The project YOUNG LEADERS INTERNATIONAL MEETING aims to support the youth participation in representative democracies and in civil societies. Moreover, it works to support the participation and engagement of young people and youth organisations in the process of elaboration, realisation, and evaluation of policies through a structured dialogue.
The Project
The specific objectives are:
- Encourage the participation of young people in the European elections in 2019 and stimulate their engagement within the formal structures of participatory democracies, such as political parties.
- Encourage and promote cross-sectoral cooperation and partnerships between youth organizations and socio-educational promoters.
Among the expected results there are:
Proposal to introduce European laws in favor of young people
Suggestions for improvement of the Erasmus Plus Program
Creation and implementation of I.A.N.G International Association Networkers Generation
In particular
Encourage the use of a non-formal learning methodology to promote the development of skills and social competencies linked to democratic values and human rights such as freedom of expression and respect for diversity through the daily practice of democratic principles.
Develop the technological skills that allow young people to access, manage, evaluate and create useful information online.
Develop digital tools for youth political participation in combination with elements given during the project and develop appropriate training for teachers, youth workers, trainers and multipliers working with different target groups in formal and non-formal learning settings in order to reach young people at all levels.
Encourage and promote cross-sectoral cooperation and partnerships between youth organizations and socio-educational youthworkers in order to develop integrated approachesto citizenship education programs.
Support campaigns and information events for young people in local, regional, national and European elections.
Promote EU programs to support young people, such as Erasmus + and European Solidarity Corps
Creating an international network of NGOs and sharing good practices.
Erasmus+ Key Action 3 - Structured Dialogue Youth
With this project we want to give the opportunity to many young people and adults to get in touch with the organizations involved in the promotion of active citizenship and in the improvement of policies in favor of young people.
The project involves 44 young people (22 men and 22 women) plus 11 political decision-makers or experts in the field of youth policies, for a total of 55 participants (of which 26 with fewer opportunities) from 11 different countries.
The project includes a transnational meeting that will take place in Rome from 27 th to 31 th January 2019 and will be organized by SOS Europa in collaboration with all the partners. The activities will take place with the most modern non-formal European methodologies of confrontation such as Open Space Technology (OST), Focused Conversation, Future Search Conference and European Structured Dialogue (DSE). The content and activity plan are based on the SALTO publication as “Working on Work for All” and “Inclusion through Employability”. Each participant will then receive the YouthPass certificate.
In order to share and disseminate the results of the project outside of SOS EUROPA and Italy and to promote the role of the Erasmus + program, a comprehensive and complex dissemination plan has been designed.
After the International Meeting
We expect the organization of 11 local events to disseminate the results with a participation of at least 100 young people to event for a total of 1,100 young people; that at least 40% of participants in the next 8 months from the end of the meeting participate in other international mobility projects (including EVS and the European Solidarity Body), that at least 30% of the participants, by the end of the project, participate actively in the elections in your country, as a candidate or support to it, at least 60% of the participants are encouraged to participate in activities promoting active citizenship in their local community.
What happened in the first edition
From 27th to 31st October 2017., 60 young leaders from 12 countries gathered in Italy. At the end of the meeting, each delegation elaborated a text of law to be approved in their own country. Furthermore, the Manifest of Values for Young Europeans was defined. The partners present expressed their intention to create a European network between them in order to improve cooperation (the IANG acronym was voted as the name of this umbrella organization). The meeting was attended by Italian and European parliamentarians and local and regional administrators. All the contents produced have been published on the website www.soseuropa.it.
Profile of the participants
Each organization will involve 4 participants (Please ensure gender equality) between the ages of 25 and 30 and 1 expert (or policy maker) without age limits.
In total of 5 participants from each partner.
Participants are selected by their partner organizations.
Characteristics of the potential participants:
Activists or volunteers of the partner organization, previous experience in the field of associations and civil volunteering,
Strong interest in the theme of the project, strongly motivated to participate in the entire duration of the project, committed to the dissemination of results in the medium-long term,
Interested in drafting legislative proposalsto be submitted to candidates for the European Parliament in the 2019 elections.
They will also have to involve other peers who are not directly involved in this project and commit themselves to constantly update the progress of their work and to share with the other participants.
Participants are selected by their partner organizations.
Before the International Meeting - Edition II
SOS Europa will launch a “Youth Consultation” where the following questions will be asked:
1- “What is the law you would like to introduce at a European level concerning youth policies?
2- “How can the opportunities offered by the Erasmus Plus Program be increased and facilitated?
Each partner organization will have to analyze the results obtained and proceed with their publication making the consultation available.
