Youth participation

The Congress has long been committed to promoting the active participation of young people in civic life as a means of securing social cohesion and anchoring democratic principles in a society based on respect for human rights. This approach was borne out by the adoption of its European Charter on the participation of young people in municipal and regional life in 1992.

But as highlighted in the Congress report on Youth and democracy: the changing face of youth political engagement, in the 21st century, young people are engaging differently. There is a wide gap between political institutions’ and young people’s understanding of participation. During the Congress’ 2014 conference on promoting youth participation, it became clear that institutions have difficulty in grasping not only what these new forms of youth participation are but also the issues that mobilise young people. For their part, young people are facing unemployment, job insecurity, difficult transitions to work and adult life. They are increasingly disenchanted and feel marginalised from the political process.

The active participation of citizens in democratic structures and representative institutions is decisive in guaranteeing the legitimacy, credibility and operation of democratic systems. The Congress is cooperating with young people and local and regional authorities to find a way forward towards achieving the meaningful participation of young people.

The Congress published a leaflet on the report Youth work: the role of local and regional authorities, adopted in February 2021. The leaflet contains a presentation of the main recommendations of the report. It was prepared in collaboration with youth delegates in the framework of the Congress' "Rejuvenate Politics" initiative, which aims to promote the participation of young people in public life and decision-making at local and regional level. Since 2014, this initiative has enabled young delegates from the 46 Council of Europe member states to contribute to debates at Congress sessions and committee meetings.

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Youth work - Report Feb. 2021

Revised European Charter on the Participation of Young People in Local and Regional Life

Young people must be included in democratic structures and processes, have their voices heard and make decisions on issues that impact on them and their lives. Their active participation is essential if we are to build more democratic, caring and prosperous societies.

The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe is convinced that it is at local and regional levels that a culture of youth participation can most efectively take root and thrive.

The revised Charter contains principles, best practices and guidelines to enhance youth participation at local and regional levels. It also sets out the basic requirements for this participation to be meaningful, i.e. young people must have the necessary rights, means, space, opportunity and support.

Booklets available in:
English - French - German - Italian - Azerbaijani - Belarusian
Bulgarian - Greek - Hungarian - Romanian - Serbian
Spanish - Turkish - Ukrainian
Other translations:
Albanian - Georgian - Polish - Estonian - Russian - Swedish

Other publications of the Youth Sector, on the Revised European Charter on the Participation of Young people in Local and Regional Life

The future of youth in rural areas - responsibilities of local and regional authorities
- Report CG(2022)42-15 - Resolution 481 (2022); Recommendation 473 (2022)
Children and sustainable cities: guidelines and booklet for local and regional authorities
- Report CG(2022)42-10 - Resolution 478
Youth work at local and regional levels
- Report CGFORUM(2021)01-02 - Resolution 463 (2021); Recommendation 450 (2021)
Social rights of young people: the role of local and regional authorities
- Report CG36(2019)12 - Resolution 442 (2019); Recommendation 433 (2019)
Forever young? The role of youth policies and youth work at local and regional levels in supporting young people’s transition to autonomy and working life
- Report CG32(2017)11 - Resolution 414 (2017)
Voting at 16 – Consequences on youth participation at local and regional level
- Report CG/2015(29)8 - Resolution 387 (2015)
Bringing down barriers to youth participation: adopting a lingua franca for local and regional authorities and young people
- Report CG/2015(29)7 - Resolution 386 (2015); Recommendation 376 (2015)
Empowering Roma youth through participation: effective policy design at local and regional levels
- Report CG(26)8 - Resolution 366 (2014); Recommendation 354 (2014)
Youth and democracy: the changing face of youth political engagement
- Report CG(23)9 - Resolution 346 (2012); Recommendation 327 (2012)
Integration of young people from disadvantaged neighbourhoods
- Report CG(19)15 - Resolution 319 (2010)

Since October 2014, the Congress has invited young people from different backgrounds to take part in its sessions, to have their say in the debates and to exchange with Congress members on the issues on the agenda.

Participating in Congress Sessions

Назад The social rights of young people, a competence of local and regional authorities

The fundamental social rights of the citizens of the member states of the Council of Europe are guaranteed by the European Social Charter and its collective complaints mechanism. As a legal instrument, the Charter refers to young people as having certain rights, notably in terms of education, health and housing. There are still significant disparities, however, in the way these rights are implemented, which is why the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe has adopted a report on this issue, presented on 3 April 2019 by the co-rapporteurs Liisa ANSALA (Finland, ILDG) and Piero FASSINO (Italy, SOC).

In order to ensure that young people’s social rights are respected in practice, the Congress calls on local and regional authorities, as bodies which have competences in the social field, to consider these rights a priority for their policies. Member states are invited to ratify the Social Charter, to accept the collective complaints procedures and to involve local and regional authorities in the Social Charter monitoring mechanism. The Congress also emphasises the importance of raising youth awareness through various initiatives and co-ordinating actions at all levels of governance.

In the context of the Congress initiative "Rejuvenating Politics", youth delegates were invited to speak during the debate.

Produced in response to a request from the youth delegates, this report is a continuation of the Congress’s efforts to improve youth integration, participation and engagement at local and regional levels. Since 2014, the Congress has been committed to promoting youth participation, in particular through the “Rejuvenating politics” initiative. Youth delegates from the 47 member states are invited to participate in the debates and to exchange views with Congress members on the issues on session agendas.