Symposium on youth participation in international decision-making to be held in May

The British Council and the Open Society Foundation, in partnership with the British Youth Council and the Commonwealth Youth Exchange Council, are sponsoring a symposium on "Meaningful Participation by Young People in International Decision-making: Principles, Practice and Standards for the Future" May 16-18 in London. The symposium will bring together stakeholders from around the world to discuss effective practice and begin to develop a foundation for international standards for youth participation in international decision-making. The symposium will include stakeholder dialogues, thematic working groups; focused input from decision-makers, and a voice for young people.

For more information and to register your interest, please contact Sheila Mykoo at: sheila.mykoo@britishcouncil.org or by phone at: +44 (0) 20 7389 4217.

Source: United Nations Youth Flash Vol. 8, No. 2, February 2011

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.