Events of the Youth Presidency
Foto © Freedom Photography
European Conference on Local Youth Work and Democracy
The European Conference on Local Youth Work and Democracy, from 20-23 February 2024 in Brussels, highlighted the vibrant and diverse nature of local youth work across Europe. The conference brought together 415 attendees to take stock of achievements in local youth work and youth participation. The participants consisted of:
- young people active in local youth work
- youth workers
- representatives of local and regional authorities
- national decision-makers
- representatives of European institutions and organisations.
Local youth work across Europe is very diverse. However, despite these differences, there is an acknowledgment of the existence and importance of youth work. The event emphasized the crucial role of local youth work in:
- enhancing youth engagement
- participation in local communities
- fostering democracy.
Therefore, attention was paid to:
- the need to improve the quality, conditions, and recognition of youth work
- the possibilities of local youth work to foster active democratic participation while providing a playful, voluntary space for young people to develop social skills and competencies.
The participants examined:
- the role and the needs of local and regional authorities to provide quality youth work and participation in decision-making
- the role of higher levels of government in supporting local youth work by creating strong policy frameworks for municipalities.
Over the course of the event, 30 inspiring good practices and workshops were presented, providing a rich exchange of ideas and methodologies on the links between quality local youth work, the role of local governments and the support needed from higher levels of government.
During the conference, all the input of participants was captured and summarized in recommendations so the outcomes of the conference could be integrated into the Council Resolution on Youth Work Policy in an Empowering Europe.
> Read the full report on the Conference.
EU Youth Conference
From 2 - 5 March 2024, the EU Youth Conference took place in Ghent, Belgium. The event was part of the 10th Cycle of the EUYD, focused on the European Youth Goal #3 “Inclusive Societies”.
The EUYC Ghent hosted a total of 411 participants:
- representatives from EU institutions
- ministerial delegates
- youth delegates
- facilitators
- policymakers
- artists
- …
This diverse group contributed to meaningful participation and in-depth debates on the topic of inclusive societies.
Prior to the conference, there was a consultation phase. Over 28,000 young people were consulted on ways to foster inclusive societies. During the conference in Ghent, the voices of these young people were translated into recommendations and tangible actions by 120 youth representatives from 39 countries. Subsequently, these youth ideas were integrated in the Council conclusions on inclusive societies for young people by the Belgian EU Presidency.
With the goal of establishing a solid foundation for political action, the conference resulted in six recommendations and 34 possible implementing measures. In the six recommendations Member States and European institutions are urged to:
- enhance support for young people facing poverty and financial exclusion through measures like promoting affordable housing, improving job accessibility, and enhancing financial literacy.
- ensure accessible and youth-friendly healthcare, including mental health services
- bolster funding and training for educators to foster inclusive learning environments
- improve youth media literacy
- promote inclusive education and youth work
- implement policies to combat discrimination and biases, with a focus on involving young people in policy development processes.
The 34 possible implementing measures focus on:
- addressing structural barriers
- supporting health and mental wellbeing
- ensuring inclusive formal, non-formal and informal learning environments
- the importance of reliable information
- challenging discriminatory attitudes and cultures.
These outcomes will guide further policy development for inclusive societies in Europe. The recommendations and possible implementing measures were taken into the Council conclusions on inclusive societies for young people.
> Read the full report on the Conference including the 6 recommendations and 34 possible implementing measures.
Expert Seminar on European and International policy agendas on Children, Youth and Children’s rights
The Presidency held an expert seminar on European and International policy agendas on Children, Youth and Children’s rights, which took place on 21 - 23 January 2024 in the city of Leuven, Belgium. The aim was to contribute to the alignment of the European and international policy agendas on children, youth, and children's rights in the EU, the Council of Europe and the United Nations, by gathering input for the Council Conclusions, evaluating the state-of-the-art update and positioning these documents as key tools for enhancing policy coherence.
Experts and policymakers in the field of children, youth affairs and children’s rights gathered to discuss policy coherence between youth affairs and children’s rights. The institutional, process-oriented and thematic coherence was discussed as well as tools and instruments to improve this coherence. More coherence between the policy agendas on Youth and Children’s Rights, at both international and national levels, can create a more seamless transition from childhood to adulthood. By sharing information, exchange, coordination and cooperations, policies could be more effective and supporting to young people.
The Presidency arranged sessions and workshops aimed at fostering meaningful dialogue among policymakers and experts. EU Youth Coordinator, Biliana Sirakova and the Coordinator for the Rights of the Child, Marie-Cécile Rouillon, outlined their respective priorities and approaches. Good practices from national governments and international and local organisations were also showcased. Based on these inputs, recommendations were formulated by participants in discussion groups.
These recommendations were integrated into the Council Conclusions on the European and International Policy Agendas on Children, Youth, and Children’s Rights. This integration underscores the importance of aligning policies across different levels and sectors to better support children and youth.
> Read the full report on the Coference, including the recommendations.
The meeting of the Directors-general Youth and a high-level exchange with the Directors of National Agencies of the EU Youth programmes
The meeting took place from 26 – 28 March 2024, at the Egmont Palace in Brussels. For the first time Directors-general and NA-directors came together to contribute to a stronger link between youth policy development and the practical implementation of the EU Youth Programmes.
The 27 Member States of the European Union and six non-EU countries, engage in two EU programmes that offer European activities for young people:
- The Erasmus+ programme, which includes a specific chapter on Youth for non-formal learning activities in an out-of-school context
- the European Solidarity Corps, which provides volunteering opportunities.
Both programmes require a mid-term evaluation in 2024, along with a final evaluation of the programmes (period of 2014-2020). Additionally, a mid-term evaluation of the EU Youth Strategy is scheduled for 2024.
The timing of these evaluations provided a valuable opportunity to focus discussions and to share initial reflections on the future of the EU Youth Programmes and the EU Youth Strategy beyond 2028.
Peek into youth work practice - visits of organisations
On the first day of this meeting, Directors-general visited various grassroot youth projects in Brussels. This field input combined with the insights from invited speakers during the plenary sessions in the following days, enriched the subsequent discussions.
Common reflections
The participants looked forward and reflected on:
- the role of the EU Youth programmes in respecting and safeguarding democracy and European values
- how the programmes can contribute to quality and development of youth work
- the needs regarding operational and financial improvements and challenges.
> Read the full report of the meeting.