BUU, Alm.del - 2011-12 - Bilag 218: Invitation til ungdomsparlament i Strasbourg 5.-7. oktober 2012, fra Europarådet

Background of the Youth Assembly 2012Democracy is one of the three main pillars of the Council of Europe, together withhuman rights and the rule of law. The work on democracy with young people is notnew. For years, the Council of Europe has focused on capacity building and training ofyoung people, youth leaders and youth workers on democracy, human rights,participation and citizenship.As for the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, following the reportsadopted in 2011 (Resolution 1828 on “Reversing the sharp decline in youthemployment” and Recommendation 1978 “Towards a European framework conventionon youth rights”), in January 2012 it decided to prepare a report on “The younggeneration sacrificed: political, social, economic and other consequences of thefinancial crisis”. These reports clearly demonstrate the Assembly’s concerns in thisarea.Moreover, in the spirit of Resolution 1822 (2011) (on reform of the ParliamentaryAssembly), it has been proposed that a youth assembly be held from 5 to 10 October2012, in co-operation with the European Youth Foundation and other partners fromthe Council of Europe’s youth sector. Holding the event will enable the ParliamentaryAssembly to boost dialogue with, and raise the profile and impact of its work among, apopulation group to which it attaches great importance.Owing to the demographic and cultural changes that have taken place in Europe overthe last few years, young people face increasing difficulties in accessing to, andexercising their rights. Their autonomy is increasingly threatened as a consequence ofeconomic, geographical and socio-cultural inequalities. Youth policies are alsoparticularly vulnerable to economic recession, as they are often relegated to asecondary place in governmental priorities and resource allocation.Indeed, at times of economic and social crisis, the feelings of powerlessness andanxiety about the future have created deeper tensions and an on-going feeling in oursocieties that the voice of the people is not being heard enough. Young people areoften at the centre of these tensions, because they are directly affected by theuncertainties regarding their real possibility of participating in society, contributing toits development and developing their autonomy.In a continent with ageing societies, young people are the first victims of lackingopportunities, unemployment, housing difficulties and often-limited mobility in avirtually more globalised, but physically often closed space.Recent protest movements of young people in Europe and in the Arab world haveshown youth's willingness to act and bring about change towards more democraticsocieties in which young people are valued and given the space to develop andcontribute actively. At the same time, political participation of young people hasstrongly decreased, showing a lack of trust in governments and representatives.Political debates often focus on issues (pensions, security, etc.), which are not thepriority concerns of young people (“the aging of politics” phenomenon).The Youth Assembly 2012 will take place in the frame of the Strasbourg World Forumfor Democracy, which will bring together established leaders and emerging voicesfrom different parts of the world to debate the gap between the existing social,political and economic models and the new realities in today's world. During the youthevent, 170 young people will actively work towards the development of concrete2

Aims and objectives of the Youth AssemblyThe Youth Assembly 2012 aims at bringing together young people from all overEurope to reflect on youth's current challenges to democracy and to formulatecommon recommendations to the World Forum on democracy on how young peoplecan better benefit and develop more democratic and inclusive societies.The objectives of the Assembly are:To share experiences on the realities of young people in relation to Democracyand democratic processes today;To identify main challenges faced by young people in Europe in relation to thefull enjoyment of democracy and explore possible ways of addressing these;To share existing good practices in the field of youth work, youth activism andnew emerging youth movements for democracy;To formulate concrete recommendations on the role and the space of youngpeople in democratic processes in Europe;To reflect on possible ways to follow up on the Youth Assembly throughnetworking;To contribute to the World Democracy Forum by ensuring that the voice ofyouth can be heard and taken into account.

Activities of the Youth AssemblyOnline learningFrom the end of June to the start of the Youth Assembly in October,selectedparticipants will be invited to join an online learning platform, which will serve as abasis for the preparations to the Assembly. This platform will aim at getting to knoweach other and start sharing realities, but will also be a place to explore the concept ofdemocracy and start reflecting on the main themes of the Youth Assembly.Participants will be asked to complete monthly thematic online units.The Youth AssemblyThe Youth event will start on 5th October 2012 with a plenary session in theHemicycle of the Parliamentary Assembly, in which a debate will take place betweenyoung people and parliamentarians. On the following 2 days, participants will work inthematic working groups on concrete themes related to youth and democracy.The identified themes to be addressed during the Youth Assembly are (these themesare not final and might be changed and adapted according to the final profile ofparticipants):Democracy and Religion3

Each working group will formulate concrete recommendations to be addressed to theWorld Democracy Forum.World Democracy ForumThe Youth Assembly takes place on 5-7 October 2012. 40 participants to the YouthAssembly will be selected, based on their applications and motivation, to representthe young people and stay on for the World Forum on Democracy (8-11 October).These representatives will be given a chance to transmit the results of the YouthAssembly and to convey young people's worries, questionings and requests to theForum, where thousands of people from all over the world will get together andfurther discuss democracy from a global perspective, with high political figures,representatives of Parliaments and of schools of political studies.

Profile of participantsIn order to be selected and participate in the Youth Assembly 2012, applicants should:Be aged 16-25 (exceptions can be made in special cases)Be resident in one of the 47 Member States of the Council of Europe, ObserverStates to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (Mexico, Israel,Canada) or States whose parliaments are partners for Democracy (Morocco,Palestinian national Authority) (exceptions can be made in special cases);Be able to communicate and work fluently in English and/or French;Be actively involved in civil society Democracy initiatives;Be motivated to contribute to the development of recommendations on youthand democracy;Be supported by a youth organisation or network or informal group working ondemocracy;Be available to participate fully in the Assembly and possibly in the WorldDemocracy Forum;

Applications must be submitted by30th May 2012.The organising team will select 170 participants on the basis of the profileoutlined above. The selection will also take into account balance between sexes,geographical regions, different types of experiences, organisations, institutions andprojects. A waiting list may be established. Candidates will be informed about whethertheir application was accepted or not, and about their positioning on the waiting list,latest by20th June 2012.Deadline for applicationsThe application form must be submitted on-line until30 May 2012.Financial and practical conditions of participationWorking languageThe common working languages of the course will be English and French. Candidatesmust be able to use at least one of those two languages independently in both writtenand oral communication.AccommodationBoard and lodging for the Youth Assembly are provided and paid for by theCouncil of Europe. Participants will be lodged either at the European Youth Centre inStrasbourg or in the Hotel Forum in Schiltigheim. Transport between the place ofaccommodation and the venue of the Youth Assembly will be provided.Travel expensesTravel expenses and visa costs will be reimbursed upon presentation of the relevantreceipts, according to the rules of the Council of Europe. Only the participants whoattend the entire Youth Assembly can be reimbursed. The payment will be madeeither by bank transfer after the Assembly, or by bank check to be cashed at theCouncil of Europe bank at the end of the Assembly (in Euros).