Youth Policy

Youth and the World

Most young people are open to the world. They are eager to learn about other countries and cultures and wish to share their views and experiences with young people from other regions and continents. Some want to engage for global causes, such as sustainable development.

New field of action the EU Youth Strategy

This is why the EU Youth Strategy introduces a new field of action entitled "Youth and the World". It aims at enhancing young people’s participation in and contribution to global processes of policy-making, implementation and follow-up on issues such as climate change, UN Millennium Development Goals, human rights, etc. It also supports young people’s cooperation with regions outside of Europe.

The EU Youth Strategy has also triggered a lot of interest in third countries. EU youth policy is regarded as model and source of inspiration.

The following actionsare envisaged in the EU Youth Strategy:

Raise the awareness of young people about global issues such as sustainable development and human rights.
Provide opportunities for young people to exchange views with policy-makers on global issues (e.g. via participation in international meetings, virtual platforms/fora etc.)
Foster mutual understanding among young people from all over the world through dialogue and by means of supporting actions such as training courses, exchanges, and meetings.
Encourage young people to participate in “green volunteering” and "green" patterns of consumption and production (e.g. recycling, energy conservation, hybrid vehicles, etc.).
Promote entrepreneurship, employment, education and volunteering opportunities with regions outside of Europe.
Promote cooperation with, and exchanges between, those active inyouth workon different continents.
Encourage young people to participate in developmentcooperation activities either in their country of residence or abroad.

What's going on?

A joint EU-Canada seminar on youth employment took place in Ottawa in December 2009. In May 2010, a "Young Leaders' Summit" brings together youth leaders from the EU and China in Shangai on the occasion of the Expo. In August 2010, the World Youth Conference in Mexico City will be the occasion for youth policy-makers and youth organisations to exchange on issues of importance to young people. In addition, the EU-Eastern Partnership will address youth issues.

The second EU-Canada Youth Policy Roundtable, this time on youth participation, took place in Helsinki in October 2011. The report from this roundtable you can find here pdf - 136 KB [136 KB] .

The Youth in Action Programme supports the policy approach. It features a strong international dimension in its Actions on "Youth in the World" and the European Voluntary Service.