On 29 October 2021, Congress members and youth delegates came together in the European Youth Centre in Strasbourg to discuss how they can strengthen youth work, empower young people and improve their participation in public life.
In the light of a report adopted in 2021 by the Congress and field projects carried out by the youth delegates in their countries, the participants discussed policy recommendations for local authorities and the challenges to youth work.
"We have to integrate young people's vision of the future into local government policies and make their participation a priority. Through youth work, we can reach out to young people and give them a voice in governance processes, at all levels, to build more cohesive and more democratic societies", stressed Thomas Andersson (Sweden, ILDG), thematic spokesperson on youth.
Members of the Council of Europe's Advisory Council on Youth also contributed to the discussion. The exchange of views paved the way for devising an information leaflet to raise awareness about the Congress recommendations among those involved in local youth work in the 47 member States.
The Congress "Rejuvenating Politics Initiative" aims to promote youth participation in public life and the decision-making process at local and regional levels. Since 2014, the "Youth delegates" project has enabled young people from the Council of Europe's 47 member States to participate in the sessions of the Congress and meetings of its committees and speak in debates on the agenda topics.
