Deadline: 16-Aug-20
The Council of Europe Youth Department invites partnerships with local authorities from Ukraine within the project “YOUNG PEOPLE, FULL CITIZENS” which aims to support municipalities and amalgamated communities in Ukraine to implement innovative youth-friendly policies and programmes for youth participation and civic engagement.
The project will last from September 2020 until November 2021 and will include research, capacity-building activities, implementation of local projects by participants, support and advisory missions of youth policy experts, evaluation and consolidation meetings.
The implementation of local youth policy measures and local youth participation projects by participants will be the centre-piece of this initiative. Local projects should embody a practical expression of the intended change in the participation and civicism of young people. Training and capacity-building should be put into place to support the inception, development and implementation of these local projects in line with the standards and best practices of the Council of Europe.
The project “YOUNG PEOPLE, FULL CITIZENS” is co-organised within the “Youth for Democracy” dimension of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine, with the support of the Ministry of Youth and Sport of Ukraine.
Council of Europe and youth policy: The Council of Europe is a leading human rights organization. It protects freedom expression of views and information, freedom of assembly, equality and minority rights. Council of Europe conducted campaigns on issues such as child protection, incitement to hatred on the Internet, andalso the rights of the Roma, Europe’s largest minority. The Council of Europe promotes rights through international conventions such as the Convention on the Prevention of Violenceon women and domestic violence and the fight against these phenomena, as well as the Convention about cybercrime. It monitors and provides progress to Member States in these areas recommendations through independent expert monitoring bodies.
These approaches are reflected in the program “Youth forDemocracy “for 2020-2021, which includes three strategic priorities:
- promoting young people’s access to and support for their rights human rights and democracy education;
- promoting the independence and participation of young people in public life through assistance implementation of youth policy and work with youth, as well as support youth civil society;
- involving young people in conflict prevention and strengthening social cohesion to combat discrimination and social exclusion.
The fourth area of work is to support Member States in developing and implementation of youth policy, in particular:
- building the capacity of relevant government agencies to implement national youth policy in accordance with the standards and approaches of the Council of Europe, promoting their cooperation with youth NGOs;
- disseminating and implementing Council of Europe standards, in particular the Committee’s recommendations ministers on youth work, youth access to rights, including access to social rights of young people from disadvantaged areas;
- assisting interested Member States in developing national ones quality standards for youth centers based on the Council of Europe Quality Label for youth centers;
- maintaining and promoting geographical balance among the host Member States participation in the Council of Europe program “Quality Label for Youth Centers”.
Youth for democracy in Ukraine: the development of youth policy on locally
The Youth for Democracy in Ukraine program is part of this Action Planis based on previous experience and productive bilateral cooperation between the CouncilEurope and the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine. Within the framework of this program, the Council of Europewill promote youth participation and civic activism in both rural and urban areasUkraine (including young people with disabilities, young people from minorities, as well asyoung migrants, refugees and internally displaced persons), through developmentcapacity of youth policy stakeholders and improving the quality of youthyouth policy and work in line with Council of Europe standards. The program will increase participationand youth activism in both villages and cities, allowing those interestedparties of youth policy to improve the quality of youth policy and youth workin accordance with Council of Europe standards.
“Youth for Democracy in Ukraine” will be implemented in the period from April 2020 to December 2021 on the basis of Council of Europe standards in the field of youth, first of all,Recommendations of the Committee of Ministers:
- Access to social rights for young people from disadvantaged areas, CM / Rec (2015);
- on youth access to rights, CM / Rec (2016);
- on youth work, CM / Rec (2017);
- Participation of young people in local and regional life, CM / Rec (2004).
The program consists of three main components that will be implementedin parallel and have cross-cutting measures:
- support for the meaningful participation of young people at the local level through a youth review policy and implementation of the necessary measures, using the directive documents of the Council Europe;
- promoting youth work based on community-based approachesparticipation and non-formal education in local youth centers and youth organizations;
- promoting intercultural dialogue through youth policies and programswork with youth, empowerment of minorities through youth participation.
YOUNG PEOPLE, FULL CITIZENS: participation of young people andpublic activity in the spotlight
- The survey “Youth of Ukraine – 2017” showed that 87% of young people do not takeparticipation in any activities related to the life of their community. However, it is noted thathalf of the respondents would like to take part in public initiatives.
- The Youth for Democracy in Ukraine program addresses these issues in a waycapacity building, technical advice and institutional supportlocal governments interested in improving their own youthpolicies within a process open to the participation and contribution of all young people.
Local partnerships for change
- YOUNG PEOPLE, FULL-TIME CITIZENS are the main component of the program”Youth for Democracy in Ukraine”. It aims to support youth professionalspolicies at the local level to develop and implement strategies and programs,which would strengthen the participation of young people and their social activity in accordance with standards and practicesCouncil of Europe.
Innovation through youth policy projects at the local level
- Local level project in the youth sphere / public participation of youth ( project ) -basis of the process. It is expected that the project will be a practical implementation of the planned changespublic participation and youth activity. Training / capacity building is carried outto support the creation, development and implementation of the project in accordance with the advancedpractices and standards of the Council of Europe. To this end, training activities will includeissues of project management and planning, as well as youth participation,youth policy and youth work.
For more information, visit https://www.coe.int/en/web/youth/-/call-for-partnerships-with-municipalities-from-regions-of-ukraine-to-foster-youth-participation-and-civic-engagement-at-local-level