This document discusses the European Youth Forum's strategic priorities and work on developing a new policy paper on youth work. The Youth Forum aims to empower young people and support youth organizations. It works towards goals of greater youth participation, stronger youth organizations, and youth autonomy/inclusion. The document outlines objectives like promoting funding and capacity building for youth organizations. It also provides details on the scope and structure of the new policy paper on youth work, which will cover topics like the impact of youth work, recognition of youth work, and advocacy for funding youth organizations. The Youth Work Working Group contributes to this work by strengthening youth organizations and supporting the establishment of national youth councils.

2. In the past: Secretary General for SDY
Estonia, Head of Youth Policy for
Estonian NYC, Chief Expert on Youth
Participation for the Estonian Youth
Work Centre, Estonian representative
in UBC and BSSSC youth policy
networks, Chairman of the Supervisory
Board for Estonian NYC
Today: member of the European Youth
Forum Youth Work Working Group
Gerd
Tarand
YFJ
WGYW

3. Strategic priorities 2013-2018
The Youth Forum works to empower
young people to participate actively in
society to improve their own lives by
representing and advocating their needs
and interest and those of their
organisations.

4. During the next 75 minutes
• Some information on the YFJ
• Information on the YFJ Youth Work
WG
• Information on the Draft youth work
policy paper
• Discussion on the core subjects in
the youth work policy paper

5. Strategic priorities 2013-2018
As the platform of NYC and IYNGO in Europe, we
believe that youth organisations are the tool
through which we empower, encourage, involve,
represent, reach out and support young people.
Active young citizens constitute the backbone of
any democratic society. However, young people
continue to suffer the consequences of the
unprecedented economic, social, ecological and
political crises.

6. Strategic priorities 2013-2018
To overcome these challenges, the
Forum will strive towards the following
goals:
• Greater youth participation
• Stronger youth organisations
• Youth autonomy and inclusion

7. Strategic priorities 2013-2018
In order to achieve these goals the Platform
aims, by 2018, to:
• Strengthen its position as an agenda-setter on
youth affairs
• Base its work on a rights-based approach
• Further empower Member Organisations and
increase their ownership of the Platform

8. Strong youth organisation
Objectives:
- Promote the financial recognition and the capacity
building of youth organisations at European and global
levels, with young people co-managing the programmes
and policies affecting their lives.
- Expected result: Sustained funding and training for
activities and every-day function of youth organisations
provided by institutions and partners.

9. Strong youth organisation
Objectives:
- Support the process of establishment, legal and
financial recognition of National Youth Councils through
continued support, especially in the regions of South-
Eastern Europe (SEE), Eastern Europe and Caucasus
(EEC), and in the countries most affected by the
economic crisis.
- Expected result: More national youth councils legally
recognised and sustainably funded in Europe.

10. Strong youth organisation
- Advocate for the recognition of the impact of youth work
and volunteering in society.
Expected result: Concrete steps in the implementation of
the Council of the EU 2010 Resolution on Youth Work
and of the European Charter on the Rights and
Responsibilities of Volunteers, and recognition of the
Volunteer Time Contribution as eligible co-funding in
European programmes.

11. Strong youth organisation
- Enable and empower youth organisations to reach out to, create
safe environments and include more diverse young people
outside of their membership, with special attention to
marginalized and disadvantaged youth.
Expected result: Qualitative growth of youth organisations by
diversifying their membership.
Critical Success Factor: more recognition and more and better
targeted administrative funding for Youth organisations, through
the development of new and current European Union and
Council of Europe financial programmes and other instruments
(legal basis).

12. The Youth Work Working Group
Objectives :
Strengthening the capacity of youth organisations to
work on relevant issues and reach out more young
people and partners
Supporting the establishment of new national youth
councils and capacity building of existing ones
Strengthening the competences of youth organisations
on youth policy development

13. Being involved in supporting new NYC and the sustainability trainings
2013:
• Help the revision of the policy paper on youth work
• Help to collect the youth laws
• Give input to the NYC sustainability training
• Give input to the training on youth policy
• Give input in NYC sustainability training in some countries
The activities

14. 2014:
• Work on the policy paper on youth work
• Give input in NYC sustainability training in some countries
• Give input to the NYC sustainability training
• Give input to the training on youth policy
• Develop set of recommendations based on the analysis of the
legislation.
• Help to spread the research on the impact of volunteering
and youth work
• Spread the visuals and happenings showing the impact of youth
work
The activities

15. • Be an expert
• Input for the policy paper
• Be a bridge
• Between Your Organisation and YFJ for the calls, the
research outcomes, the recommendations…
• Be a supporter
• Share these ideas further and promote active youth
organisations. Let the YFJ know about the situation in
your country.
Your mission today

16. By developing a policy paper on youth work the
Forum aims to build coherent approach to the
topic, including all its aspects from actors and
especially role of youth organisations and
need for capacity building to recognition of
youth work and needed policy demands. The
Youth Forum seeks an as engaging and open
process as possible for the development of
the paper which also includes input from external
experts on the topic (you!).
A new Policy Paper on Youth Work

17. YFJ has been working on the policy paper
since June 2013, conducted an online
survey amongst its MOs and discussed the
drafts on events like this one.
The aim is to adopt the paper at the next
COMEM/GA.
A new Policy Paper on Youth Work

18. • Purpose
• Impact in the society and in the youth
sector/employment opportunities of young people
• Actors
• Stakeholders
• Recognition
• Capacity building
• Funding
A new Policy Paper on Youth Work

19. Three chapters:
YW and the individual
Skills gained
From childhood to adulthood
YW and the community
Impact on society
Recognition of YW
Actors
Capacity building of YOs
Youth Work Capacity building: a process
Building strong youth organisations in Europe: European Youth Forum’s approach
Partnerships within the YO
A new Policy Paper on Youth Work

20. Now – it’s your turn!

21. 3 core topics in the Policy Paper:
1.What impact does youth work have on the
individual and the society?
2.How should the Youth Forum advocate for the
recognition of youth work?
3.And how should we advocate for increased
funding for youth organisations?
A new Policy Paper on Youth Work

22. Keep an eye on the Youth
Policy Watch newsletter:
http://www.youthforum.org/
news/youth-policy-watch/

23. THANK YOU!
Gerd Tarand
gerd@gerdtarand.eu