The "Rejuvenating Politics" initiative

The "Rejuvenating Politics" initiative was launched by the Congress in 2014 as part of its commitement to promoting the participation of young people in public life and in the decision-making process at local and regional level.

The "Youth Delegates" project is a part of this initiative. It gives young people, from the 46 Council of Europe member states, a unique opportunity to sit (without voting rights) in a European assembly alongside local and regional elected representatives. They can make their voices heard, be part of a diverse group of young activists, build a network and have an impact by stimulating debate from a youth perspective.

Becoming a youth delegate

Each of the 46 member state delegations welcomes one youth delegate for a mandate of one calendar year. They are young people, between the ages of 18 and 30, from a variety of different backgrounds: youth activists, youth workers, students, young politicians, and more. They are selected via an online application process and represent a balanced group with regard to gender, cultural background, age and experience. In addition to the youth delegate a substitute is always chosen from each member State.

Acting as youth delegate

  • Participating as a youth delegate in the sessions (in-person or remote)

The Congress invites young people from different backgrounds to take part in its sessions in March and in October. They have the opportunity to give their opinions during the debates and to exchange views with the Congress members on the issues on the agenda.

  • Developing and implementing projects between the sessions

As a part of their participation, youth delegates have been required to develop their own projects at local and regional level. For this, they will have the support of the trainers in the form of mentoring sessions to develop and assess their ideas.

Zurück European Local Democracy Week 2018

European Local Democracy Week 2018

The European Week of Local Democracy (ELDW), coordinated by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, will be held 15 - 21 October 2018. This year, the theme of the ELDW is "Citizen participation, consultation and engagement: for local democracy to flourish", with a particular focus on children’s and young people’s awareness and commitment. This annual pan-European event aims to foster dialogue between citizens and public authorities, to exchange ideas, set priorities and reflect on how to improve the system of governance at local level.

Some 50 local authorities from 16 Council of Europe member States have already committed themselves for the 2018 edition to organising actions around this theme and disseminate the principles of participatory democracy and human rights. An Internet platform also makes it possible to list the participating local authorities and their partner associations, as well as to share the many actions carried out within the framework of the ELDW.

From the initiative of the city of Södermöre (Sweden) to create a "citizens' committee", enabling residents to participate in public debate, to the setting up in Bischwiller (France) of a quiz on local democracy and Europe among pupils, these activities reflect the diversity of ways of raising awareness local democracy and the values of the Council of Europe as closely as possible to citizens and from an early age.

 

EDLW Europe 12 October 2018
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