Advocacy | Youth Policy | Policy Research | About Youth
Towards A Sustainable European Society
The future of Europe depends on its youth. Therefore a sustainable society needs a renewed framework for supporting youth initiatives in a context of crisis. The Joint Report of the Council and the Commission on the implementation of the renewed framework for European cooperation in the youth field (2010 – 2018) recognizes that the participation of young people in democratic life is central to youth policy as well as employment and entrepreneurship, education and social inclusion.
The chapter on “youth participation” in the 2012 EU Youth Report said, “Like any other group in society, they (youngsters) decide to become involved in political life when they think that their actions will have a real impact”.
According to this report: “before concluding that young Europeans are disenchanted with politics and less keen to take a stand than older people, it should be borne in mind once more that interest in politics does not emerge in a vacuum. It partly depends on the opportunities for involvement, for which young people’s preferences might differ from those of their elders. (…) It is therefore important to identify which forms of participation best meet the demands of young people, for a more reliable idea of how great and potentially effective their participation will be.”
Policy Making And Youth
Young people are key to establishing youth policies that are effective to meet their needs. YouthMetre explores principles and strategies for engaging youth in the policy making process and decisions that affect them, their well-being and the places where they live.
Digital Participation
YouthMetre is developed in line with data collection and indications provided by the EU, based on Article 165(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU that states the aim of “encouraging the participation of young people in democratic life in Europe”.
YouthMetre implements innovative solutions to promote dialogue between youth and policy makers in order to increase active citizenship, foster social integration, and ensure inclusion of the young in EU policy development in line with the recent indications provided by the EU Youth Strategy.
Reforming Policy
In line with the objectives of the Erasmus+ Programme and in order to foster the achievement of Europe 2020 goals, the YouthMetre project aims at supporting EU Member States, municipalities and regions in carrying out effective policy reforms in the field of Youth, in line with the indications provided by the EU Youth Strategy and according to the priorities perceived by its target population: young Europeans.
The project contributes to the Open Method of Coordination in the field of youth since it envisages the establishment of a set of indicators measuring the “performance” of local authorities in youth policies field and fosters the exchange of good practices.