Directorate General of Democracy and Human Dignity
Directorate for Democracy
Youth Department

THINK YOUTH| No 127 - October 2024

Including a youth perspective and youth participation across the Council of Europe’s work

The Council of Europe held a ground-breaking two-day consultative meeting on the inclusion of a youth perspective in the Organisation’s intergovernmental and other deliberations on 19-20 September 2024 at the European Youth Centre. Consultations were held as the Organisation is committed to increase youth participation in decision-making processes, to improve the effectiveness of public policies and strengthens democratic institutions through open dialogue.

Organised by the Joint Council on Youth (CMJ) Working Group, the meeting brought together key stakeholders, including members of the Advisory Council on Youth (CCJ), the European Steering Committee for Youth (CDEJ), the European Youth Forum (YFJ), the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), international non-governmental youth organisations, national youth councils and independent youth experts.

Read more on the Consultative meeting ›

Young people and policy makers discuss democracy and the climate crisis in Strasbourg

Climate justice and effective action ending the triple planetary crisis of global warming, pollution and a loss of biodiversity are key concerns of young people.

From 24 to 26 September, 120 young people, members of non-governmental youth organisations, voluntary and professional youth workers as well as researchers and policy makers gathered at the European Youth Centre Strasbourg for the EU-Council of Europe Youth Partnership’s “Symposium: Young people, democracy and climate action”.

The Council of Europe has long recognised the importance of a healthy environment as a basic human right. It has adopted several texts that demand a shift in policies, to ensure that a healthy environment is recognised as a basic human right. These initiatives highlight the Council of Europe’s ongoing efforts to protect the environment and uphold human rights, which were recently reaffirmed in the 2023 Reykjavik Declaration.

Read more on the Symposium ›

Updating the European Youth Foundation’s work after Reykjavik

The European Youth Foundation (EYF) gathered partners, international and independent funders active in the field of youth and members of the Council of Europe Joint Council on Youth in Strasbourg to chart the way to updating the Foundation’s work. The European Youth Foundation is a unique, agile and relevant supporter to youth organisations across Europe. The Foundation’s grants are a key tool to follow-up on the Reykjavik declaration by fostering young people’s participation in democratic life and decision-making processes, working for peace based on international cooperation.

The update will allow EYF to keep playing a key role within the Council of Europe for revitalising democratic life and promoting human rights. The reform of the EYF will also create space and support for reinforcing civil society and democratic values, key areas of work of the Council of Europe reaffirmed in the 4th Summit of the Heads of State and Government in Reykjavik, May 2024.

Coming of age during war: youth work in Ukraine today. How can European youth policy adapt?

EUROPEAN YOUTH CENTRE STRASBOURG - 30 September - 4 October 2024

The Youth Department of the Council of Europe, in cooperation with the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine are organising a seminar entitled ‘Coming of age during war. Youth work in Ukraine today. How can European youth policy adapt?’

The seminar will bring together up to 30 professional practitioners and volunteers working with young people of Ukraine to develop their understanding of a human rights-based approach to youth work in supporting the well-being of young people coming of age in war conditions. The outcomes of this seminar will be reflected in the 4th European Youth Work Convention in May 2025 and the Conference of Ministers responsible for Youth in October 2025.

In the framework of the seminar, the Council of Europe Youth Department is organising a public discussion titled “Youth, Ukraine, Europe: Coming of age during war. How can European youth policy adapt ?” on 2 October 2024.

Youth Policy Advisory Mission to Portugal

The Council of Europe Youth Department conducted a youth policy advisory mission to Portugal from 2 to 5 September 2024 within the framework of the European Steering Group for Youth (CDEJ) bilateral assistance measures.

The mission comprised representatives from the Advisory Council on Youth (CCJ), the European Steering Committee for Youth (CDEJ), the research community and the Council of Europe Youth Policy Division.

Exchanges with key stakeholders included the Office of the Minister of Youth and Modernisation, the Portuguese Institute for Youth and Sports, the Portuguese National Youth Council, representatives of Portuguese municipalities, the Portuguese Employment and Vocational Training Centre, as well as representatives of different youth associations and youth work organisations.

Deepening Quality and Sustainability of Youth Activities

From 11 to 17 September, the 30 youth trainers and youth workers who took part in the residential seminar of the long-term training course TRAYCE finished their learning journey in the European Youth Centre Strasbourg. The group has been working and learning together since March 2023, online and in person, and met for a final seminar.

During the year each participant developed their own training practice activity and designed an educational product. The educational products designed in the course are created to support or inform non-formal education practitioners and vary in format between games, manuals, tools and articles. The residential seminar served to consolidate the learning from these individual features, and to evaluate it.

All TRAYCE participants are active educators and trainers in the youth field, working with a diversity of target groups and issues. In TRAYCE, they were supported to get closer to the priorities and values of the Council of Europe, and to plan for their next steps in the field.

Youth for human rights education in Luxembourg

The Compass national training course “Promoting human rights education in Luxembourg 2024” brought together 20 youth workers, human rights activists, teachers and students at the Marienthal Quality Labelled Youth Centre. Held from 9 to 13 September, the course was initiated by ALDIC - The Luxembourg Association for Intercultural Dialogue with support of the Council of Europe within the Human Rights Education Youth Programme.

This course equipped participants with competences for human rights education, empowering them to drive a deeper impact within their respective communities. In the next two months, they will apply these competences by launching local initiatives to integrate human rights education into their work with young people and teaching methods that engage every learner, recognising the role of participation in the learning process.

Rights in Our Languages: Compass training course in Greece

From 2 to 6 September, 25 educators, youth workers, and social workers from across Greece gathered at the ELIX Multispace in Athens to improve their competences for education for democratic citizenship and human rights education with young people.

The programme of the national training course “Rights in Our Languages” strengthened their motivation and ability to promote a culture of human rights and democratic values in intercultural environment in educational activities with young people in Greece.

This national training course based on the Compass manual for human rights education with young people was organised by ELIX – Conservation Volunteers Greece in cooperation with the Youth Department of the Council of Europe as part of the Human Rights Education Youth Programme.

Off the print: a new COMPASITO!

A new edition of Compasito – the 3rd edition with 2023 updates – is now available in English and in French. This edition reflects the changes that took place in the Council of Europe and in the field of human rights education since 2020. It has two new activities but, above all, preserves the child and facilitator friendly language and design! Compasito is a manual conceived to facilitate the practice of human rights education with children. Its primary users are adults active in formal and non-formal education with children.

Compasito provides ideas, inspiration and practical help to explore human rights with children. It looks at children as young citizens of the present and as rights-holders who are competent in many issues related to their life. It builds on children’s motivations, experiences and their search for solutions.

LIVING COMPASS: training young multipliers for human rights education

LIVING COMPASS – Training Course for Multipliers for Human Rights Education with Young People brought together at the European Youth Centre Budapest – from 23 to 30 September 2024 - some 35 human rights educators and activists from around the world to learn collaboratively about, through and for human rights.

LIVING COMPASS began in June 2024 through online learning and will be concluded in December. It is organised by the Youth Department of the Council of Europe in co-operation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. It aims at supporting the provision and quality of human rights education with young people by developing the competences of multipliers in the context of local, national, or international activities and projects, and fosters 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.

Read more on LIVING COMPASS ›


COMPASS NATIONAL TRAINING COURSES

Slovak Republic and United Kingdom On 29 September, Národný inštitút vzdelávania a mládže – NIVAM began a five-day Compass training course to improve youth sector multipliers’ competences for human rights education based on non-formal education methodology. The training course in Piešťany will stimulate and develop quality programmes and activities of human rights education at the local, regional, and national levels in the Slovak Republic. From 2 to 5 October, AICEM - International organisation for cooperation and worldwide education and Young Brent Foundation organise “Human Rights Passwords” within the Youth revitalising democracy project with support from the London Borough of Brent. The training course aims to promote human rights among young people and their role as citizens, to combat discrimination based on different cultural and religious backgrounds. On 2 October 2024, an exhibition to mark the 75th anniversary of the Council of Europe will complement the training course; organised in the Brent Museum and Archives, London, it will allow young people to share their aspirations and commitment to a democratic Europe and to contribute, as irreplaceable partners for the present and the future of the Council of Europe, to shaping the future of democracy and human rights on the European continent.

Highway to Wellbeing: Improving Mental Health and Physical Activity of Youth through Human Rights

EUROPEAN YOUTH CENTRE BUDAPEST, 9-12 September 2024

The study session was organised in cooperation with the European Non-Governmental Sports Organisation Youth (ENGSO Youth) and the International Youth Health Organisation (YHO). It brought together 25 participants and aimed to empower youth to take action to improve mental health and physical activity. More specifically, participants gained an understanding of the health and socio-economic implications of limited access to human rights and the need to address mental well-being and physical activity comprehensively, through a Human Rights lens. Participants explored the determinants of mental health, the role of sport and physical activity in fostering well-being, and how these contribute to both physical and mental health.

As a direct, practical outcome of the study session, participants co-created a monthly well-being challenge in the lead-up to the European Week of Sports.

Youth Ambassadors of the Decade against Antigypsyism: From European Commitment to Local Actions

EUROPEAN YOUTH CENTRE BUDAPEST, 9-14 September 2024

Twenty-seven young people took part in the study session organised in cooperation with the European Roma Grassroots Organisations Network (ERGO) and ternYpe International Roma Youth Network; session which is part of the long term strategy of the organisations to empower young Roma and non-Roma activists as ambassadors for the “Decade to counter Antigypsyism”.

The study session contributes directly to combating all forms of discrimination, racism and exclusion, including its structural forms, and to the implementation of Recommendation of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on Roma Youth Participation and the General Policy Recommendation No3 of the European Commission against Racism and intolerance, on combating racism and intolerance against Roma/Gypsies.

Advocacy in Action: Safeguarding a sustainable and peaceful future

EUROPEAN YOUTH CENTRE STRASBOURG, 2-6 September 2024

The study session was organised in cooperation with Don-Bosco Youth Network. The aim of the session was to build capacities of young DBYN volunteers and youth representatives in human rights advocacy, especially in the field of sustainability and peacebuilding.

Participants explored human rights and democracy and learned about the human rights education approach of the Council of Europe.


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.

Extending expertise: new joint programme on trauma-informed approach

In response to the needs of key national and local partners in Ukraine, the Council of Europe projects "Facilitating access to human rights and essential services for internally displaced persons and returnees at the community level" and "Youth for Democracy in Ukraine: Phase III" launched the programme “Trauma-informed approach in the context of access to human rights and essential services for internally displaced persons and persons, returning to Ukraine."

The first training for trainers of the Programme took place from 17 to 21 August 2024 in Truskavets, Lviv region, and brought together 24 representatives of youth centres and organisations working with internally displaced persons and returnees.

Read more on the new Joint programme ›

Supporting civil society organisations working with youth

Since 2023, the Project, in co-operation with the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, has been implementing a long-term capacity building programme "Access to Youth Work" for newly established NGOs working with young people. In particular, 10 grants were implemented in the period from March to September 2024 in different regions of Ukraine.

NGO "TENET: Centre for Social Transformations" within the framework of the project "Amaro Glaso – Amplifying the Voices of Roma Youth" created an information platform on Instagram – @tenet_info_8 and a series of podcasts to raise awareness and strengthen the voice of Roma youth through the media.

"In a world where stereotypes and prejudices are still prevalent, it is important to create platforms for dialogue and understanding. We offer innovative approaches for Roma and Ukrainian youth that will help them express themselves, share their stories and break down barriers," the NGO emphasizes.

EYF-supported project in the spotlight: "Beyond Boundaries: the Realities of LGBTQI+ Ukrainian Refugees"

The international activity "Beyond Boundaries: the Realities of LGBTQI+ Ukrainian Refugees" of the International Falcon Movement Socialist Educational International (IFM-SEI) is funded by the EYF in the framework of the its Special Call Ukraine; it was hosted by the Kurt Löwenstein Education Centre near Berlin in August 2024. The activity brought together young people from Ukraine, living in Ukraine or as refugees in Austria, Slovenia, Belgium and Germany, as well as participants from other countries and IFM-SEI member organisations.

The interactive and engaging activity aimed to increase young people's understanding and knowledge of the social, economic and political realities facing Ukrainian LGBTQI+ youth and refugees. Participants were empowered to join an international network of young people, act as multipliers to raise awareness of the risks and realities faced by LGBTQI+ Ukrainian youth and promote solidarity.

Read more on the project ›

WALK THE TALK SEMINAR

The Partial Agreement on Youth Mobility through the Youth Card and the European Youth Card Association (EYCA) organised on 23-25 September 2024, in Visegrád, Hungary, the seminar Walk the Talk on „Access of Rural Youth to Cultural Heritage: European Youth Card’s role in promoting Cultural Routes”.

The seminar was run in co-operation with the Youth Department of the Ministry of Culture and Innovation of Hungary and the Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe: the seminar's participants had an opportunity to join the 13th Forum on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe also held in Visegrád from 25-27 September.

The seminar was held in an innovative interactive format of discovering some of the highlights of the future Council of Europe's cultural route passing through Visegrád, to open next year. The participants exchanged about youth mobility and on ways to bring down barriers for rural youth to experience their national and European heritage, and the role of the European Youth Card in this process.

The seminar altogether placed special attention on young people in rural areas and tried to address the challenges they face in accessing cultural or mobility programmes. The event draws on the conclusions and recommendations of several events and processes which took place at the level of the Council of Europe and EYCA in 2024, such as the implementation of a youth perspective and the work of the drafting group on rural youth preparing a future Recommendation of the Committee of Ministers to member States on social, political and economic participation of rural youth.

Advocating for youth work in Eastern and South-East Europe

The Youth Partnership is organising its next regional seminar around the topic of advocacy for youth work development. The event takes place in Skopje, North Macedonia (29-30 October 2024) and will focus on identifying good practices, as well as disseminating latest research results. It will ensure visibility of a new comprehensive study Youth work in South-East Europe and the results of the study Youth brain drain from the Western Balkans, the Eastern Partnership and Türkiye. It will also offer a room for an active dialogue about the support needed for a strengthened, structured, and recognised youth work in South-East and Eastern Europe, taking the upcoming 4th European Youth Work Convention and the future of strategy and programmes of the two partner institutions into consideration.

New publication: Youth and democracy in the climate crisis

Young people have been demanding urgent action to address the root causes of the climate crisis, claiming their right to a healthy environment and intergenerational justice. The Youth Partnership’s latest Youth Knowledge Book: Youth and democracy in the climate crisis explores young people’s engagement in environmental politics, the ways in which European youth sector is supporting them, and some key emerging issues such as inequality, intergenerational solidarity, links between climate denialism and populism and the rise of eco-anxiety. Would you like to know more? The Youth Partnership’s Symposium: Young people, democracy and climate action took place at the end of September.

Check the various resources available

Cooperation with Lviv, European Youth Capital 2025

The Youth department organises from 9 to 12 October 2024 a study visit in Lviv, Ukraine, for representatives of youth organisations active in international cooperation with the aim to demonstrate

the unwavering solidarity of the international community to brave young people in Ukraine, and to support Lviv as the European Youth Capital 2025. The visit will be followed by a capacity building activity on project management, organised by the European Youth Foundation in Lublin, Poland, from 13 to 15 October.


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Upcoming Activities and Deadlines

June–December 2024, Training Course "LIVING COMPASS 2024", online and European Youth Centre Budapest 30 September-4 October 2024, European Youth Centre Strasbourg, Seminar: "Coming of age during war. Youth work in Ukraine today - how can European youth policy adapt?" 2 October 2024, European Youth Centre Strasbourg, Public discussion: Youth, Ukraine, Europe: Coming of age during war. How can European youth policy adapt? 2-5 October 2024, Brent Civic Centre, London, United Kingdom, Compass national training course on Human rights education with AICEM - International organisation for cooperation and worldwide education and Young Brent Foundation 6 October 2024, Deadline to answer the Call for participants in the Training course “Peace Education and Conflict Transformation with Young People” 7-11 October 2024, European Youth Centre Strasbourg, Study session: "Remembering, resisting and rebuilding: Combating together antigypsyism for inclusive societies" in cooperation with Youth Express Network (Y-E-N) & Youth of European Nationalities (YEN) 7-12 October 2024, European Youth Centre Budapest, Seminar on digitalisation in cooperation with the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) 9-13 October 2024, European Youth Centre Strasbourg, Study session: "Strengthening Resilience of Youth Spaces in Europe" in cooperation with the Bureau Européen du Scoutisme ASBL-World Organisation of the Scout Movement (WOSM) 10-11 October 2024, Lviv, Ukraine, Study visit to Lviv for representatives of youth organisations active in international co-operation 14-19 October 2024, Luxor, Egypt, 8th Arab-European Youth Forum - Youth and Intercultural Dialogue in times of Artificial Intelligence 14-18 October 2024, European Youth Centre Budapest, Study session: Transforming Social Work with the power of Youth Work, in cooperation with the FEANTSA Youth 14-18 October 2024, European Youth Centre Budapest, Study session: You Co-create the Future, in cooperation with the European Students’ Union 21 October 2024, European Youth Centre Strasbourg, 73rd meeting of the European Steering Committee for Youth – CDEJ 21 October 2024, European Youth Centre Strasbourg, 52nd meeting of the Partial Agreement on Youth mobility through the Youth Card 21-23 October 2024, European Youth Centre Strasbourg, 52nd meeting of the Advisory Council on Youth - CCJ 21-23 October 2024, European Youth Centre Strasbourg, 51st meeting of the Joint Council on Youth – CMJ 21-25 October 2024, Paris, France, Hackathon sur l’éducation aux droits de l’Homme, Compass national training course in France 28 October-1 November 2024, European Youth Centre Strasbourg, Study session: Youth Democracy Academy for young policy-makers, in cooperation with the DYPALL Network: Developing Youth Participation at Local Level 28 October-1 November 2024, Braga, Portugal, Training of trainers in human rights education Compass national training course in Portugal 28 October-1 November 2024, European Youth Centre Strasbourg, Democracy Reloading Here and Now: strengthening local youth participation 31 October-3 November 2024, Turin, Italy, Crossing Human Rights Education Borders: Regional Compass training to empower young people in the transalpine area October 2024, Antalieptė, Lithuania, EmpowerEd: Human Rights Education for Educators, Compass national training course in Lithuania 4-9 November 2024, European Youth Centre Budapest, Study session: Achieving Justice through our Youth Minorities : Building Capacity to work together for a fairer future, in cooperation with the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation Youth (UNPOY) with the support of Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation (UNPO) 4-9 November 2024, European Youth Centre Budapest, Study session: Breaking the Barriers - Green Economics and Youth Political Participation in Eastern Europe, in cooperation with the Cooperation and Development Network Eastern Europe (CDN) 4-8 November 2024, European Youth Centre Strasbourg, World Forum for Democracy & 6-8 November 2024, Strasbourg, France, 12th World Forum of Democracy Democracy and Diversity – Can we transcend the divides?

Useful links

Directorate General of Democracy and Human Dignity
The Council of Europe Youth Portal
European Youth Centre Budapest
European Youth Centre Strasbourg
European Youth Foundation
Intergovernmental Cooperation
The EU-CoE Youth Partnership

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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