Strong Youth Organisations

Civil society organisations, including youth organisations, perform a number of functions that are necessary in promoting and safeguarding basic human rights and democracy. An open civil society is one of the most important safeguards against tyranny, oppression, and other anti-democratic tendencies. Civil society organisations, including youth organisations, provide a platform for dialogue between a diversity of voices and the free exchange of information between civil society actors and various other stakeholders. Civil society organisations also amplify the voices of minority and other at-risk groups by raising the visibility of the key issues they face. Youth organisations are particularly important, as they target youth-specific issues, place these issues on the policy and political agenda, and identify innovative solutions in the field. As ‘laboratories of democracy’, youth civil society organisations have been an important catalyst for many social innovations. 

Yet youth organisations face serious obstacles in their work. Many face difficulties in conducting advocacy actions, participating in public assemblies or even in their use of the internet for policy campaigns, as they often fear retribution from governments.

Youth organisations play a significant role in educating young people in ways that are not found in formal education settings. They promote various forms of civic engagement, including volunteering, and a sense of civic responsibility. Youth organisations also promote more positive attitudes towards democracy and a greater interest in politics. They can, for example, help young people understand how government and politics works, and appreciate its importance and impact upon their lives. They also encourage and enable young people to interact with young people different to themselves (e.g., in terms of class, gender, ethnicity or age), and thus contribute to openness and tolerance. Finally, through youth work and non-formal education (NFE) methodologies, they play an important role in fostering a range of skills for life, including skills needed for independent living, education and employment, such as: creativity and problem-solving skills, intercultural awareness, critical thinking skills, and media literacy.

Youth programmes, such as the Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps programmes of the European Union, as well as the grant opportunities offered by the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe enable young people, students and professionals alike to benefit from fruitful exchange activities that enable better cultural understanding, increase knowledge transfer and crucial formal and non-formal educational  and youth work experiences benefiting the whole of society.

Funding youth policies and providing financial support to youth organisations thus creates more opportunities for young people to engage in quality volunteering and professional experiences, and increases the capacity of youth organisations and other organisations to provide these meaningful experiences.

Governmental as well as other funding organisations should therefore ensure sufficient and sustainable funding for youth organisations to have the means, both financial and structural, to operate freely and conduct their activities autonomously. This includes, for example, the removal or lowering of burdensome administrative barriers faced by ​applicants for funding, especially youth organisations.