New report on young people in governance

In October a report on young people's participation in the governance of charities and non-profits in England, called Young People in Governance, was published by the consulting firm nfpSynergy. The report's authors interviewed 15 representatives of small, medium and large charities and organizations that work with children and young people to identify the challenges to youth participation in governance and the strategies these organizations have used to address the challenges. The report includes a discussion of the most common objections to youth participation and the myths and misconceptions on which many of these objections are based, a section on the benefits of involving young people and a section on solutions to the challenges. The report also contains a table comparing practices that can lead to tokenistic involvement with corresponding practices more likely to lead to meaningful participation.

The section on challenges, myths and misconceptions will be especially helpful to those seeking to overcome resistance to engaging young people in meaningful ways.

National Rural Youth Fest to be held in Mumbai January 15-19, 2011

The Tata Institute of Social Sciences, School of Rural Development is presenting the third annual Rural Youth Fest in Mumbai January 15-19. The theme of the event is "Youth for Progress," and organizers seek to promote recognition among policymakers and leaders of the important role rural youth can play in development. The festival will include a youth parliamentary debate, poster sessions, athletic competition, theater, folk dancing presentations and "Cultural Kalaidoscopes," including a “Darpan" mime competition on the role of youth in governance.

TAKING PARTicipation seriously

The New South Wales (Australia) Commission for Children and Young People has published a comprehensive guide to child and youth participation. The TAKING PARTicipation seriously kit includes seven sections covering topics such as recruitment, roles and responsibilities, induction, support for young people, involving young people in research, preparing young people for meetings, dealing with turnover, evaluation, planning conferences and events, and many others. Each section can be downloaded for free, and there is also a link to a document containing further participation research and resources.

Council of Europe introduces quality label for youth centers

The Council of Europe has published a guide for youth centers seeking the Council's seal of approval. The Council of Europe Quality Label for Youth Centres can help existing youth centers determine whether their existing policies and programs support the values, standards and objectives of the CoE, and can provide guidance for improvement in these areas if necessary.

Indicators of quality contained in the guide include:

The centre promotes the priorities of the Council of Europe's youth sector by actively addressing human rights education, intercultural learning, youth participation, active democratic citizenship and social inclusion of young people in its activities, working practices and infrastructure.

And:

The centre is an ally for youth civil society in advocating for decision makers and power holders to take young people's points of view and concerns into account when making and implementing policies.

This publication should be useful for youth service providers and others supporting youth participation even outside of Europe.

Voices of a New Generation at the UN Security Council

From December 2-14, the U.S. Mission to the United Nations is accepting videos and written submissions from young people around the world who respond to the following question:

“What is the most vital challenge to international peace and security facing your generation? Tell the UN Security Council what issue you believe deserves more attention, and explain why it is important.”

Selected submissions will be incorporated into the agenda of the Security Council event on December 21, which will be broadcast live via the web. For more information, visit www.usun.state.gov.

Azerbaijani youth minister discusses government's support for youth participation

According to Youth and Sport Minister Azad Rahimov, Azerbaijan's national government has financed more than 350 youth organizations over the past five years. The minister made this statement during a speech to the First Congress of World Azerbaijani Youth, which took place in Frankfurt November 27-28. Minister Rahimov also stated that young people make up 30% of local authorities in Azerbaijan, with 326 municipal councils chaired by young people.

First ever Azerbaijani World Youth Congress

European Youth Forum elects new leadership

On Monday, November 22 more than 250 young delegates participated in the European Youth Forum General Assembly 2010, hosted by the Ukrainian Youth Forum. Elections were held to elect the 2011-2012 general assembly leadership. The General Assembly adopted the European Youth Forum's Work Plan for the next two years, focusing on Volunteering, Youth Rights and the Building of a Stronger Youth Civil Society, and two Policy Papers on Global Governance and on Poverty and Young People.