| Home | Contact | Partnership Newsletter | Good Practices Database | FAQ | Legal notice | |||||||
|
|
|||||||||||
|
Glossary | Forum | Enter a Good Practice | |||||||||
Participation
European institutions and organisations responsible for youth policy have on several occasions emphasised the importance of youth participation to foster young people’s active citizenship, their social inclusion and their contribution to the development of democracy. Participation in the democratic life of any kind of community is about having the right, the means, the space, the opportunity and the support to participate in society’s decision making and the possibility to engage in activities that contribute to building a better society.
In 1992, the Congress of local and regional authorities in Europe at the Council of Europe has adopted the first “European Charter on the Participation of Young People in Local and Regional Life”. It was revised in 2003 in order to address the changing issues experienced by young people. The charter stresses that
-
participation of young people in local and regional life must constitute part of a global policy of citizens’ participation in public life,
-
all sectoral policies should have a youth dimension,
-
various forms of participation must be implemented, which follow in consultation and co-operation with young people and their representatives,
-
the participation by young people from disadvantaged sectors of society must be promoted.
Also the European Commission made in its White Paper on Youth participation a priority area for the specific youth field. In the follow-up to the White Paper the Commission proposed as an overall objective for participation, that measures to encourage young people to be active citizens should be instituted and supported and that their effective participation in democratic life should be reinforced.
The subsequent Council Resolution on participation confirms the proposed common objectives and stresses that to achieve that priority the following objectives are set:
- increase participation by young people in the civic life of their community;
- take possible greater participation by young people in the system of representative democracy
- greater support of the various forms of learning to participate
The White Paper proposed, as a matter of principle, the regular consultation of and direct dialogue with young people and their representative organisations on all topics relevant for youth. Consequently the Commission involved young people in all stages in the follow-up of the White Paper, but as well in the debate on the future of Europe and the future Constitution.
In order to support local, regional, national and trans-national efforts for fostering participation and networking of participation projects the Commission supports additionally a range pilot projects across Europe and promotes participation by supporting the ongoing work programme activities of bodies active at European level in the field of youth, including the ongoing programme activities of the European Youth Forum.
See also the questionnaires on Participation filled up by the EKCYP correspondants
Related Key Documents:
Revised European Charter on the Participation of Young People in Local and Regional Life
adopted by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe on 21 May 2003
(10th session - Appendix to the Recommendation 128)
Download en | es | fr | ge | geo | it | po | ru | se | sw | tu
Download (Plain Language Version) en | fr | ru | ge
Charter: background information (bibliography)
Recommendation on the revised European Charter on the Participation of Young People in Local and Regional Life Rec 128(2003)1
adopted by Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe on 21 May 2003
Resolution on the revised European Charter on the Participation of Young People in Local and Regional Life Rec 152(2003)1
adopted by Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe on 21 May 2003
Recommendation on the participation of young people in local and regional life Rec(2004)13
adopted by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on 17 November 2004
Recommendation concerning information and counselling for young people in Europe Rec(90)7
adopted by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on 21 February 1990
Follow-up to the White Paper on a New Impetus for European Youth.
Proposed common objectives for the participation and information of young people COM(2003) 184
in response to the Council Resolution of 27 June 2002 regarding the framework of European cooperation in the youth field
Revisiting youth political participation: Challenges for research and democratic practice in Europe, Joerg Forbrig (Ed.)
This book provides an interdisciplinary panorama of conceptual, historical, sociological and institutional analyses of young people and their democratic involvement in Europe today. (Research seminar: REPORT)
Strasbourg: Council of Europe, 2005 ; ISBN 92-871-5654-9
Place an order
| News and Events |
|
 |
|
|