A stroke of luck brought me the opportunity to get to know the partnership. In 2008, in the midst of writing a PhD thesis on transitions to adulthood in Europe and in Portugal, I replied to an open call from the EU-CoE youth partnership for the production of a report on one of the topics I was precisely working on for my thesis: the living conditions of young people in Europe. Without ever having heard of me, without any recommendation or close-to-extraordinary CV, without any youth work, or political or NGO experience, the partnership team chose my application for this task, imposing on me high expectations with the outcome report, but simultaneously complete autonomy, trust and independence in the process of reaching that goal. This was indeed the beginning of a beautiful friendship, as I was instantly drawn to the approachable environment and modus operandi of the partnership and at the same time I was pulled away from my comfort zone: doing research and sharing it with my peers.

But it was not until I became a member of the Pool of European Youth Researchers, which I have been part of since 2012, being now one of its older members, that I think I really felt part of the partnership’s mission, activities and goals. Among the many collaborations in which I have been involved – publications (analytical papers, chapters, edited books), support for events or publications (being part of heterogeneous steering committees to annual symposiums or to publications prepared by other authors, being workshop rapporteur several times), and presentations (on specific topics and events) – I would like to underline two. These are, in my view, examples of how research and policy can come together, even when addressing supposedly “self-evident” issues, and the important role of the partnership in that regard, in creating “uncomfortable” zones.

The first example is about “Cross-sectoral youth policy”, a concept that is so familiar for those in the youth sector that it has become almost abstract and non-operational. It became an important part of the partnership’s agenda and, eventually, my own. Beginning with the analysis of formal documents published in the scope of the Council of Europe and the European Commission, the goal to understand what exactly it meant, how it is practised at different geographical levels, what functions and what does not, grew over the past years, as it was debated in events, seminars, workshops, and publications. It culminated in a Youth Knowledge Book on this issue that gathered several national and European experiences and understanding of cross-sectoral youth policy. The role of the EU-CoE youth partnership was, in this regard, absolutely fundamental.

Another seminar was on “youth inequalities”, a concept that is so complex that the expressions “young people with fewer opportunities” and “people in vulnerable situations” became easily questionable at many given points. It was subject to many political views. A whole seminar of the partnership was dedicated to this issue – an issue that is viewed as a somewhat “theoretical” concept rather than a fundamental piece of any policy, both ideologically and operationally. The seminar was a bridge between different worlds of understanding ideas within youth policies. And I am and was proud to contribute to it.

Someone in the youth partnership pointed out to me that I use the expression “elephant in the room” quite a lot. Perhaps that is true. I know in the context of the partnership I have used it to make a point about how bringing researchers and other people from the youth sector together is more than putting them in the same room, activity or workshop. We first have to really address the different views, approaches and goals from the different sides of the so-called “triangle”. Even if – perhaps precisely because of that – we don’t agree. It’s definitely better to acknowledge the elephant and step out of our comfort zones than to continue in the illusion of unanimity.

I lived under the communist regime until the age of 29. At that time the “collective interest” of the people, as determined by the Communist Party, overcame any claims to individual rights. In spite of the omnipresent threat of persecutions, my mother raised me to be aware of human rights violations and to create my own moral vision of human nature and human dignity. Since my childhood I was fascinated by the Council of Europe. My mother often said that one day I would become the justice minister!

After the Velvet Revolution in 1989 when the Czech Republic got rid of the communist regime, my involvement in human rights protection was the natural choice. In 2006 I was honoured by having got in direct touch with my dream organisation. BINGO! I was hired by the Youth Department (the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports) to take responsibility for the All Different – All Equal campaign as well as for co-operation with the Council of Europe in general including the EU-CoE youth partnership. The first problems came when the EKCYP national correspondents of our country showed repeatedly a very poor commitment to their responsibilities; one by one they were removed from this position until no one from our pool of researchers was available. As the head of the Youth Unit I had to take personal responsibility and nominate myself as the national EKCYP correspondent. Honestly, it was for me more an unpleasant obligation rather than an enjoyable working experience.

My first annual meeting of EKCYP correspondents found me – at the start – quite uncertain about my ability to contribute to the professional discussion of researchers as well as absolutely down with my self-confidence regarding my position in the EKCYP family. BINGO number two! I knew what they were talking about and I could contribute to the discussions. Moreover, I truly enjoyed the team spirit which was obviously there. I felt from the very beginning to be an equal member of the EKCYP family; a professional partnership within the youth partnership was developed there. Finally I had professional partners with whom I could discuss policy making at different levels. Before, my responsibility for youth policy making in my ministry and even in my own country resembled more a “one-woman show” rather than an open dialogue with professionals. In the course of time, I was actively involved in a couple of symposia organised by the partnership, and I was privileged to contribute to the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Essentials of Youth Policy. The EU-CoE youth partnership has made a tremendous contribution to my capacity-building regarding youth policy making at national as well as European level. Our national youth policy making gained a new dimension and the Czech Republic was selected for piloting the peer-coaching activity in Cyprus, a new youth policy assistance measure of the Council of Europe in the youth field. As a result, I have become “an expert on youth work and youth policy making recognised by the state”. Working with the partnership is not for me an unpleasant obligation any more. On the contrary, it has become my most favourite and undoubtedly the most privileged part of my working agenda.

If I reflect which type of food best characterises the youth partnership in my professional and personal life, I would say dry wine. First, I did not enjoy drinking dry wine at all. It was bitter and reminded me of pickles. BINGO number three! If you professionalise yourself in drinking high-quality wine, you start preferring dry wine and, more importantly, you become addicted to it. Cheers!

The EU-CoE youth partnership is definitely the geometer of the youth field! If geometry is defined as the branch of mathematics that looks at the relative position of figures in space and their shape and size, the same goes for the youth partnership – attentively looking at youth policies, youth work practices, youth research from all its angles!

I had the opportunity to come across the EU-CoE youth partnership more than 10 years ago. I was preparing my BA thesis and the partnership became my “best friend” in documenting my research. Later on, as a trainer active in youth mobility activities, I applied and was selected to be part of TALE – Trainers for Active Learning in Europe. This was a very serious two-year programme, a process that brought me knowledge, friends, amazing working colleagues, and a great mentor.

Then staying involved with the wonderful geometry of the youth field, I got to know “my friend” even more through the activities I was part of as a member of the Advisory Council on Youth: regional youth policies, sectoral seminars, cross-border activities, global youth issues – in different shapes and figures but with very inspirational policy makers, young people and youth workers around me.

But the geometer is, indeed, amazing in analytic geometry as well! So, in 2015, it was about the time I had my friend challenging me a bit more through becoming a member of the Pool of European Youth Researchers! And what a perspective: sharing the same research interests with people whose research reports I was reading in 2008!

And I strongly believe that the first 10 years were just the beginning of a beautiful friendship, a friendship that is like a pomegranate – sweet and exotic, growing in both hemispheres. And, of course, with a very complex shape – it’s the Dodecahedron in nature!

Innovation through exchange – that is how I now see my first symposium of the partnership in 2013. Back then in overheated Zagreb I had the chance to tell my story on establishing youth information in Lithuania. We had just started, but there I was – presenting it already to a Europe (not only EU!)-wide audience. Through contributions in forms such as a policy sheet and a Coyote article I had even more chances to inspire other countries to take first steps in creating their structures for quality youth information. In 2018 the same happened again – this time in the field of digital youth participation.

Because of this great variety of peer learning and therefore innovative channels, the partnership is always the first to explore the new. It makes unexpected synergies possible. There is a lot going on, but only by bundling the scattered know-how can we progress as a sector. The vast resources for learning and of research are unique. Even more – it addresses stakeholders beyond the EU borders and multiplies the impact and sharing of European values. And even after 20 years of successful work we witness an even greater need for more.

If the youth partnership was a dish, it would be a fondue – can be eaten with many different ingredients and connects them, and also makes the bread of the youth field tastier and nutritious. Bon appetit!

Photo by Vytautas Vaiceliunas

The EU-CoE youth partnership helped me develop as a professional. I started as a simple worker in the social field. The youth partnership gave me possibilities to increase my skills, knowledge and exchange information in the youth sector. One of the programmes in which I participated was Youth Policy Responses to the Contemporary Challenges Faced by Young People in 2017. Thanks to this event I met experts and practitioners from different countries which helped me create better connections for future partnerships. In addition, I had the possibility to speak about the situation in my country and be heard. I felt that the event was a platform where the content was brought by us – the participants. It looked at the way we made it. At the same time, we were a very numerous and diverse group. We came with many visions and opinions which made the activity harder to be summarised but it was done with a high rate of participation.

I think that the EU-CoE youth partnership creates better connections between the country and local authorities and the non-governmental sector, which leads to sustainable development of the youth sector. It also develops professionals who, when returning to their countries, come with new models and activities to be implemented. The partnership promotes and spreads its values through people involved in its activities. Objectives like social inclusion, participation and quality development of youth work are taken further by participants and implemented at the regional level.

To me, the EU-CoE youth partnership looks like a table full of dishes cooked and prepared by us, the participants. There are different types of dishes, so everybody can find something according to her/his taste and requirements.

In 2009, when I got engaged with the EU-COE youth partnership for the first time, I had already started to feel the despair of working as a researcher in the youth field. Too many times the results of my surveys and analyses were bypassed because insights were far from the rosy picture that the policy makers wished for. I immediately recognised the partnership as a meeting point of research, policy and practice, whose activities have the young people in its heart. My starting point – the analysis of the youth labour market position and my later involvement via the Pool of the European Youth Researchers – have provided me with opportunities to practise applied research and to network with great individuals and representatives of both governmental and non-governmental sectors. In this respect, the EU-CoE youth partnership is unique in its capability to engage a wide array of experts and newcomers in the field, in a way that everyone feels welcome and appreciated.

The value of the EU-COE youth partnership’s undertakings is amplified by its approach, which combines the successful management of the difficult task of finding new pathways to better well-being of young people, with providing resources for individual and institutional development, and a friendliness that makes everything easier. The youth partnership activities are underlined by high investment in youth research, policy development and practice, and situating them in dynamic and motivating surroundings. In food terms, the youth partnership could be depicted as a (non-alcoholic) fruit cocktail with chunks of fruit in it. There is a smooth dominant flavour that unifies all ingredients, although flavour of all individual ingredients can be tested and enjoyed equally.

The word partnership was once explained to me by a Serbian colleague through the Armenian Zorats Qarer (analogous to Stonehenge), where all the stones, big and small, flat and round, are brought together in a meaningful accord to make you see the stars, galaxies and cosmos. Without the involvement of one, the whole structure will not work properly. I think the partnership has followed a lot this symbiotic approach to working in the youth field. If I were to choose one phrase for the structure it would probably be dynamic symbiosis.

I have been part of initiatives of the EU-CoE youth partnership in many roles and activities – a participant in the training modules on European citizenship, general rapporteur of the symposium on youth policy and youth work, and researcher in the mapping of actors in the field of European citizenship education. The fil rouge in all of them has been the partnership context and framework of the drive, appreciation, and full conviction of the need for joining effort, resources, expertise, motivation, experience, strengths for a greater good, for a qualitative change. In my view, one strength of the partnership is to be a platform where the golden triangle of youth policy, youth work and youth research comes around the atomic centre – the young person.

The activities of the partnership in Armenia and generally in the EECA region have become an example and a framework. By complementing and advising on quality standards for youth policy work through its seminars, bilateral meetings and consultations, and a number of useful adapted publications, it has helped all actors improve their work.

We often talk about evidence-informed, competence-oriented, participative, relevant, cross-sectoral and multi-stakeholder policy making, and it seems sometimes this is absolutely not possible to achieve. I think the EU-CoE youth partnership has for years successfully tried to demystify this assumption.

For more than 12 years, the EU-CoE youth partnership has been an important part of my youth work landscape. I grew up as a youth worker attending their activities and as a trainer I always had the T-kits in my backpack. As partners and colleagues, we created the Mediterranean University on Youth and Global Citizenship – it was as challenging as rewarding! More recently, I gave my two cents to its work on youth policy and supported their initiatives on youth work with young refugees.

I really appreciate the work of the EU-CoE youth partnership p in youth research and policy development. It brings together practitioners, researchers and policy makers and it builds bridges between the two partner institutions and different actors. By gathering practices, systematising experiences and digesting them into policy reflections, the partnership fosters youth work development and recognition. Thank you!

Happy birthday!

Once upon a time (1998J), when Turkey was totally out of the European programmes, there was a young girl, raised in an average income family, who had never ever been abroad (it was only the elites who had the chance to travel in those times), dreaming of changing the world as an active citizen (at least trying to). Trying to make a change in the society where she was living, she found out about and joined Youth for Habitat Turkey. Just after becoming a member of the youth NGO, EU–Turkey membership negotiations had started and she was nominated to follow up the EU process within the NGO. Turkey joined the Euro-Med Youth Programme in Turkey (1999) and she had the chance to join the first Euro-Med Youth Project in Turkey.

It seems a long way back… when we as young people had limited access to travel, to learn a new language, and to meet our peers around the world.

I joined the team to lobby for Turkey to join the EU Education and Youth programmes – and made it! Finally, in 2002, Turkey was connected and I started to work as the Erasmus Institutional Co-ordinator in 2003 in the pilot university. Thanks to the empowerment of the youth partnership I became a youth trainer at the European level and started to touch many young people’s lives. Turkish youth also started to discover the world, thanks to the programme, and I had the pleasure to be a part of it. It was the journey of my life while travelling all around Turkey, where amazingly I started to discover my country and my culture while disseminating the EU youth programme.

Intercultural learning, informal learning methods, breaking prejudices… oh my god, what was going on? I really enjoyed and even changed my academic career from English Language Teaching to Public Administration – EU Studies. It was totally a discovery of my competences, my inner world, my skills in volunteering, teaching, sharing, communicating and my passion to discover other cultures and the world.

Let me tell you about my first stay at the European Youth Centre Strasbourg; it was my first training abroad with inspiring trainers. The day started with “The River” in front of us, hands and ankles tied to each other. We were all enjoying ourselves and I was laughing a lot with my lovely partner, but suddenly we were interrupted by our trainer’s puzzled face: “Come on! You Turk and you Greek.” We were immediately shocked and asked each other, “Are you Turkish, are you Greek?” I am sure you are familiar with the history and this was totally different from what we both had been taught in the history books so far. This was the lesson of my life which taught me not to judge the book by its cover… Each human being is a virtue, another world to discover and learn from.

With training courses like Step in and TATEM… the youth partnership made me concentrate my work in the field of the European Union Education and Youth programmes, and the next challenge was to open a new path to gather together young people from all around the world, to bring new vision and enable them to learn from each other. I appreciated the impact on me of the Council of Europe youth centres in Budapest and Strasbourg and I dreamt of opening one in Turkey. So I initiated a “Youth Centre” at the university. I started work on it and took part in the Quality Label process of the Council of Europe where I met modest, special people. I learned a lot and was nominated for the first Quality Label at the university and succeeded in gathering together youth workers, trainers, NGOs and combining informal and formal methods as well. It became a kind of school for the youth field. After that I was invited by the Abdullah Güll University (AGU) to initiate a research and implementation centre on youth work, the “AGU Youth Factory” in Kayseri, aiming to empower young people and validate volunteer activities and youth training in a university. This has been a great challenge for five years now and keeps on touching lives with young people for young people.

This invaluable experience at the EU level with various projects and trainings from my work in these fields made me who am I today: my values, my career, my strengths. The EU-CoE youth partnership not only touched the life of a young person, but changed the lives of many young people with fewer opportunities, even changed the vision of the institutions.

I was lucky to be from Alexandria, Egypt. This was where the EU-CoE youth partnership started, in 2005, a series of seminars and round tables on youth policy with south Mediterranean countries. I became involved with the youth partnership on this series as well as with other programmes and activities. With every step, I had a different role to play and hat to wear: as representative of a local youth NGO (SDA), or a national institution (The Library of Alexandria) and later on being a partner, representing the League of the Arab States while organising the Euro-Arab youth activities, or as a freelance working with the Anna Lindh Foundation and finally being a member of the pool of trainers of the Youth Department of the Council of Europe.

My main area of interest was always the young people from the Arab region. In time, I also changed my position, from being a young person acting from his country in an institutional framework that affects daily life, to living in Europe and working with the south Mediterranean, but not living there anymore. This path allowed me to learn more about the importance of the work of the EU-CoE youth partnership, and how the co-operation with the south Mediterranean countries can affect the lives of young people. It was clear throughout the last decade that there was a need to develop and progress the field of youth over there much more. In comparison to the huge youth population, there is a severe lack of opportunities, research and youth policy making in the south Mediterranean countries, which I believe resulted in the political transformations that took place in the region as a response to unsatisfied young people and their hope to have change.

Sharing the institutional experience, supporting research and building the capacity of young people in the south Mediterranean hand in hand with officials and institutions over there can have a better outcome, taking into consideration the current complicated geopolitical situation around the Mediterranean. It is like preparing a fruit salad: it has to be diverse, colourful, with fresh seasonal fruits.

Over the years I have had the good fortune of working with the EU-CoE youth partnership several times. These have included writing for Coyote, being the moderator/facilitator for two conferences in the Western Balkans (Beyond Barriers 2014 and Peer Learning/Cross-Sectoral Policy 2016), and probably my favourite was writing the Compendium on How Youth Work Changed My Life.

The Compendium was special because it was a series of stories, as the title says, on how youth work changed “my” life. It was special for me because I knew some of the people I interviewed; some had been young people I worked with when I was a face- to-face youth worker, some had been colleagues, others I met in my career as a youth work trainer. No matter if I knew them personally or not, each story was unique and similar at the same time, each story was touching because it really showed how youth work had changed their lives. It did not matter if this was a dramatic event or just a regular childhood growing into adulthood situation, youth work had an impact on each of the 23 people represented. Incidentally, the impact of the Compendium was enough that five of the people behind the stories were invited to the 2nd Youth Work Convention in Brussels and shared their stories live to the hundreds of representatives present.

The two conferences were extremely challenging but a lot of fun. Beyond Barriers was in Mostar, Bosnia Herzegovina and focused on youth policy in the Western Balkans region and explored its role in supporting young people in overcoming barriers to inclusion, especially the more vulnerable groups. The Peer Learning Seminar on Cross-Sectoral Policy Approaches in the Western Balkans was held in Budva, Montenegro. This time the focus was on connecting young people into the actual policy and decision-making processes and how to integrate a cross-sectoral approach, especially in implementation. In both conferences we were challenged in coming up with innovative ways of approaching a conference set-up and of engaging the participants in more than just speeches and PowerPoint presentations. The two conferences were region-based and it is interesting to see now the developments that the Berlin Process is moving forward with and the Regional Youth Cooperation Office is taking on. Many such developments can be attributed to the partnership and its work in the region.

One such aspect that is not unique to the partnership but is the “norm”, is the strong connection it ensures in all its activities between researchers, face-to-face youth workers, trainers in the youth field and policy makers. Many other parts of the European youth sector are pushing for this more and more now, but for me the partnership has a long history of ensuring this happens as a matter of course.

This is probably the best moment to introduce the EU-CoE youth partnership as a food. I see it as fusion cuisine rather than a specific dish; it takes different elements that you would not think to bring together and make it work.