As part of its "Rejuvenating Politics" initiative and in the exceptional context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Congress has set up a series of webinars in which the youth delegates of the 2020 edition, from the 42 Council of Europe member States, are participating.
Every week, until the end of June, around 40 youth delegates will learn about the functioning of the Congress, its role, history, structure, composition of its members as well as the organisation and conduct of its sessions and its work in the field. An important part of these webinars will be devoted to the presentation of the activities and work of the Congress.
The youth delegates will thus be able to exchange with the different entities involved, on the organisation, achievements and ongoing work of the three committees - monitoring, governance and current affairs - but also on the election observation missions and cooperation projects carried out by the Congress.
The cycle of webinars will resume in September with the topics such as the Local Democracy Week and youth participation at local level, in particular through the presentation of the European Charter on the Participation of Young People in Local and Regional Life.
This intensive programme aims to prepare youth delegates to participate actively in the committee meetings in September and in the 39th Session of the Congress in October, during which they will present their projects in relation to the theme of the session.
The Congress initiative "Rejuvenating Politics" aims, from 2014 onwards, to promote the participation of young people in public life and in the decision-making process at local and regional level. Young people selected for the programme are invited to participate in Congress committee meetings and sessions, give their views during debates, exchange with Congress members on the issues on the agenda and present their projects. Within this framework, youth delegates are assisted by two trainers who enable them to develop their projects in the form of coaching sessions.
