Youth Partnership collects, analyses and develops knowledge, data and information about young people, to better understand current and upcoming challenges and trends in their lives, and their implications and relevance for youth policy and youth work.
Young people are shaping 21st-century European societies amid rapidly changing democratic, cyber, and physical spaces. They are mobilising around issues such as environmental protection, democratic values, diversity, equality and inclusion as well as countering extremist ideologies, white-supremacy and the anti-gender movement. At the same time, shrinking civic space has made self-organisation more difficult, with growing legislative, financial and administrative barriers for youth organisations.
Through its 2024–2025 work plan, the Youth Partnership has been exploring these and other topics of importance to young people, including youth perspectives and youth mainstreaming; youth activism in the context of the climate crisis and democracy; mental health and well-being, particularly in relation to the cost of living and digitalisation; and the rights of young people in rural areas.
The international conference Youth Perspectives in Contemporary Europe: New Tasks for Research and Policy is an opportunity to take stock of the existing research conducted by the partnership, as well as to identify topics for a future research agenda.
The conference will furthermore serve as a unique networking occasion for the youth sector shortly after the 10th Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Youth to be held in La Valletta (Malta) on 8 and 9 October and in the context of the listening process to gather inputs for the preparation of the European Commission proposal for the future EU Youth Strategy.
Expected outcomes
- Bring together a diverse range of stakeholders in the youth field — including young people, youth organisations, policy makers, European institutions, researchers, and other relevant actors — to discuss young people’s realities in contemporary Europe.
- Provide a space for dialogue between researchers, policy makers, and representatives of youth organisations on topics of major importance.
- Disseminate knowledge and research gathered and analysed by the Youth Partnership over the past two years, share key findings, and highlight new and emerging issues in the youth field.
- Identify research and support needs to better address the current realities of young people, informing future youth policies and practices.
