conference was the video message by the Director General of the DG II Ms Samardžić-Marković

Launch event for the 3rd Edition of Compasito

The launch event for the 3rd edition of "Compasito - Manual for Human Rights Education with Children" was organised by the Youth Department of the Council of Europe in the context of the Hungarian Presidency of the Committee of Ministers on 20 October 2021 at the European Youth Centre Budapest.

The panel discussion ‘’The role of human rights education in promoting children’s rights’’ engaged participants at the EYCB and all over Europe through the live stream. Dr. Mária Herezog (Family, Child, Youth Association, Hungary), Dr. Liza Bukor (Department for Equal Opportunities and Children’s Rights, Office of the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights, Hungary), Tinna Rós Steinsdóttir (Office of the Ombudsperson for Children, Iceland), and Adam Lambe (Irish Secondary Students' Union (ISSU), Ireland) engaged in debate which was as challenging as it was motivating for the listeners.

Training course for educators using Human Rights Education with children based on ‘’Compasito’’ part of the programme of the CM Presidency

Enabling children and young people to learn and to exercise their right to human rights education

Held from 17 to 24 October at the European Youth Centre Budapest, this training course was based on the third edition of Compasito, the manual for human rights education with children. It brought together 28 young educators, activists, and multipliers to develop the capacity to implement training or education activities on human rights education for children and supported participants in using Compasito in their local contexts. The programme and methods of the training course were built on the combination of learning about, learning through and learning for human rights (and children’s rights) following the logic of the manual.

An element of the training course tackled adaptations of the activities in the manual, and participants explored how the manual can be used in a formal education setting as well as digitally. During the last day of the training course, participants had time to develop follow-up activities. The follow-up ideas spanned from implementing concrete Compasito activities in the daily educational work with children to rethinking the approach to children’s rights more holistically based on the values of Compasito.

The training course was organised by the Youth Department in close co-operation with the Children’s Rights Division of the Council of Europe. It was also part of the programme of the Hungarian Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.

Together have your say!

“TOGETHER HAVE YOUR SAY!” the “50/50” training seminar on youth participation standards and processes took place from 25 to 29 October 2021 in Kyiv, Ukraine.

The course is meant for specialists from national and local authorities working with young people and representatives of youth non-governmental organisations from Ukraine – in a so-called “50-50” model that evokes the spirit of co-management in place in the Council of Europe youth sector, and stresses the necessary cooperation between public authorities and organisations representing young people. The course focuses on youth participation standards and processes, especially relating to the preparations of the ethical framework and regulations for setting up a future National Council on Youth which will be based on co-management.

The aim of the training seminar was to improve participants’ competences to ensure youth participation in youth policy processes are achieved in line with the priorities of the Youth for Democracy programme of the Council of Europe and of the Framework Programme on Co-operation in the field of Youth Policy in 2021-2025, between the Council of Europe and the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine

Ukrainian version of the manual ''Have your say!" ›

The European Youth Centre Strasbourg welcomes participants with new features!

Staff and participants alike are delighted to welcome face to face activities back to the EYCS, where sanitary protocols and protective measures ensure the utmost attention is paid to everyone’s health and well-being.

The EYCS made the most of the Covid-19-imposed closure to renovate 28 bedrooms –guests will enjoy the modern, clean lines and new features.

The garden area has been enriched with a brand-new outdoor fitness area equipped with a table tennis table, volleyball court and fitness machines, some of which are wheelchair accessible. Additional picnic tables and benches create a new area for outdoor eating, working groups, or simply relaxing.

For more information, visits or reservations, please contact the EYCS Reception

Photo gallery of the EYCS renovated bedrooms ›

The Youth Peace Camp in Chisinau, Romania

The power of peace – Local Peace Camps kicked off!

Following the online Youth Peace Week in July 2021, several Local Peace Camps were initiated and planned for the second half of 2021.

One of these camps took place in Rustavi, Georgia and was titled “Power of Peace”. Here, 17 young peace builders met for 5 days to explore the topics of peace, conflict transformation, and intercultural dialogue through human rights education. During the same period, young multipliers who had attended the peace camp “Youth Peace Fest” in Chisinau were implementing peace actions in their local communities.

More than 60 local follow up activities were organised, including info sessions, training sessions about human rights, peace, mutual understanding and diversity, simulation games and quizzes.

Local Youth Peace Camp in Ukraine

The Institute of Creative Innovations together with the NGO Association of professional journalists and advertisers of Zhytomyr region, Centre for Applied Psychology “FOR LIFE”, Partnership of NGOs and initiative groups Public Resource of Polissya organised a Youth Peace Camp for young people from the communities of Zhytomyr region from 25 to 28 October 2021.

The Youth Peace Camp allows establishing communication between young people from different sides of the conflict, to perceive each other differently, to form skills of dialogue, critical thinking, and media literacy as conditions to prevent the deepening of the conflict.

Peer activities among young people allowed these skills to be disseminated in the communities of the Zhytomyr region.

“I See You as Myself” Youth Reconciliation Camp in Armenia

The Youth Reconciliation Camp “I See You as Myself” was organised from 28 to 31 October 2021 by the NGO “Development Initiatives”, as part of the Council of Europe’s Local Youth Peace Camps, set up

as an alternative to the classic Youth Peace Camp. The camp involved young people aged 18-35 from the Syunik region at Kapan, Armenia, who were ready to engage in learning about conflict and peace, digital literacy and dealing with the past, as well as participate in debates and cultural events.

The project aims to endow participants with skills of critical thinking, negotiation, and effective communication in the face of the post-war political polarisation and accumulation of negative sentiment around the upcoming municipal elections in Kapan.

The Living Library breaks a record with close to 300 readers!

The Youth Department organised a Living Library as part of the European Youth Event (EYE) on Friday 8 and Saturday 9 October 2021.

Living Library books and librarians at the EYE event

The Living Library aims to challenge preconceptions and discrimination by facilitating a conversation with a living book who shares his/her experience.

“Don’t judge a book by its cover!“. About 300 enthusiastic young participants borrowed a living book and were touched, surprised, moved by their reading of the rich human stories they discovered during this experience; “the ex-Nazi”, “the Gipsy from the inside”, “the Imam”, “the Psychologist”, “the Lesbian Mum”, “the Freemason”, “the former Guantanamo detainee”, “the Unaccompanied Minors from Afghanistan and Mali”, “the Muslim and/or French”, “the Person with a disability” were all best-sellers during this Living Library!

Find out more about the Living Library project ›

Turkey: discovering human rights through Compass

This Compass national training course was organised in cooperation with the Uluslararasi Gençlik Aktiviteleri Merkezi Derneği, IYACA, in Ankara from 27 September to 2 October 2021.

Twenty-five youth workers active in diverse communities in Turkey coming from different regions got additional motivation, competence and ability to introduce human rights education in their work through the usage of Compass. The participants' evaluation testified of their increased ability to learn and reflect on human rights and democratic citizenship education and to critically approach their own prejudices. The participants displayed a sense of empathy, sharing and solidarity in order to better support and implement human rights through their work with youth. At the end of the course, the participants prepared follow-up projects which highlight their willingness to work towards equal access to rights for underrepresented groups in Turkey.

North Macedonia: Compass for YouthPass

The Compass training course was organised in cooperation with the National Youth Council of Macedonia, in Skopje from 1 to 4 October 2021, as a

contribution to the implementation of the Charter on Education for Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights Education in formal and non-formal education.

Twenty people, a majority of high school and primary school teachers, participated in this Compass training course; most had never heard of Compass and few of them had experienced non-formal educational activities before. The participants were very receptive to the new approaches and experiential learning and "hungry" for more content and approaches. They came from 8 regions of North Macedonia, and prepared 8 detailed follow-up plans for each of the regions, where each team will work with at least 40 young people, using methods from Compass and also disseminating the information to their colleagues.

An important achievement has been the recognition of the value of experiential learning and innovative methods - including for online learning, which they lacked in times of pandemic. An additional success was that all relevant institutions for youth in North Macedonia showed up and participants had a chance to exchange information with them (CDEJ representative, Agency of youth and sport, EU National Agency, Institute for Youth Work, and AMOS, working on the new translation of Compass.)

The European Youth Foundation resumed in-country activities and delivered info session in Malta

In cooperation with Aġenzija Żgħażagħ, the National Youth Agency of Malta, the EYF delivered an in-country information session in Malta on 19-20 October. The objectives of the sessions were to raise awareness among youth NGOs in Malta about the EYF and its grant programmes, and to inform the Agenzija Zghazagh about the EYF’s requirements, so that they can provide ongoing support to potential applicant NGOs.

The two days session was attended by 12 Maltese youth NGOs, bilateral meetings were held with 5 NGOs. In addition, the EYF and Agenzija Zghazagh discussed how the agency can support the implementation of the 2022 youth campaign for revitalising democracy and how EYF funding can be used to support the process in Malta, in line with the thematic timeline of the campaign.

European Youth Foundation info sessions and presentations

On 8th October, the first day of the European Youth Event 2021, the European Parliament’s flagship event for

youth, an information session about the EYF was delivered by the Secretariat and representatives of the Programming Committee on Youth, Pegah Moulana and Tilemachos Boni. The session was attended by around 25 young people, representing national and international youth organisations from Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands, France, and Portugal, among others. Through the interactive presentation and many questions, the participants became aware about what the EYF tries to achieve and what it takes to apply successfully.

In addition, members of the EYF Secretariat joined three study sessions held at the European Youth Centre in Strasbourg, to present funding opportunities and exchange with participants on how the EYF can support projects which address the shrinking spaces for civil society, advocate for a sustainable environment and strengthen youth participation in local decision-making structures.

Youth e-participation - Transferring local youth participation to the digital sphere

This study session took place at the European Youth Centre Strasbourg on 11-15 October 2021; it was held in cooperation with the DYPALL network to equip youth workers, municipality representatives and youth leaders with practical knowledge on the applicability, transferability and implementation of different digital solutions for youth participation in decision-making processes at the local level.

The participants drafted a document with 10 hints for youth participation online, alongside 5 follow-up projects.

Youth work in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, and Montenegro

The EU-Council of Europe Youth Partnership contributes to YouthWiki, the Europe’s online encyclopaedia in the area of national youth policies by collecting knowledge from countries in Eastern and Southeast Europe.

Read the newest contributions from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova and Montenegro on Youth Work which have just been published.

Youth work in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, and Montenegro

Ukraine: Youth work strengthens youth participation

Since July 2021 teams from 14 youth centres in Ukraine – partners of the project “Youth for Democracy in Ukraine” are implementing projects on

strengthening youth participation and civic engagement of young people. This is the fourth phase of the component “Revitalizing youth centres and youth work’’ of the Council of Europe project which aims at encouraging youth centres at local, regional and national level in Ukraine to review their approaches to ensure that their strategies meet the needs of young people and are in line with Council of Europe standards on youth participation and youth work.

These strategies and reforms are adapted to the context of each centre. The Kyiv Youth Centre has been establishing new youth spaces in the city which are accessible for young people. The Nizhynsky city youth centre launched an educational programme of “Youth centre’s ambassadors”; the Donetsk regional children’s and youth centre has started a capacity building programme for 14 youth centres of the Donetsk region, including a Module on how young people can participate in decision-making process at local level. The Volyn Regional Youth Centre «YouthSphere» launched a Youth school on participation for students of 1st grade of the pedagogical college.

The Council of Europe provides mentoring, advisory missions, and practical workshops to support youth centres to implement their projects on strengthening youth participation. The project “Youth for Democracy in Ukraine” is implemented within the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine 2018-2022.

Greening the youth sector - Sustainability Checklist Published

Young people are leading the climate justice movement, advocating for more sustainable practices at the global level and making environmentally-conscious choices in their daily lives. “Thinking green” is a continuous process, requiring creativity and adaptability. The EU-Council of Europe Youth Partnership’s Sustainability checklist serves as a guideline for integrating sustainability into all aspects of youth sector activities.

Learn more about our animated video ›

New Podcast Episode: European Youth Strategies

What are the common points of the Council of Europe Youth Sector Strategy and the European Union Youth Strategy?

What are their objectives and context? What is the unique focus of each institution? How do the strategies stand the test in pandemic times?

Listen to the new episode of the Under 30' podcast series exploring this topic and read the analysis by Frederike Hofmann-van de Poll and Howard Williamson.

New video: Zero waste and young people

What is zero waste? Who are the young people practicing it? Is it accessible to all?

Explore this topic in the new Perspectives on Youth video and learn more about young people's views and attitudes towards zero waste practice as one of the ways to reduce pollution and respond to climate change with Claudia Maffei, zero waste coach, Mikko Piispa, youth researcher, and Tom Campbell, youth activist interviewed by Aleksandra Maldziski and Matina Magkou.

The Perspectives on Youth series aims to stimulate critical discussions on youth issues to be considered by youth policies in Europe to ensure their positive impact on young people, seeking for trends in the youth field that need innovative answers and strategies.

European Platform on Learning Mobility at the EYE2021!

European Platform on Learning Mobility’s Q!App and Handbook on quality in learning mobility were presented at the European Youth Event in Strasbourg, on 8 October 2021. These quality tools are aimed to support young people’s learning mobility and volunteering experiences, by focusing on quality of the experience and

inclusion of disadvantaged groups, minorities, or other young people at risk of exclusion.

The EPLM is an open network of a wide variety of stakeholders in the field of learning mobility, coordinated by the partnership between the European Commission and the Council of Europe in the field of youth. The EPLM connects several different international mobility programmes, including representation from Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps National Agencies, regional and bilateral programmes, and also others that offer workcamps, youth exchanges, volunteering, school exchanges, youth worker mobility, vocational apprenticeships etc. Current thematic areas that the EPLM covers include: Quality in learning mobility, Community impact of learning mobility and Sustainability and learning mobility.

About Time! Digital Launch

About Time! the reference manual for youth policy from a European perspective was launched on 5 October 2021 with Matjaž Gruden, Director of Democratic Participation, Council of Europe, Babis Papaioannou, Policy Officer, DG EAC, European Commission and Mila Mila Lukić, member of the Advisory Council on Youth of the Council of Europe.

Watch the graphic recording ›


Upcoming Activities

1-5 November 2021, Baku, Azerbaijan: Project on Local Peace Camp in Azerbaijan 6-10 November 2021, Strasbourg, France: World Forum for Democracy 8-12 November 2021, European Youth Centre Budapest, Youth: inclusive and peaceful societies, with SAME network (Solidarity Action Day Movement in Europe) 15-20 November 2021, European Youth Centre Budapest, study session in co-operation with Cooperation and Development Network Eastern Europe and the Federation of Young European Greens: Work that Works for all: Shaping Europe's Future of Work 16-17 November 2021, European Youth Centre Budapest, Preparatory meeting of the 50/50 training Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina 18-19 November 2021, European Youth Centre Strasbourg, Enter! Meeting of the expert group on local youth work and youth policies 18-19 November 2021, Malta, Reimagine our future: youth policies meeting new realities. The role of the European Youth Card in connecting emerging topics with youth policy development. Until 15 November 2021, Ukraine: Youth centres in Ukraine: mentoring, the advisory and support workshops on specific needs for 14 youth centres – partners of the Council of Europe Project “Youth for Democracy in Ukraine” Until 15 November 2021, Strengthening youth participation on local level in Ukraine: visits, mentoring, the advisory and support measures to the specific needs for 10 local communities – partners of the Council of Europe Project “Youth for Democracy in Ukraine” 22-26 November 2021, European Youth Centre Budapest, A Gendered Approach to Youth Homelessness, study session in co-operation with FEANTSA (Fédération Européenne des Associations Nationales Travaillant avec les Sans-Abri.) 22-26 November 2021, European Youth Centre Strasbourg, Speak Up and Lead: making space for diversity and participation in political youth organisations, study session in co-operation with European Liberal Youth (LYMEC) 22-26 November 2021, Brussels, Belgium, Formation Repères “Les Droits Humains pour kids’’, COMPASS National training course in co-operation with the Le Foyer des Jeunes des Marolles (FJM) 26 November 2021, Interactive Online Session on Inclusive Practices in European Youth Foundation funded projects 29 November-2 December 2021, Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation, International seminar: "Youth Policy: from standards to practice" 29 November-2 December 2021, European Youth Centre Budapest, Multi sectoral cooperation for inclusion of Roma youth and marginalised groups, study session in cooperation with the National Youth Council of Macedonia 6-10 December 2021, European Youth Centre Budapest, X Language: the impact of sexism in everyday communication, study session in co-operation with TEJO (Tutmonda Esperantista Junulara Organizo) 6-11 December 2021, European Youth Centre Strasbourg, Netizens – education for digital rights and democracy, study session in collaboration with HREYN (Human Rights Education Youth Network) 6-12 December 2021, Katowice, Poland, Internet Governance Forum 9-10 December 2021, European Youth Centre Budapest, 46th meeting of the Programming Committee on Youth

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
Coyote magazine




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