EU Youth Dialogue

EU Youth Dialogue

Contact
Jasna Maric Krajacic
Department/Sector/Unit
DG EAC B3
Other Organisations
DG EAC A3
EACEA

Description

The EU Youth Dialogue is a dialogue mechanism between young people and decision makers that ensures that the opinion, views and needs of young people and youth organisations are taken into account when defining the EU's youth policies. It supports the implementation of the EU Youth Strategy 2019-2027 which focuses on 3 main core areas ‘connect, engage and empower’ and encourages cooperation between the EU countries in respect to all issues concerning young people. The dialogue happens in 18-month work cycles. Each cycle focuses on a different theme set by the Council of Youth Ministers.

Participation Spectrum

When and Where

Start Year
2010

Policy Context

Science or Policy Field
Specific Topic
Youth. It supports the implementation of the EU Youth Strategy 2019-2027 focusing on 3 core areas ‘connect, engage and empower’ and encourages cooperation between the EU countries in respect to youth issues.

Participants

Participants
100000
Other participants
Communities or representatives involved
Young people from diverse background, youth organisations, youth researchers and policy makers including stakeholders from other relevant sectors.
How were the Participants selected?
Through what means citizens knew about the call for participation?
Youth organisations and national youth councils, via the web and especially social media platforms.

Methodologies

Events
1000
Methodologies used
Methodology description
In every Member State, national working groups are conducting consultations, on and off-line, an array of tailor-made tools are used such as close-ended survey, focus group guidance and guiding questions.

Impact

Main Outcomes and Lasting Achievement
The European Youth Goals are the outcome of the 6th cycle of the Structure Dialogue (now EU Youth Dialogue). They are featured as annex in the EU Youth Strategy 2019-2027.
How were the outcome taken up within the process they were carried out?
The European Youth Goals were welcomed by Ministers in the EU Youth Council policy debate and featured in several Council resolutions.
Were the methodologies used elsewhere?
Yes, they were taken up at national, local and regional level by a wide array of stakeholders dealing with young people.

Assessment

Reason for such challenges and solutions
- Topics can be too broad or vague, which fails to engage other policy sectors.
- It is hard to engage unorganized youth and enough decision-makers.
- National Working Groups have not the capacity to carry out wider conversations with their current resources.
- Implementation of recommendations is overall quite low.
Lessons Learn
1. Find the right mix between on/off-line - online to get broader input but offline activities important to keep people involved for a longer period.
2. Outreach needs to be structured and start at local level in order to involve enough wide range of people - -representativeness is key.
3. Feedback and impact - young people want to see the impact of their contributions - needs to be planned well ahead.
Recommendation
1. Bottom-up approach-ideas come from local level and young people are engaged to transmit this to European level.
2. Implementation+monitoring:clear plan and progression in place.
3. Need to get more concrete outputs and deliverables out of the discussions.