Better Strategies for Youth, Youth for Better Strategies Erasmus Project

Project Title

Better Strategies for Youth, Youth for Better Strategies

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for youth

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2014

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation; Youth (Participation, Youth Work, Youth Policy) ; Reaching the policy level/dialogue with decision makers

Project Summary

The proposal for this project was derived from MMH’s advocacy practice, as well as from information collected through international cooperation with other national youth councils (NYCs) gathered in the largest European platform of youth organisations – the European Youth Forum (YFJ). Therefore, this project reflected an action that aimed to respond on real needs detected in the youth sector Europe-wide, as it also presented a genuine base for a long-term strategic partnership which have ensured the exchange of practices among youth, research organisations and institutions involved in the project.

The aim of the project was to initiate and develop the advocacy agenda on necessity of developing quality assurance standards of national strategic and programme documents in the field of youth. Youth organisations gathered in this partnership, with the support of the research partners, did tend to advocate together their findings and joint possitions at the EU level, but also in each of their national contexts. With joint advocacy efforts of the Better Strategies project team and the Expert group on Youth Policy (established by the YFJ, for the first time), they have contributed to more effective youth policies at the European and national level, which was an overall idea behind this project. By engaging NYCs from seven (in this project, and within YFJ even more) EU countries in this advocacy process at the EU level – organisations which represent thousands of young people all over the EU – this strategic partnership have directly influenced stimulating the active participation of young people in the EU policy making, as it provides a solid basis for further development.

Project was implemented through these activities: (1) Mapping of key issues in developing and implementing youth policy strategic documents from perspective of NYCs; (2) NYC capacity building training, which have provided necessary skills and knowledge for project partners; (3) development of advocacy tool which represented recommendations towards more successful youth policy (and was communicated and advocated towards relevant stakeholders), including the inputs provided to the Resolution on youth policy standards (adopted at the Spring COMEM 2016); (4) consultations with national bodies in charge of youth, which were used to collect opinions on the recommendations stated in the advocacy paper and to secure the support of the national bodies in later stages of the process (when concrete recommendations will be implemented, especially concerning developing the next long-term youth strategy); (5) advocacy process towards the YFJ (which started its development during the capacity building training, and was done through presentations, dissemination of the project results, etc.) and which did resulted in including some of the key findings from the project in specific resolutions; (6) Follow-up meeting which served for making a proper systematic evaluation of the project and planning future actions/steps which can be organized to successfully continue efforts towards proper and relevant youth policy.

Two major results were achieved by implementation of activities specified above: (R1) developed advocacy agenda on quality assurance standards of national strategic and programme documents in the field of youth which was adopted and advocated (and still going on) within a large platform of youth organisations (YFJ); (R2) capacities of national youth councils from the EU partner countries are strengthened and their representatives are now feeling more educated and encouraged in creating and monitoring their concrete national strategic and programme documents in the field of youth, with more active engagement of their respective NYCs. Project results, findings and advocacy efforts were done towards three main target groups: member organisations of the YFJ, representatives of the national bodies in charge of youth policy (inside partner countries), but also representatives in the EU and Council of Europe bodies in charge of youth.

The project has strengthened and empowered representatives of the project partner organisations, as it generally has raised awareness of other YFJ member organisation on the necessity of youth advocacy within the area of policy development. Project has also raised the awareness of the representatives of bodies in charge of youth policy development on both levels (those on national and those on EU) on the necessity of more effective youth policy (but also monitoring the results). This project’s work, together with the advocacy efforts of the YFJ, did surely reactivate the youth policy topic at the European level after long time and it has a potential to provide some positive changes through clear recommendations dealing with youth strategic documents.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 65371,24 Eur

Project Coordinator

MREZA MLADIH HRVATSKE UDRUG & Country: HR

Project Partners

• OSTERREICHISCHE KINDER UND JUGENDVERTRETUNG VEREIN
• NATIONAL YOUTH FORUM BULGARIA
• SYMVOYLIO NEOLAIAS KYPROU
• People and Work Unit
• FORUM NAZIONALE DEI GIOVANI ASSOCIAZIONE
• Federatia Consiliul Tineretului din Romania
• MLADINSKI SVET SLOVENIJE