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DG Democracy and Human Dignity
Directorate of Democratic Participation
Youth Department
THINK YOUTH| No 121 - April 2024
Young Roma celebrating International Roma Day
Young Roma celebrating International Roma Day

From 5 to 8 April, the European Youth Centre in Strasbourg hosts 40 young people for Roma Youth Together. The seminar focuses on Roma youth empowerment and pride for the celebration of the International Roma Day and is co-organised by the Council of Europe’s Youth Department and the Roma and Travellers Division, in cooperation with the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC), TernYpe, the European Roma Grassroots Organisations (ERGO) Network and Phiren Amenca.

Over the course of 4 days, young Roma activists and leaders will explore multi-faceted Roma identity and heritage through workshops about music, drama, creating/speech writing, advocacy and storytelling, practising their skills for expression of pride and achievements. Moreover, participants will learn more about the work of the Council of Europe on Roma youth empowerment, and developed messages and actions for their communities on the implementation of the Recommendation CM/REC(2023)4 on Roma Youth Participation.

On 8 April participants will celebrate the International Roma Day in the presence of Michael O’FLAHERTY, Commissioner for Human Rights, Jeanne BARSEGHIAN, mayor of Strasbourg and Manuel DEMOUGEOT, Chair of the Committee of Experts on Roma and Traveller Issues (ADI-ROM). With Romani anthem Gelem Gelem, musical interlude by accordians and flower casting, participants will emphasise the role of young people in celebrating Roma identity and culture.

Echoes of Remembrance: Empowering International Roma Youth Leaders in Commemorating the Roma Genocide
Echoes of Remembrance: Empowering International Roma Youth Leaders in Commemorating the Roma Genocide

The study session “Echoes of Remembrance: Empowering International Roma Youth Leaders in Commemorating the Roma Genocide,” co-organised by the Council of Europe Youth Department and the TernYpe International Roma Youth Network, took place from 4 to 8 March at the European Youth Centre Budapest.

The session brought together 35 activists, Roma and non-Roma youth to empower them to advocate for the recognition and remembrance of the Roma Genocide on local and national levels and act as multipliers in their communities.

Throughout the 5-day-long programme, participants had the opportunity to increase their level of understanding of the Roma Genocide, fostering awareness of the historical persecution and its implications for contemporary Roma communities. They also developed leadership competencies to motivate and mobilise their peers for local remembrance initiatives. In the last days of the activity, participants, with the support of the preparatory team, planned local, national, and international follow-up activities on Roma Genocide recognition and remembrance.

Read more on the Study session ›
YOUTH WORK & YOUTH POLICY IN WAR TIME IN UKRAINE

Since March 2022, the Council of Europe project “Youth for Democracy in Ukraine – Phase III”  accompanies youth policy and youth work under war conditions, the Project activities are implemented in close co-operation with the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine.

Young Activists for Participatory Youth Policy
Young Activists for Participatory Youth Policy

From 18 to 22 March twenty-three representatives of youth and student councils, youth organisations, youth centres from 14 oblasts of Ukraine, working at the regional and local level, took part in a five-day training seminar on participatory youth policy, youth participation and civic participation in the decision-making process.

Throughout the week, young activists had an opportunity to discuss and contribute to the concept of a new state targeted social programme “Youth of Ukraine” for 2026-2030. The participants got acquainted with the youth sector co-management system - a unique and living example of participatory democracy, which became possible thanks to a meeting with Yevgeniia Fedotova, member of the Council of Europe’s Advisory Council on Youth.

Read more about the training seminar ›
Research on Needs of Public Authorities and Youth Councils
Research on Needs of Public Authorities and Youth Councils

The Research of the Needs and the State of Activity of Local, Regional, and National Authorities, Responsible for Youth Policy and of Local and Regional Youth Consultative Bodies in Particular Taking into Account the Needs and Realities of Young People in the War and Post-War period has been published.

Despite enormous difficulties several achievements in the field of youth policy have been identified: development of legislative and regulatory framework, approval of the occupational standard of youth workers and institutional stability.

Research on Needs of Public Authorities and Youth Councils
Supporting youth workers to help young people


From 26 to 28 March 2024 twenty-two youth workers in Ukraine took part in a 3-day specialised training "Trauma-informed youth work".

Participants explored the role of youth work in the human rights and trauma awareness context based in the training manual on Trauma Informed Youth Work.

The manual developed in 2022 following the request from youth workers in time of armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine.  

EYF supported project in the spotlight: Backsliding democracy - How does it impact gender equality, by the International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY)
EYF supported project in the spotlight: Backsliding democracy - How does it impact gender equality, by the International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY)

With this project IUSY aimed to expand the meaning of democracy and strengthen the connection between gender equality and democratic progress. Trends of backsliding democracy have emerged all around Europe and the world. 

During the project, 20 participants from different European countries discussed the issues at stake, gained skills for stronger democratic engagement and produced a publication on how to combat the backlash on women's rights.

Several key questions were addressed with special focus on what role young people play when it comes to work against backsliding and attacks on reproductive rights for instance, or censoring gender education which are some of the most common forms regression taking place at the moment. Extensive discussions were held about how young people can call out backsliding and be a beacon of hope and voice for progressive policy change.

The booklet "Backslinding Democracy" can inspire many young people to engage in the promotion of human rights, democracy and gender equality.

The project was supported by the European Youth Foundation through its international activity grant programme.

CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS: Training Course "LIVING COMPASS 2024"
CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS: Training Course "LIVING COMPASS 2024"
LIVING COMPASS aims at supporting the provision and quality of human rights education with young people by developing the competences of multipliers the context of local, national or international activities and projects and foster the implementation of the Council of Europe Charter on Education for Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights Education and the UN World Programme on Human Rights Education.

The deadline for applications is 15 April 2024, 23:59 (CET).  

More details in the call for participants ›
European Youth Foundation support for local projects with a European dimension, carried out by, for and with young people
European Youth Foundation support for local projects with a European dimension, carried out by, for and with young people

In April 2024, the Programming Committee on Youth approved almost 30 pilot activities grants for local youth projects with a European dimension for an amount of € 350 000 circa. 

The awarded projects, that will be implemented in 16 member states, cover a wide variety of topics and target groups, such as enhancing youth participation at local and regional levels, advocating for rights-based youth policies, addressing mental health issues of LGBTI young people, engaging young people from Belarus in diversity campaigns, raising environmental awareness, supporting remembrance education, developing local youth councils, addressing artificial intelligence and its impact on young people, access to social rights, media literacy, the inclusion of young people with disabilities, and combating discrimination affecting Roma youth.

Several projects tackle the development of youth work with young people from minorities, asylum seekers and rural youth, as well as mobile youth work. These grants concern applications received by the EYF at the 15 January 2023 deadline.

The next deadline for pilot activities is 15 May 2024. Pilot projects address young people’s needs and challenges at a local level, linked to the priorities of the Council of Europe youth sector. 

More information on EYF support for local projects ›
Upcoming Activities and Deadlines
  • 4-8 April 2024, European Youth Centre Budapest, study session: “Echoes of Remembrance: Empowering International Roma Youth Leaders in Commemorating the Roma Genocide” in cooperation with the TernYpe International Roma Youth Network
  • 5-8 April 2024, European Youth Centre Strasbourg, seminar 'Roma Youth Together' in cooperation with the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC), TernYpe, the European Roma Grassroots Organisations (ERGO) Network and Phiren Amenca
  • 8 April 2024, European Youth Centre Budapest, 72nd meeting of the European Steering Committee for Youth (CDEJ)
  • 8 April 2024, European Youth Centre Budapest, 51st meeting of the Board of Co-ordination of the Partial Agreement on Youth Mobility through the Youth Card
  • 8-10 April 2024, European Youth Centre Budapest, 51st meeting of the Advisory Council on Youth (CCJ)
  • 9-10 April 2024, European Youth Centre Budapest, 50th meeting of the Joint Council on Youth (CMJ)
  • 11 April 2024, Braga, Portugal, Braga Youth Centre receives the Council of Europe Quality Label for youth centres
  • 15 April 2024, DEADLINE to apply for activities in co-operation with the European Youth Centres in 2025
  • 15-19 April 2024, European Youth Centre Strasbourg, Study session - United in diversity – youth educating on diversity in cooperation with the European Coordination JECI-MIEC (International Young Catholic Students-International Movement of Catholic Students)
  • 15-20 April 2024, European Youth Centre Strasbourg, Study session - Activist Academy: Standing up for human rights and democracy - in cooperation with the No Hate Speech Network
  • 17 April 2024, Strasbourg, France: Exchange with members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on ‘Revitalising democracy in Belarus with and for young people’, organised by the Youth Department.
  • 22-26 April 2024, European Youth Centre Budapest, Study session - (de)Grading of education - in cooperation with OBESSU - Organising Bureau of European School Student Unions
  • 22-26 April 2024, European Youth Centre Budapest, Study session - Rural youth work 101: Advancing the inclusion of rural youth in Europe through volunteering and rural community-building - in cooperation with Rural Youth Europe (RYEurope)
  • 23-25 April 2024, Bucharest, Romania, European Youth Information and Counselling Agency-ERYICA 35th General Assembly
  • 13-18 May 2024, European Youth Centre Budapest, Study session - We choose PEACE - in cooperation with the Erasmus Student Network-ESN
  • 14-16 May 2024, European Youth Centre Strasbourg,Youth Event on the Occasion of the 75th Anniversary of the Council Of Europe, 'Confidence in tomorrow - Sharing and shaping democracy and human rights together with young people'
  • 27-31 May 2024, European Youth Centre Budapest, Study session - Reaching Further: Decentralising LGBTQI Youth Activism - in cooperation with IGLYO
  • 27 May-1 June 2024,  European Youth Centre Strasbourg, Study session - Finding your voice - in cooperation with the International Federation of Hard of Hearing Young People-IFHOHYP
  • 27 May-1 June 2024, European Youth Centre Budapest, Study session - Right to a healthy environment, a young activists perspective - in cooperation with Youth and Environment Europe
  • 29-31 May 2024, Podgorica, Montenegro, seminar: ‘Youth ecosystems essentials: the role of European Youth Card in advancing ecosystems for youth empowerment’ organised by the Partial Agreement on Youth Mobility & European Youth Card Association-EYCA
 
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 Partnership
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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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