Youth policy activities
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.
The European Knowledge Centre for Youth Policy (EKCYP)
The European Knowledge Centre for Youth Policy (EKCYP) is an on-line database intended to provide the youth sector with a single access point to reliable knowledge and information about young people's situation across Europe. EKCYP aims at enhancing knowledge transfers between the fields of...
“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...
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.
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 >>