Developing youth policy and constructing links with research and practice are at the core of the mission of the EU-Council of Europe youth partnership: most of our activities, therefore, develop across these areas and promote dialogue among youth researchers, young people, youth organisations, policy makers and practitioners on themes of relevance to young people in Europe. This leads to formulating conclusions and recommendations for future reflection and youth policy, research and practice actions.

For further information do not hesitate to contact EU-Council of Europe youth partnership team.

Back “Shaping youth policy in practice”: a capacity-building project for strengthening youth policy, 2019 - 2020

“Shaping youth policy in practice”: a capacity-building project for strengthening youth policy, 2019 - 2020

The aim of the project is to build capacities of those involved in youth policy in different countries and from different angles (governmental, non-governmental and research) with a vision to strengthen their youth policy work on the basis of the know-how and principles promoted by the EU-CoE youth partnership and its two partner institutions.

The key of the project is bringing together a limited number of national delegations with a special composition of actors from the different angles of youth policy. Bringing these actors together is important as, according to the youth policy principles promoted by the EU – CoE youth partnership, youth policy should be based on evidence, should listen to the voice of young people and should be based on the co-operation between different actors involved in the youth field in order to respond to young people’s needs and aspirations.

The project offers a variety of activities, in the form of online learning, 2 residential training seminars (France and Italy), implementing a delegation plan, advice and expertise support, networking and a study visit in Ireland.

Project objectives:

 Build capacities of youth policy actors to strengthen youth policy on the basis of the know-how and principles promoted by the EU-CoE youth partnership and its partner institutions

 Contribute to a culture of co-operation among different actors for supporting youth policies within each participating country

 Create a space for peer exchange on youth policy

 Accompany and build the capacity of national delegations to develop and implement a delegation plan within each country’s national context.

Participants:

The project involved 30 participants, from 5 countries (France, Italy, Ireland, North Macedonia, Russian Federation), recruited as national delegations on the basis of interest and relevance for their current youth policy practice and roles.

Project phases:

 Phase 1 online and offline (March to May 2019)

  •  Two-month online phase, bringing participants to a common level of understanding of youth policy concepts, principles, approaches
  •  Two meetings of the delegations to prepare their delegation ideas and plan

Phase 2 residential four-day training seminar (20 – 24 May 2019, Strasbourg, France)

  • A training seminar aiming to strengthen competences on youth policy, enhancing cooperation in the national delegations and the preparation of their delegation plan, supporting networking and peer learning among delegations.

 Phase 3 co-operation phase (May 2019 to March 2020)

  • Implementation of delegation plans and support measures for the delegations in this process

 Phase 4 a study visit (Ireland, 21-23 October 2019)

  • A two-day study visit to one of the participating countries, focusing on learning from practice and critical analysis of the work done in phase 3.

 Phase 5 a consolidation seminar (online, November 2020)

  • A three-day seminar, consolidating the learning from the project previous phases and bringing new knowledge on youth policy.
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Back South-Med youth policy co-operation

In 2005 the EU-CoE youth partnership, together with several national and regional partners, initiated a process of youth policy cooperation in the broader Euro-Mediterranean region, with a view to fostering greater cooperation between youth policy stakeholders.

The process of youth policy co-operation has inter alia significantly contributed to the recognition that co-operation among institutions responsible for youth policy (public and private) is essential to intercultural dialogue and to the Euro-Med projects in which young people take part.

Youth policy activities have also, undoubtedly, resulted in an expansion of  partnerships and co-operation with a variety of institutions concerned by the empowerment of young people in the MENA region, including the League of Arab States, UNFPA, the World Bank and British Council. In this respect, too, the EU-CoE youth partnership is playing a leading and innovative role.

In reaction to the political changes in their Southern neighbouring countries, both, the European Union and the Council of Europe are strengthening their efforts to support these developments towards democracy. Young people in Egypt, Tunisia and other parts of the South-Mediterranean hold the key to the sustainable and peaceful development of their societies based on human rights, democracy and the rule of law. Understanding and taking into account their expectations and needs is crucial for all the institutional stakeholders, such as the League of Arab States, national youth policy authorities and youth organisations. The experience of young people from the Diasporas in Europe and their role in and perception of recent developments can also positively contribute to this process.

our publications

Back Youth Policy manual - How to develop a national youth strategy

Finn Yrjar Denstad

Council of Europe, 2009. ISBN 978-92-871-6576-3

What is youth policy, and what major elements should a national youth policy strategy include? How can young people be consulted and otherwise involved in developing youth policy? How do institutions such as the European Union, the Council of Europe and the United Nations address youth policy, and how can this work be concretely linked to the efforts of a national government to develop a youth policy agenda?

These are some of the essential questions addressed in this publication. The Youth Policy Manual should be considered a resource, a tool and a helpful guide both for policy makers in the youth field and for non-governmental organisations and other stakeholder groups who advocate for improved youth policy at the national level.

This manual proposes one possible model for how a national youth policy strategy can be developed. It is based on the author's observations from the countries of Southeastern and eastern Europe, as they gain experience in addressing youth policy in a transversal and cross-sectorial manner and with the active involvement of young people.

Download Youth Policy manual - How to develop a national youth strategy >>