Engagement and
Empowerment

ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND EMPLOYMENT

Youth engagement and empowerment, with particular attention paid to disadvantaged groups, as a cross-cutting feature of most activities under the EU4Youth programme. In addition to young people’s active involvement in the large grant projects and the EU4Youth Alumni Network, the work of the ‘EU4Youth: Youth Engagement Roadmaps’ (YER) project has placed a specific focus on youth participation in policy making. Implemented by GOPA, the technical assistance project finalised its activities in February 2023, promoting and facilitating a series of multi-stakeholder discussions on a range of youth relevant policy areas in all six EaP countries.

Reinforcing many of the impactful actions introduced by the YER project, the ‘EU4Youth: Youth Engagement and Empowerment’ project started its work in April 2023.

Co-financed by the European Union (EU) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the project seeks to further embed the involvement of young people in policy dialogue and decision-making processes at both local and national levels.

Focusing on substantial capacity-building support to key stakeholders (including line ministries and national youth councils) in the EaP countries, the project will promote networking, exchange, and mutual learning between key actors within and beyond the EaP region.

The renewed ‘EU4Youth Coordination and Policy Support’ project, which started its work in November 2023, will moreover continue its support of aligning EU policy actions on youth in the region, forging strategic partnerships and policy dialogue, creating more meaningful spaces and structures that empower youth.

The EU4Youth programme has been successfully supporting youth in becoming future leaders and changemakers in their communities. One third of beneficiaries from previous programme activities (such as the large grant scheme under EU4Youth Phase II) that no longer receive support stated that their participation in EU4Youth-funded projects had helped them in becoming more active citizens. Over the last years, this number has steadily increased, with 41% in 2023 stating that they had become active citizens. (Source: EU4Youth End-beneficiary survey 2024)

Increased youth engagement in policymaking

Youth Policy Labs

To empower young people to actively participate in policy debates by enabling them to identify and discuss key challenges in an inclusive and mutual learning process, 18 Policy Labs and Policy Lab Consultations were organised by the ‘EU4Youth: Youth Engagement Roadmaps’ (YER) project.

The Policy Labs were conducted in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Moldova and Ukraine between 2021 and 2022 to engage youth more meaningfully in policymaking. Co-creating solutions using design thinking and a user-centred approach, the labs create a shared space with public administration and other stakeholders. Common policy challenges addressed included youth employment, entrepreneurship, digital skills development, internships, and volunteering. Country-specific challenges were also tackled.

The Policy Labs follow a three-pronged approach:

  • User orientation: Direct involvement of youth in representing policy challenges, expressing needs and suggestions, and proposing solutions.
  • Design thinking: Collection of social, emotional, and physical needs of users to design human- centred solutions, generation of new ideas in a participatory environment, and feedback collection.
  • System thinking: Out-of-the-box analysis of policy challenges, focusing first on possible solutions and then on stakeholder contributions.

The Policy Labs resulted in the formulation of 15 sets of policy recommendations aimed at initiating policy change at the national levels. The recommendations, which address specific challenges such as youth work and digitalisation, career orientation, and employment opportunities, subsequently guided policy discussion with state institutions to enhance ownership and commitment.

Recommendations included improved internship frameworks and entrepreneurship support programmes, as well as improved digital skills education, and capacity building for teachers and youth workers.

In total, more than 2,500 young people, youth workers and practitioners, policy makers and other key stakeholders profited from the project. A survey conducted among participants of the Policy Labs confirmed their positive impact, showing, among others, substantially increased knowledge of national policy developments and the overall policy cycle.

Participants also reported improved knowledge of methods to stimulate participation and to transform ideas into practical solutions. Overall, they deemed policy labs valuable for enabling cross-sector collaboration, out-of-the-box thinking, and amplifying youth voices in decision-making. However, some felt expert and official participation could be increased.

Finally, concerning the impact on policy making, most of the respondents indicated that they had a positive impression of the willingness of policy makers and officials to implement the recommendation produced by their Policy Lab, with some indicating that they already knew of some positive developments after the end of the Policy Lab cycle.

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Focusing on reinforcing youth participation and engagement in the region, the ‘EU4Youth Coordination and Policy Support’ (CPS) team is further developing the Policy Lab concept introduced in the YER project, with the objective of strengthening existing structures and actively promoting the use of the Policy Lab methodology across countries. Several strategic actions have been recommended to solidify and expand the Policy Lab approach:

  • Establish a permanent EaP Youth Policy Hub: Establishing a regional Policy Hub will institutionalise the Policy Lab methodology by creating a competence centre which could further promote the approach among local stakeholders, follow up on the proposed recommendations, and facilitate continuous dialogue between youth and governments. Additionally, setting up national youth advisory councils will allow for regular engagement with government bodies and ensure ongoing follow-up on the Policy Lab outcomes.
  • Launch a digital Policy Lab platform: A digital platform will foster knowledge exchange, track progress, and enhance regional cooperation on youth policy issues. In this respect it will also be vital to provide seed funding and capacity-building resources for youth-led projects tackling the challenges highlighted during the Policy Labs.
  • Sustained financial support: Securing financial support from governments and development partners will be essential to maintain the viability of the Youth Policy Hub. This approach should also promote cross-border learning and collaboration focused on shared goals, like boosting youth employment and entrepreneurship.

EaP Structured Youth Dialogue

The ‘EU4Youth: Youth Engagement Roadmaps’ (YER) project showed that the integration of young people in decision-making and co-creation of policies still has a long way to go in Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries. Yet, the willingness amongst EaP youth and government institutions to drive progress on youth participation and empowerment highlights the importance of further strengthening the programme’s work in this field.

The work of the Policy Labs and structured policy discussions have laid the foundations for the development of an EaP Structured Youth Dialogue, to ensure strategic and informed youth engagement in policymaking. This important line of work started by the YER project will be continued through a cooperation between the ‘EU4Youth Coordination and Policy Support’ (CPS) and the ‘EU4Youth: Youth Engagement and Empowerment’ projects in close cooperation with major stakeholders at national and EU level, bringing policymakers and youth activists closer together.

In this respect, and in addition to capacity building activities, the ‘EU4Youth: Youth Engagement and Empowerment’ project will launch a number of large and small grant opportunities in 2024. The aimis to enable National Youth Councils and other non-governmental youth bodies and organisations inthe EaP region to implement activities conducive to establishing a sustainable, inclusive and impactful policy dialogue in the region.

Institutional capacity building and youth policy support

The EU4Youth programme has successfully opened ways for young people to participate more actively in political and civic life in their countries, enabling them to have a greater voice and say in policy processes.

While continuing its efforts to develop young people’s skills and knowledge of policy processes, and actively engaging them in actual policy debates, the EU4Youth programme is also working on establishing strategic collaboration with government bodies responsible for youth policies. This approach acknowledges the pivotal role that public institutions play in providing both incentives and opportunities for young people’s active participation.

Kicking-off its work in 2023, the ‘EU4Youth: Youth Engagement and Empowerment’ project co-funded by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and implemented by GIZ, began to lay the groundwork for meaningful youth engagement with governmental institutions in the upcoming years.

The project initiated proactive outreach to key stakeholders in the EaP countries, building constructive partnerships with relevant ministries and agencies aimed at addressing the diverse needs of youth in the region.

Following the foundational work carried out throughout 2023, a series of impactful initiatives were launched in early 2024 to empower youth and promote their active participation. Guided by a needs- based approach, the collaborative actions with youth organisations and institutional stakeholders will focus on the unique context of each EaP country throughout the coming years.

Technical assistance and grants

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To increase the visibility of public institutions and facilitate their engagement with young people, the ‘EU4Youth: Youth Engagement and Empowerment’ project has provided technical support to the development of an accessible online platform for the Youth Agency in Moldova.

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The project has also fostered exchanges and sharing of best practices for public communication with EaP state institutions, providing, among others, expert support to help them increase their visibility, with a particular focus on social media platforms.

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Since late 2023, the project has delivered guidance and organisational support for the elaboration of National Youth Action Plans in Georgia and the Youth Law in Armenia. It has also organised and facilitated strategic sessions for state institutions, equipping them with the tools to effectively engage with youth and integrate their perspectives into policymaking processes.

Building upon this work, the project will conduct several study visits to EU member states for EaP youth ministries and agencies, allowing them to exchange challenges, best practices, and lessons learned with their EU counterparts and to gain useful insights into EU youth policymaking.

This support is highly appreciated by the youth ministries and agencies of EaP countries. Asked about the impact of activities on youth in Ukraine, Deputy Minister for Youth and Sports of Ukraine Andrii Chesnokov stated:

“We value the EU4Youth programme as an important tool for the European integration of Ukraine in the youth sphere. Youth and civil society initiatives supported by the programme also contribute to more effective implementation of youth policy by the Ministry and provide the opportunity for the young generation to become a driver of positive changes”.

Zara Aslanyan, Head of Youth Policy of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Armenia highlights the importance of institutional capacity building and strategic partnerships:

“The activities of the EU4Youth component are in line with the Government’s priorities and are of vital importance for development of Armenia. We are very successfully cooperating now with EU4Youth with the aim of increasing youth involvement in policymaking in the country”.

Finally, by collaborating with public bodies in providing support for National Youth Fora, the project is actively strengthening the voice of youth and facilitating dialogue between young people and policymakers. The project has awarded grants to National Youth Council in Moldova, the National Ukrainian Youth Association (NUMO) and the Youth Organizations Union of Armenia (YOU) to support their work in enabling a structured and impactful youth dialogue across EaP countries.

Policy support through the Youth Wiki reports

In addition to institutional capacity building in EaP countries, the EU4Youth programme is also contributing to the development of EaP youth policy at the European level. It does so by transferring knowledge and insights from the region to EU policy makers and Member States via the Youth Wiki reports.

The Youth Wiki is an online platform providing information on European and Erasmus+ countries’ youth policies. Youth Wiki reports are designed to aid decision-makers by offering insights into reforms and initiatives, promoting the sharing of information, and facilitating peer learning activities.

Through the CoE-EU Youth Partnership, the ‘EU4Youth Coordination and Support’ project developed and updated several reports of the general youth participation context in EaP countries throughout 2023. These reports provide an overview of the institutional and legislative framework on youth representation and participation in policy making, while also discussing topics such support to youth organisations, civic education in formal, non-formal and informal learning settings. The content also addresses the question of how to raise young people’s political awareness in the EaP countries.

Following the publications on youth participations, the ‘EU4Youth Coordination and Support’ project publishedfive new country reports on youth employment and employability in Armenia, Azerbaijan,Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine at the end of 2023. Over the next few months, the project is set to help in the development of additional EaP country reports on Youth Work and Education.

The EU4Youth Alumni Network

Throughout 2023, the EU4Youth Alumni Network continued its work of providing opportunities for young people to become active changemakers in their communities. The Network was created to help young people who have previously participated in EU-funded initiatives (such as Erasmus+, the European Solidarity Corps, and the Young European Ambassadors) to share their newly-acquired experiences and build leadership skills. In a peer-to-peer format, the Alumni implement interventions withing their communities, supporting those with fewer opportunities. The Network is managed by the ‘EU4Youth Coordination and Policy Support’ (CPS) project, in close cooperation with SALTO Eastern European and Caucasus.

Since the EU4Youth Alumni Network’s launch in 2019, a total of 226 Alumni have joined the Network through the open competition. They have designed and implemented 145 initiatives, usually in teams of two or three, but often also as an individual project.

Together, these initiatives have led to 1,600 local activities. The estimated impact covers well over 3,100 young people, expanding the reach of the Network with each new beneficiary. It has been particularly successful in empowering disadvantaged youth, encouraging their participation and engagement, and proactively targeting their needs at local level.

Results of the third EU4Youth Alumni Network cycle

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The 2022-2023 cycle allowed a cohort of 80 alumni to gain first-hand experience in youth work. Together, they implemented 45 initiatives centred on supporting vulnerable youth in their community and in EU mobility programmes.

Marking the completion of the third cycle in July 2023, the EU4Youth Alumni Network’s final evaluation event in Tbilisi, Georgia, celebrated the culmination of the young participants’ dedicated volunteer work for the programme. During the event, participants also reflected on the knowledge and leadership skills gained and discussed the sustainability and future of their projects.

Xenia and Victor, two EU4Youth Alumni from Moldova who spearheaded an initiative named ‘Civic Education and Opportunities for Disadvantaged Youth’ said about the larger impact of their project:

“We want to inspire teenagers to be active and responsible citizens, which is essential for building and maintaining democracy. By empowering young people with knowledge and skills, the project contributes to the development of a stronger and more prosperous society.”

Following the completion of the third cycle in July 2023, the fourth cycle was launched at the end of the year under the ‘EU4Youth Coordination and Policy Support’ (CPS)project, welcoming a new cohort of motivated and ambitious Alumni who will start implementing their projects throughout 2024.

Upcoming: fourth Alumni Network cycle

In December 2023, EU4Youth launched the application call for the fourth Alumni Network cycle. Through this 10-month programme, the selected Alumni have been working with national mentors to create and realise their own local initiatives. More than 60 motivated young people from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine convened in April 2024 at the IdeaLab Event in Tbilisi to further refine their initiatives.

The Network also regularly provides information about new opportunities for learning and capacity development through other programmes, highlighting new grants and scholarships for young peoplein the region.

Participation in external events

Providing spaces for active youth participation and bringing youth representatives and institutional stakeholders together is one of the main objectives of the Engagement and Empowerment pillar of the EU4Youth programme.

Throughout 2023, several stakeholder events, including the EaP Youth seminar and European Solidarity Workshop were organised to empower young people to take active leadership roles in their countries and to strengthen the work of youth organisations.

EaP Youth Seminar

Taking place from 20 to 22 June 2023, the Eastern Partnership (EaP) Youth Seminar in Stockholm, brought together representatives of national youth councils, selected civil society organisations, government officials from EaP countries and EU officials.

Co-organised and funded by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR) and the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the seminar had the objective to elaborate ways of supporting young people in building resilience.

In this context, panel discussions and workshops stressed the importance of involving young people in decision making processes, debating, among others, the role of youth in building resilience through active participation in the face of climate change (Youth Goal #10: Sustainable Green Europe) and promoting inclusive societies (Youth Goal #3: Inclusive Societies).

The Seminar also provided an opportunity to raise awareness about the concept of Youth Dialogue, discussing existing structures and their applicability in the EaP region.

While youth dialogue is an effective and ever-evolving format, ensuring that a youth perspective is appropriately considered in relevant policies and by relevant authorities, implementing it at the EaP regional level remains challenging due to differences between the countries and their perceptions of the concept of participation at policy and public levels. Therefore, a tailored approach to this issue is more essential than a one-size-fits-all approach to effectively ensure broader youth involvement in decision- making at national level.

The joint conclusions and recommendations of the Seminar directly informed the activity planning for follow-up EU4Youth actions, particularly the ‘EU4Youth: Youth Engagement and Empowerment’ project, which has a dedicated focus on improving institutional capacities and opportunities for youth dialogue in the Eastern partner countries.

European Solidarity Workshop

Organised by the Polish Council of Youth Organisations (PROM) in collaboration with the European Youth Forum and the Municipality of Lublin in Poland, the European Solidarity Workshop on 28 November 2023 addressed challenges faced by young people in both EU enlargement and neighbouring countries. Its objective was to support youth in contributing to their countries’ journey towards regional cooperation and European integration.