Within the 2022 youth campaign "Democracy here. Democracy now", the EYF has supported in 2022 seven international activities and 34 pilot activities. The EYF is also actively involved in other campaign activities. 

Follow the campaign on its dedicated website. 

international activities supported by the eyf within the campaign
  • “Youth Green-oble Summit”, by YEE – Youth and Environment Europe. This forum will allow 50 participants from 20 countries to meet for three days and develop ideas on increasing local democracy in view of greening local policies
  • “The power of human rights education”, by WOSM – World Organisation of the Scout Movement. This training will support 30 youth leaders from the scout movement to develop their capacities on using human rights education within the scout organisations at national level, as a tool to encourage young people’s engagement in society
  • “Changemakers of tomorrow”, by IFM – SEI – International Falcon Movement – Socialist Education International. This training will allow 20 youth leaders from the organisation to develop their competences to run local projects based on active youth participation, and develop as a network within IFM-SEI. 
  • “Advocacy Academy: Connect, Communicate, Change” by WSCF - World Student Christian Federation in Europe. This training will empower 25 participants from 15 countries to carry out local advocacy activities that will reach over 500 young people. In this way, youth leader will lead positive changes within their local and national communities. The project was then cancelled by the organisation. 

  • “European Democratic Academy”, by Young European Federalists – JEF. The project will engage youth activists in exploring different approaches to democracy in Europe and develop their skills for constructive, non-polarising and inclusive pro-European activism. The project starts with 3 webinars, followed by a “European Democracy Academy” for 20 participants, and then a series of 10 advocacy actions developed by participants as follow-up, together with a campaign.

  • "Boosting youth participation in MIJARC", by International Movement of Catholic Agricultural and Rural Youth MIJARC. This is a three-day international meeting aiming at empowering and training 25 young people to be actors and multipliers about democracy and youth participation. This activity will enable young people to receive the proper skills and competences needed to engage in political life, advocate for their rights and to engage with external stakeholders at European level.

  • "Backsliding democracy - How does it impact gender equality", by International Union of Socialist Youth IUSY. The project will provide a space for young activists and youth organisations to learn about democratic backsliding, how it impacts gender equality and based on that, set up strategies for inclusivity and against repercussions on women and LGBTQ+ rights as well as declining democracy. The project will empower 20 young multipliers for democracy and gender equality.

Pilot activities supported by the EYF within the campaign

Project ”Speak for Diversity” (Georgia)

Organisation: Georgian Youth for Europe

Venue and dates: Rustavi, Georgia; 14/06/2022 - 18/06/2022    

Project grant approved: €4035

Description

This project is focused on hate speech and includes a training for 30 young people on the connection between hate speech and freedom of expression. The project will provide the participants with an understanding of the nature of hate speech, and it will enhance their ability to confront it, as part of democratic discussions and civic participation. After the initial training course, participants will run online campaigns. These follow-up campaigns, if successful, will encourage a reduction in hate speech amongst young people.

Project “Be the Change” (United Kingdom)

Organisation: Mouth That Roars

Venue and dates: London, United Kingdom; 23/07/2022 - 29/10/2022

Project grant approved: €13400

Description

The aim is to increase the agency of marginalised young people aged 16-26 years by deepening their awareness of, and trust in democratic institutions and processes through a programme of experiential learning and the use of creative film and media tools. The project will engage 10 young people in a series of 6 workshops to learn about democratic processes and to develop social media content which will be compiled in a “digital media campaign webpack”, which is the main project output. The webpack should be further promoted to local youth groups, and it should contain workshop plans, campaign videos, links to useful resources. In the project local context there is a lack of civil space for young people, little access to political education and a general democratic backsliding.

Project “My Rainbow Vote: Mobilising Young Rainbow Voters” (Slovenia)

Organisation: Društvo Parada ponosa

Venue and dates: Ljubljana, Slovenj Gradec, Maribor, Slovenia; 01/05/2022 - 31/10/2022

Project grant approved: €10000

Description

The project aims at mobilising, empowering and informing young LGBTIQ+ regarding how to react, participate and impact the 2022 elections in Slovenia and raise awareness on what political participation is and how it can impact young people’s lives and future. In 2022 Slovenia will have three elections: parliamentary (in April), and local and presidential (in Sept/Oct). The project activities are organised so as to analyse the outcomes of the parliamentary elections in April and use the momentum to raise awareness on the importance of voting and the needs of young LGBTIQ+ communities to be addressed to the candidates. The project foresees 6 workshops as a facilitated conversation between young LGBTIQ+ voters and decision makers and a digital and live poster campaign for 6 months.

Project ”DEMO - Democratic values and Media literacy for youth” (Armenia)

Organisation: "Yeghvard" youth ecological NGO

Venue and dates: Tsaghkadzor, Armenia; 01/06/2022 - 31/07/2022

Project grant approved: €13820

Description

The project is focused on the topic of media literacy participation. It will bring together 30 young people from across Armenia for a training, followed by the community level actions in the participants’ hometowns. At local level, in rural areas in Armenia, there is a lack of media literacy that undermines young people’s meaningful civic and political participation. The project will foster the democratic citizenship and freedom of expression of young people in Armenia by increasing their level of media/information literacy and critical thinking, equipping them with knowledge and skills to become resilient against disinformation and negative influences. The project will consist of a six-day training camp for 30 young people, followed 10 local meetings with young people across Armenia, to be delivered by participants of the training.

Project “You(th) fostering transparency and democracy at local government” (Albania)

Organisation: International Voluntary Projects

Venue and dates: Tirana, Albania; 01/05/2022 - 30/09/2022

Project grant approved: €15000

Description

The project is focused on young people’s participation in local democracy, specifically around transparency on youth issues. The project will include training of young people, monitoring of local government and follow up activities. The project will empower young people across Albania to have a proactive role in monitoring youth policies and transparency in local governments and increase awareness among their peers and local communities on this issue. The project starts with the training of young people, after which participants will carry out monitoring of local decision making. Furthermore, participants will deliver sessions to other young people in their community on information rights. Finally, a two-week campaign will be delivered on access to information and its role in democracy.

Project “Youth voice for spreading out democracy” (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Organisation: Trade union Educational Center

Venue and dates: Stanari, Bosnia and Herzegovina; 02/05/2022                 - 31/08/2022

Project grant approved: €12694

Description

This project is based on the reality of young people in Stanari, where even if there is a local youth strategy, young people lack skills how to hold the institutions accountable and make sure it is implemented. The project hence proposes a series of activities to link young people with local institutions, mostly through capacity building and practical experiences. The project aim is to give voice to citizens which they entitled to introducing them with instruments of citizens’ engagement in order to influence political life of the community. Several activities are part of this project, and they build on each other: preparatory activities, then the training of 24 peer educators, 3 meetings with local decision makers, up to 6 workshops run by the peer educators in high schools reaching up to 100 young people, a final visit to the Parliament/Assembly of Republika Srpska, follow in the last phase of a communication campaign.

Project “Perspectives of Gender and LGBTIQ+ Youth Movements” (North Macedonia)

Organisation: Association for Educational Development Ekvalis

Venue and dates: Skopje, North Macedonia; 01/05/2022 - 31/08/2022

Project grant approved: €14590

Description

The project aims at increasing the representation of young people in the gender and LGBTQ+ movement in North Macedonia as a step towards a more inclusive and representative democracy, through a training for young activists and follow up by these activists on dismantling fake news and public actions for equality. The NGO will also produce videos and hold a round table to network between feminist and queer activists. The project will empower young people to be active in gender and queer movements, equip young activists with hands-on activism skills and support the networking between the feminist and queer movements. To achieve this, the project foresees a 6-day training for 20 LGBTIQ+ activists followed by actions taken by the participants divided in three groups with different scopes: a. video campaign dismantling fake news on gender and sexual minorities, b. round table discussion on the future of feminist and queer movements in North Macedonia and c. public action to raise awareness for LGBT+ equality.

Project “Youth, Drivers of Change for a Stronger Democracy” (Albania)

Organisation: Albania Committee of Medical Students

Venue and dates: Fier, Albania; 02/05/2022 - 31/08/2022

Project grant approved: €14727

Description

The project aims at empowering 25 young people to be actors and multipliers about democracy and youth participation. After an initial training course, participants will plan follow-up meetings with students in schools and visibility materials for dissemination. The aim is to create a space for young people to express their views and serve as change agents for other young people who feel the same way. The NGO will produce a toolkit with information and tools used during the training, as well as communication products to raise awareness about youth participation.

Project "Promoting participation through public campaign in Armenia” (Armenia)

Organisation: “Pathway to” inclusive society development NGO

Venue and dates: Yerevan, Armenia, 11/04/2022 - 11/07/2022

Project grant approved: €15000

Description

The project addresses youth participation, with a focus on accessibility. Marginalised youth often lack awareness and skills on how to engage in democratic debates and how to contribute to them. The main activity of the project is a camp where 15 young people come together, are introduced to active citizenship and accessibility and then work on public speeches about those topics to be presented and disseminated as the main output of the project, during a public event for up to 200 participants. A campaign will then further disseminate these speeched to advocate for inclusion in democracy.

Project “Revitalising Italian Democracy: from Fantapolitics to Fantareality” (Italy)

Organisation: Fantapolitica

Venue and dates: Matera, Italy; 05/04/2022 - 20/07/2022

Project grant approved: €14189

Description

 

The aim is to empower young people to be the carrier of political change inside the local councils in their cities and towns, by bringing organisational and participatory democratic methods, as well as innovative policies addressing climate change and social inequalities, therefore restoring trust between young people and institutions. The project has three main phases: capacity building of 15 young candidates through a series of 5 online workshops; a 3-days long networking and capacity building event bringing together participants from the previous activity with 10 young local representatives elected in 2021 and some participants outside the NGOs network, representing different political/social movements; lobbying actions targeting local councils in 15 locations.

Project “YOUth democratising Europe!” (France)

Organisation: Organisation de la jeunesse espérantiste française

Venue and dates: Toulouse, France; 14/06/2022 - 21/06/2022

Project grant approved: €14200

Description

The project aims at supporting 16 youth workers to develop their competences on using non-formal education with young people in the region of Occitanie, France. Through better trained youth workers, there will be more youth work and non-formal education activities with and for young people based on the principles of democracy and youth participation. As a follow-up to the training of trainers which the NGO will organise initially, participants will carry out local youth activities on participation and democracy.

Project "Youth Participation Matters" (Bulgaria)

Organisation: Youth and Civil Initiatives in the Rose Valley

Venue and dates: Karlovo, Sofia, Sopot, Bulgaria; 01/05/2022 - 15/10/2022

Project grant approved: €15000

Description

With this project, the NGO wants to promote active citizenship and youth participation with a focus on digital citizenship skills. The project starts with a survey in schools about students’ participation in political processes, followed by a training course for students and teachers, then by study visits to local councils and the parliament and ends with research developed by participants and published in the form of a booklet. The project is justified by low youth participation and lack of engagement, as well as lack of knowledge about available structures, mistrust in politics, lack of information and interest from the side of decision-makers.

Project “Participation as a path to youth-tailored community” (North Macedonia)

Organisation: Union Center for Education and Training

Venue and dates: Veles, North Macedonia; 01/05/2022 - 31/08/2022

Project grant approved: €13869

Description

This project aims at building capacities of local stakeholders and groups of relevance, for the development of a local action plan on participation of youth in all local processes of importance for further community development. While in the city of Veles, there are many opportunities for youth, very few of these opportunities are actually used by young people. With this project, the NGO will revitalise youth involvement locally. The project aim is to introduce to the community a new concept of communication and consultations between young people and the local administration. The project includes several phases: it will start with a training for 24 young people from different local structures of relevance for youth who will then be involved in research (survey + focus groups) on youth needs and priorities, a promotion campaign, the draft of a set of recommendations and final consultative meeting with relevant stakeholders (municipality included).

Project “Democracy here. Democracy now. Voices of Young People in Ukraine” (Ukraine)

Organisation: Donetsk Youth Debate Centre

Dates: 18.7.2022 – 21.11.2022

Project grant approved: €10 090

Description

The aim of the project is to amplify the voices of young people from 5 regions of Ukraine regarding the impact of the war on young people in Ukraine. The NGO will collect stories from young people and use them to advocate for the rights of young people, including with local authorities. The project includes a training course for 30 young people from the 5 regions, collection of stories from those regions by the training participants, a social media takeover and a final evaluation meeting.

Project “Moving Democracy Online: how to improve dialogue between youngsters and policy makers? A guide with scenarios for e-democracy tools” (The Netherlands)

Organisation: Foundation Netherlands Romania Stichting Nederland Roemenie

Dates: 3.9.2022 – 3.3.2023

Project grant approved: €15 000

Description

The theme of the project is digitalization and democracy. Through hybrid and face-to-face sessions, the project brings together participants with political representatives in the Hague to engage in dialogue and create a Guide with 10 concrete scenarios on Moving Democracy Online. The need for the project is to develop effective solutions to strengthen youth participation in decision making, creating platforms for dialogue connecting young people to democratic processes, and exploring opportunities and risks.

Project “My city, my voice-my choice” (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Organisation: Motus Adolescenti

Dates: 1.7.2022 – 31.10.2022

Project grant approved: € 13 000

Description

The project aims to develop sustainable cooperation between youth and local administration and to increase youth participation in decision-making processes in 4 cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The project will include a training for 20 young people and 4 representatives of the 4 local administrations dealing with youth, research on the level of engagement of youth in decision-making processes in local administrations through meetings with other local administration representatives and round tables; an online consultative meeting with 24 participants to gather data and a final conference for 50 people to sum up these recommendations and dissemination of results.

Project “Strengthening Civil Participation and Digital Literacy among Rural Youth from Highland Mountain Regions of Georgia” (Georgia)

Organisation: The Youth Centre for Civil Development

Dates: 5.8.2022 – 30.12.2022

Project grant approved: €14 580

Description

The project aims to support participatory democracy and digitalization in highland areas of Georgia (Mtskheta Mtianeti and Kvemo Kartli regions) through fostering digital literacy among rural youth and exploring possibilities and threats of using digitalization as a tool to strengthen good governance an active citizenship at a municipal level. The main activity is a training course for 25 young people from the target regions. They will form an initiative group which then develops recommendations, that are presented to local authorities at round-table discussions.

Project “Out and loud” (Cyprus)

Organisation:  Youth for Exchange and Understanding Cyprus

Dates: 1.9.2022 – 28.2.2023

Project grant approved: €6 809

Description

The project aims to spread awareness about the power and impact that social movements can have, build bridges between activist groups from both sides of the island, investigate the needs of local young leaders of social movements and capacitate them in order to enhance the culture of non-violent protests.  The project includes a social media campaign, then a focus group with 10 local young leaders of social movements and activists from both sides of the island to map experiences and needs, and a two-day capacity building training for 20 participants on activism, good practices in organising non-violent protests and other forms of public interventions and how to maximise the sustainability and impact of the groups.

Project “Access to internet – an emerging Human Right in the era of digitalization!” (Albania)

Organisation: LIBURNETIK Organisation

Dates: 28.8.2022 - 6.11.2022

Project grant approved: €14 170

Description

The project aims to train 30 youngsters with the right skills and tools to serve as trainers and activists to advocate for equal access to the internet and all the indispensable utilities it provides to youth. Through this project, the NGO plans to build capacity of young people to become trainers and activists for equal access to internet. They will link this topic to digitalisation as a way to access young people’s rights.  The training is followed by actions by participants in schools.

Project “Digi-mocracy” (Georgia)

Organisation: Umbrella

Dates: 1.8.2022 – 31.1..2023

Project grant approved: €12 640

Description

The project aim is to raise the level and voices of youth via digital and alternative means for participation in democratic processes at local, regional, national levels. The main activities of the project are a 6-day training course for 24 young people from local youth centres, followed by local actions: participants will test the Toolbox through workshops at their own organisations, implement an online campaign, test two e-participation tools, and share video tutorials.

Project “Voices of rural areas” (France)

Organisation: Mouvement Rural de Jeunesse Chrétienne

Dates: 1.7.2022 – 31.12.2022

Project grant approved: €11 200

Description

The NGO wishes to support participation of young people from rural areas in the development of public policies. First, they will gather young people to get training on democracy and participation and then the young people will have direct democracy experiences through the organisation of 3 free youth parliaments, meaning each time a weekend during which they will develop ideas for policies and vote on them.

Project “Youth for Community Development: Youth Voice Matters” (Armenia)

Organisation: “Youth for Change” Civil Society Development NGO

Dates: 15.7.2022 – 15.11.2022

Project grant approved: €15 000

Description

This project focuses on youth participation in rural Armenia, bringing young people together for capacity building on advocating for rights and promoting youth participation through local actions and a campaign. The project will consist of a 6-day training on youth participation and advocacy; a month of coaching/mentoring for participants to implement 10 regional/local meetings in cooperation with representatives of the municipalities. A campaign main event will be organised in Goris to sum up the results of the project.

Project “We decide !” (Andorra)

Organisation: Associació de Joves Inquiets

Dates: 21.7.2022 – 30.12.2022

Project grant approved: €9 907

Description

The project is based on the reality of young people in Andorra, with important limitations to their social rights. The project proposes a training course for 30 young people from 15 to 23 years of age, on social rights and the means to access them. Not only the young people will learn about social rights, but they will also know how to raise awareness towards other young people, and feel more integrated in Andorran society.

Project “ CLAP ÇA TOURNE ! Les jeunes au micro” (France)

Organisation: Association Internationale de Mobilisation pour l'Egalité

Dates: 1.9.2022 – 31.2.2022

Project grant approved: €10 000

Description

The project aims to develop youth empowerment through the promotion of participatory citizenship and deconstruction of the mistrust towards local institutions. In the project, the NGO will create a space for exchange and listening to the concerns and questions of young people, renew the dialogue between young people and actors of participatory democracy and allow young people to reclaim the space for citizen discussion by better understanding the democratic tools offered by the City of Paris. The NGO will also produce and widely distribute the civic and participatory engagement tool "The Citizen Question Box" among young people aged 16 to 30.

Project “ #Lëtzebuerg2023” (Luxembourg)

Organisation: Association Luxembourgeoise pour le dialogue interculturel

Dates: 1.10.2022 – 31.3.2023

Project grant approved: €15 000

Description

This is a training on youth participation and youth political participation in particular, which will lead then to the creation of an information and awareness-raising service for young people in view of the upcoming elections. The project includes two 5-day training courses for a total of 35 participants followed by the development of an online 'information service'.

Project “How is democracy "made" and what's my role in it?” (Armenia)

Organisation: Child Development Foundation

Dates: 25.7.2022 – 30.11.2022

Project grant approved: €15 000

Description

The aim of the project is to instil a deep understanding of democracy among young adults in post-war Armenia and enhance their civic participation. This is an awareness-raising training for 48 teenagers (15-18 year olds) on democratic principles and values. Participants will also create awareness-raising materials for further dissemination.

Project “The five Ws of Local Youth Councils” (Italy)

Organisation: Europiamo

Dates: 15.7.2022 – 30.11.2022

Project grant approved: €10 550

Description

This activity is focused on coordination and networking between different local youth councils in Italy. The project will provide a space for cooperation and to set the stage for a national meeting of local youth councils. The project will create a steering group that will prepare the 1st national meeting of local youth councils, organise a networking space online for local youth councils and promote the democracy campaign at local level.

Project “Rural youth empowerment ON-green-LINE” (Spain)

Organisation: Asociacion La Bardal

Dates: 15.8.2022 – 15.2.2023

Project grant approved: €12 540

Description

This is a project on democratic participation, in the context of digitalization and the environment in the rural region of Cantabria, Spain. The aim is to empower the rural youth of Cantabria and equip them with the proper knowledge and skills to address democratic participation with regard to digitalization and social media on environmental issues. The project includes a training for 25 participants (15-18 years old); local activities in schools developed by participants and carried out with the support of the project team; a final meeting with regional Youth council and local authorities to create a common strategy.

Project “Visuals for Human Rights” (Spain)

Organisation: Free-thinkers of La Sierra de Madrid

Dates: 1.8.2022 – 31.10.2022

Project grant approved: €12 900

Description

The project aim is to equip 18 young illustrators and communication experts with competencies in the field of creative citizenship by developing their interest in human rights and activism, equipping them with peacebuilding competencies in order to address the European human rights issues by designing visuals for human rights and launching a communication campaign at the national level. The project will include a visual campaign in collaboration with different organisations in Spain, to boost the youth democracy campaign on the national level.

Project “Young Human Rights Champions in the Digital Age” (Slovenia)

Organisation: National Youth Council of Slovenia

Dates: 15.8.2022 – 14.2.2023

Project grant approved: €14 810

Description

The aim of the project is to empower young people for navigating in the digital world by enhancing their knowledge and competencies needed for the protection of human rights in the digital age: the project will educate youth on human rights issues, digitalization, and global issues stemming from them. This project is focused on human rights education in the context of the digital age, in particular around hate speech and credibility of content. The project will train 15 young people in Slovenia to be human rights advocates, who will then influence their peers.

Project “The Academy of Youth Councillors” (Poland)

Organisation: Polish Council of Youth Organisations

Dates: 1.9.2022 – 28.2.2023

Project grant approved: €13 500

Description

The project aim is to unite all youth city councils in common democratic thought, to strengthen the democratic participation of young people in the local community and build the capacity of local youth councils to become generators of meaningful participation and democracy and become mechanisms that have a real influence on the decisions in their communities. The project includes workshops on democratic participation, access to rights, civil society organizing, youth participation and building links with local self-government.

Project “Theater for Democracy - Looking for the roots” (Italy)

Organisation: Associazione Culturale  Raizes

Dates: 5.9.2022 – 10.12.2022

Project grant approved: €11 700

Description

This project uses theatre to promote human rights. It will bring young people together in Palermo, Italy, to learn about human rights topics and the create a theatre production called “Democracy Now”. During a training course of three weeks, the young people will learn more about human rights and campaign for rights, and in parallel will develop the performance, which will then be shown during a local festival in Palermo, Italy at the end of September.

Project “Youth for Local Democracy” (Albania)

Organisation: Udhetim i Lire – Liberi di Viaggiare

Dates: 15.7.2022 – 25.12.2022

Project grant approved: €14 850

Description

The project aim is to improve the lives of young people in Kavaja municipalities by empowering youth and increasing youth participation in decision making process in order to increase accountability and cooperation with local authorities regarding youth issues. The project includes a training course for 30 young people, followed by a campaign and local follow-up actions.

Project “Democracy Here: The Far Right and us !” (Greece)

Organisation : Youth Empowerment Centre

Dates: 1.9.2022 – 28.2.2023

Project grant approved: €14 360

Description

The project raises awareness on the threats that far right politics might pose on democracy, equity and non-discrimination, through training youth workers and capacitates them to design and deliver action plans. The aim is the creation of a network of 20 youth leaders, youth workers and young trainers, who will become competent on supporting the establishment of a democratic system based on the values of equality and non-discrimination, through their educational praxis. The main activity is a training course followed by 4 workshops by participants at the local level.