The Marianne Initiative Prize winners for 2025 visited the European Youth Centre Strasbourg today for an exchange on youth priorities and work of the youth sector of the Council of Europe.

 Launched in December 2021 by French President Emmanuel Macron, the Marianne Initiative for Human Rights Defenders aims to support the work of human rights defenders, both in their home countries to increase their effectiveness, visibility and protection and by hosting them in France for six months to provide personalized support in a forum for discussions and training. This initiative primarily focuses on creating platforms that enable human rights defenders to participate in environments where institutions often struggle to connect with their populations, including with youth.

 At the European Youth Centre, they had an opportunity to hear about the history and significance of the Centre for young people of Europe, as well as about the work of the youth sector of the Organisation and its unique co-management system.

 The overview of the youth policy work was presented, highlighting the importance of meaningful youth participation in decision-making processes. It was emphasised how young people contribute to placing key issues — including climate change and bioethics — on the political agendas of Council of Europe member states.

The session continued with an input on the role of non-formal education in the Youth Department’s activities. The group was introduced to resources like the Compass manual for human rights education, and the significance of multipliers in extending the impact of educational initiatives was underlined.

Accessibility, both in terms of physical environments and the inclusivity of content, was another key topic of interest. Feedback was shared on the Youth Department’s ongoing efforts to make its workspaces and resources more accessible to all.

Learn more about 2025 Marianne Initiative laureates by following this link.