The Advisory Council on Youth echoes the statement of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe in “condemning the Russian military attack against Ukraine in flagrant violation of the Statute of Council of Europe and the European Convention on Human Rights.”

The Advisory Council on Youth stands in solidarity with Ukraine and its young people. We fully support the National Youth Council of Ukraine and other youth organisations committed to the values of the Council of Europe.

In the spirit of education for democratic citizenship and human rights, promoted by the Council of Europe, we firmly believe that peaceful and diplomatic dialogue with all relevant stakeholders in governments and civil society is the only appropriate way to address the situation.

We call on the Council of Europe to reaffirm and actively seek to reinvigorate its role as a platform for diplomatic dialogue to safeguard human rights, democracy and the rule of law.

Youth centres and youth spaces in Ukraine have become shelters for internally displaced persons from the city who have been affected. The centres provide temporary accommodation, priority medication, food, initial counselling and referral.

Many of these centres are partners in the youth sector project Youth for Democracy in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Association of Youth Councils, together with the Youth Councils of Ukraine, has established a coordination headquarters for youth councils. The headquarters was created specifically to address the logistical issues of the affected population and internally displaced persons, sending food, medicine to the villages and cities in need of Ukraine.

A transitory logistical support and accommodation centre has been set up at the European Youth Centre Budapest to receive colleagues of the Council of Europe Office in Kyiv displaced from Ukraine as well as close family members. Some 40 colleagues and family members found safety at the EYCB for the time being and until more suitable solutions are found. 

Temporary accommodation at the European Youth Centre Strasbourg is also being made available (in smaller numbers). The European Youth Centre will be the interim location to host a school class for Ukrainian children organised by the association ''The Ukrainian school in Strasbourg".

On the 5th February 2022, de Hoge Rielen Youth Centre (Kasterlee, Belgium) received officially the Council of Europe Quality Label for Youth Centres in an award ceremony that was held in the presence of Mr Benjamin Dalle, Flemish Minister of Brussels, Youth and Media and Ms Antje Rothemund, Head of the Youth Department of the Council of Europe.

De Hoge Rielen Youth Centre was granted the Quality Label in 2020, following an evaluation visit of an international expert team in 2019. Due to the pandemic the award ceremony could only take place this year in the setting of the cultural festival WinterWarm. The festival was organised in close collaboration with local partners, and it gathered around 70 participants from youth organisations, young people and government representatives.

De Hoge Rielen aims to promote the values of the Council of Europe – democracy, rule of law and human rights in different ways – in their daily functioning, in activities, but also by literally bringing it into the picture.

Within the campaign, the European Youth Foundation had launched a call for pilot and international activities for youth organisation. The first cut-off date was 1 March. The applications the EYF received are at present under assessment. They include examples such as projects enhancing local youth participation, promoting youth mobilisation on key democratic issues, digital activism, human rights education and the inclusion of disadvantaged groups in democracy.

Applicant organisations will be informed as soon as possible about the outcome. The special call is still open and EYF registered NGOs can apply for pilot activities and international activities before the next cut-off date, 16 May 2022.

The preparatory seminar took place online on 11, 14 and 15 February 2022 and gathered 30 representatives of 12 partners from Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Moldova, North Macedonia, Portugal, Slovenia, and Spain. The purpose of the online preparatory meeting was to bring together the successful applicants who will hold COMPASS NRTCs in 2022, and those who were shortlisted for possible grants if financial resources become available later this year.

The Youth Department of the Council of Europe seeks a special relationship with the organisers of NRTCs, where they are considered as partners who have a common goal in promoting the values and skills of Human Rights Education in relation to the Council of Europe’s Youth for Democracy programme and the Council of Europe Charter on Education for Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights Education.

The partner organisations were introduced to educational programme elements, methodology, and administrative, technical, and financial issues related to the successful implementation of the courses. They were introduced to the Handbook for Organisers of COMPASS NRTCs which guides them in quality preparation, implementation, and follow-up activities.

Do contemporary European democracies need young people? How do young people engage with political, social, and economic processes in democratic societies? Why do they choose to vote, join political parties, run for an office, take part in a protest or volunteer in a youth organisation? How do European institutions – the EU and the Council of Europe support and encourage youth political participation?

The Youth Partnership’s study Meaningful youth political participation in Europe: concepts, patterns and policy implications by Ondřej Bárta, Georg Boldt and Anna Lavizzari explores different forms of youth engagement in democratic societies.

Join the launch of the study on Meaningful youth political participation in Europe on 9 March 2022 at 11:00 CET with guest Directors: Sophia Eriksson Waterschoot, Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, European Commission and Matjaž Gruden, Directorate of Democratic Participation, Council of Europe.

Join the event on Facebook and follow the Zoom event.