On the 5th of July 2024, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe organised a consultative meeting for the revision of the European Charter on the Participation of Young People in Local and Regional Life. Mathilde Colarte, Chair for Youth Participation & Governance in the Youth Regional Network, participated in this consultation, and reports about the experience and findings in the present article.
The AER aims to empower the issue of youth participation. In this context, there are many opportunities available to members of the YRN (Youth Regional Network). As Chair of the Committee on Youth Participation within the YRN, I had the unique opportunity to take part in the Consultative Meeting for the Revision of the European Charter on the Participation of Young People in Local and Regional Life organised by the Committee on Social Inclusion and Human Dignity (SOC) – Council of Europe.
On 5 July 2024, I was standing outside the impressive building of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. After getting slightly lost, I finally met the other participants at this meeting, i.e., Congress members, members of the Council of Europe statutory bodies on youth and their partners (European Youth Forum, Europe goes local, etc.). After an ice-breaking session, there was a slightly more in-depth presentation of the ins and outs of the programme for the day. But first, what is it actually about? This meeting was an opportunity to review the European Charter on the Participation of Young People in Local and Regional Life, first adopted in 2003, which is now out of date.
To be relevant, this document needs to be in line with current issues (new technologies and social media, among others) but also with the concerns of young people. To achieve this, we were first divided into 2 interactive working groups. Within my group, we discussed 3 aspects of the charter:
- Definition of youth participation
- Principles of youth participation
- Instruments of youth participation
I was delighted to contribute in a concrete way.
Regarding the definition of youth participation, I supported the idea that the definition should be shorter to maximise understanding. It also seemed essential to emphasise the ‘co-creation’/’co-production’ dimension. Indeed, talking about youth participation is not just about including and listening to young people, but about ‘co-creating’ policies together and sharing their opinions on an equal basis. Young people need to feel that their presence and participation is not passive or potentially instrumentalized, but active and valued.
About the principles of youth participation, the group collectively decided to restructure them in a pyramid. The main pillars of the pyramid are: Respect, Democracy, and Youth-friendliness. One point that is particularly close to my heart is accessibility. We must ensure that young people have access and feel integrated into the decision-making process. Many young people are unaware of the opportunities available to them and the potential for their participation is hampered.
In terms of instruments for youth participation, we have based ourselves on those currently mentioned in the Charter. First of all, from a slightly ‘meta’ point of view, we all agreed that the term ‘instrument’ should be replaced. We’re talking more about ‘tools’ or ‘means’ here. I also actively supported the point that training sessions on youth participation are by no means just for young people. It’s vital that political representatives (among others) educate themselves on this issue and learn the useful tools. I was also keen to stress the importance of youth workers, who are a cornerstone of a fruitful and inclusive political life for young people.
These fruitful discussions enabled me to get to know the other participants better; and I was able to continue this with the lunch break. After enjoying a tasty soup, we all returned to the meeting room. We reported on our discussions to the other group, who had been working on the following 3 points: Institutions and structures of youth participation; Policy areas (aimed at young people); Obstacles of youth participation. Following this exchange, we split again into two groups. I was in group 1, where we discussed the following questions:
- Which instruments fostering youth participation and institutions/spaces of youth participation need to be strengthened through the Charter?
- Who are the main actors of youth participation at different levels – European, national, regional, local?
- What are potential difficulties for implementing the Charter, including in different territories?
We all shared our respective opinions. I emphasised the importance of online platforms for participation (which have yet to be promoted/recognized); the vital role of youth workers; and finally, a challenge that is particularly close to my heart, the instrumentalization of young people and the lack of concrete AND long-term commitment from (certain) political and external stakeholders.
Finally, we all gathered and shared our different thoughts. We concluded this meeting with many ideas in mind and an overflowing energy to set up this Charter and ensure it becomes a comprehensive and useful instrument. Indeed, it is important to keep in mind, first, a certain benevolence (towards politicians, for whom it is not always easy to adapt, as well as towards all the stakeholders concerned, so that the Charter establishes a certain ‘safe place’), but also a desire for concrete action. Young people, more than ever, are getting involved or want to get involved.
I hope that this short report on my workday in Strasbourg has been of interest to you. I very much look forward to being invited to contribute to further Council of Europe events. I would be delighted to find out more about the revised Charter and I was honored to contribute to this project. I am now back to my daily life in Belgium but I am already looking forward to speaking on behalf of the YRN again.
An article by Mathilde Colarte, YRN Chair for Youth Participation & Governance
