On 3 October, 2024, a meeting of the Steering Committee of the Framework Programme for Co-operation in the Field of Youth Policy between the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine and the Council of Europe for 2021-2025 was held at the European Youth Centre in Strasbourg.
Among the key topics of the meeting were discussed:
- Supporting youth policy in Ukraine through the co-management system of the Council of Europe.
- Special call of the European Youth Foundation to support young people in Ukraine.
- Results of the Council of Europe project “Youth for Democracy in Ukraine: Phase III” in 2023-2024.
- Priorities of activities for 2024-2025 within the framework of the Co-operation Programme.
In particular, the Council of Europe project “Youth for Democracy in Ukraine: Phase III” in 2023-2024 presented the results of a new professional development programme “Participatory Youth Policy”, implemented in co-operation with the National Agency of Civil Service of Ukraine, the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, and the Ukrainian Association of Youth Councils. The purpose of the Model Programme is to increase the level of professional competencies of civil servants and officials of the local self-governments to ensure the participation of young people in the formation and implementation of youth policy, taking into account the standards and approaches of the Council of Europe.
As part of the programme, the Project created a training manual, conducted training for trainers, prepared a series of videos of youth participation practices, and provided mentoring and expert support to the trainers team in the preparation and implementation of trainings at the regional and local levels.
In response to the needs of key national and local partners in Ukraine, the Council of Europe Projects “Facilitating Access to Human Rights and Essential Services for Internally Displaced Persons and Returnees to Ukraine” and “Youth for Democracy in Ukraine: Phase III” launched a programme “Trauma-Informed Approach in the Context of Access to Human Rights and Essential Services for Internally Displaced Persons and Persons returning to Ukraine.”
In 2024, the Council of Europe project “Youth for Democracy in Ukraine: Phase III” together with the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine launched a long-term training course for youth trainers. The course contributes to the implementation of youth projects in Ukraine by developing the competencies of 28 youth workers, youth coaches, young activists; maintaining the quality of non-formal education and learning activities in the war and post-war periods, as well as enabling young people to actively support, protect, promote and benefit from the core values of the Council of Europe: human rights, democracy and the rule of law.
In co-operation with young people and an expert team, the Council of Europe project “Youth for Democracy in Ukraine: Phase III” developed and published the visual tool “Зірки. Stars. Les Étoiles.» for education and training of young people and professional communities on human rights, democracy, non-formal education, youth participation, environmental protection, cultural heritage, artificial intelligence, anti-discrimination and social cohesion.
Source: Council of Europe
