This presentation summarises the review of literature and policy documentation undertaken as part of the YouthMetre Project. YouthMetre: seeks to empowering young people to help improve the youth policies in local authorities, regions and countries in Europe. This presentation introduces the research component of the project which examines the state of the 8 Youth Policy strands. YouthMetre connects with young people and NGOs working with youth. It is a youth-based forward-looking project to engage and empower young people in affecting policy making.

1. Empowering youth to
become engaged & make an
impact on EU youth policy
http://www.youthmetre.eu

2. Eurobarometer Surveys
• Examined active engagement of youth
Increasingly distanced from
policy making and decisions

3. Presentation Aims
• Introduce youth and information
• EU Youth Policy
• Share results of research on the eight EU
Youth policy areas
• Can we see how well are countries doing?

4. http://eryica.org/page/principles-online-youth-information

5. Youth and Information
• era of big data, open data
• Information pre-requisite: decision-making
• empowering young people to identify and
campaign for policies they need and want
http://eryica.org/page/principles-online-youth-information

6. Principles for Online
Youth Information
• based on the needs of young people
• understandable for young people and
presented in an attractive way for them
• prosumerism - young people consume and
produce content
• encourage feedback opportunities
• help increase information literacy skills
http://eryica.org/page/principles-online-youth-information

7. European Youth Strategy
• EU Youth Strategy, agreed by EU
Ministers, sets out a framework for
cooperation covering 2010-2018
• EU Member States have overall
responsibility for their own youth
policy (subsidiarity)

8. European Youth Strategy
EYS has two main objectives:
•Provide more and equal opportunities for
young people in education and the job
market
•Encourage young people to actively
participate in society

9. European Youth
Strategy
• Education & training
• Employment &
entrepreneurship
• Health & well-being
• Participation
• Voluntary activities
• Social inclusion
• Youth & the world
• Creativity & culture
EYS indicates initiatives in eight areas:

10. Education & Training
• shapes place of young people in the world
• EU policy lacks power of enforcement
• resistance to country performance targets
• youth activities are also non-formal
• policy on recognition of youth work
• innovative approaches, not widespread
Review of policy and research

11. Employment &
Entrepreneurship
• smart, sustainable and inclusive economy
• youth employability a key policy objective
• policies should link to needs of youth
• transition from education to the workplace
• more entrepreneurship education
• but, little evidence of what works
Review of policy and research

12. Health & Well Being
• advantages of a healthy lifestyle
• links to inclusion and employment
• some policy aims to reduce risky behaviour
• big differences between countries
• promotion of physical activity
• healthy education policy: drugs, sex, alcohol
Review of policy and research

13. Participation
• policies encourage participation
• but, increasingly low levels in youngsters’
socio-political involvement
• impact of mass media and Internet
• need to involve youth in creating policies
• capacity building processes important
Review of policy and research

14. Voluntary Activities
• voluntary activities a form of social action
• based on free will, choice and motivation
• citizenship construction
• needs efficient volunteering infrastructures
• disseminate information on opportunities
• regular and systematic research important
Review of policy and research

15. Social Inclusion
• young people most affected by exclusion
• multidimensional issue
• policies to fight exclusion and poverty
• combat feelings of uncertainty and
alienation
• shift from state to civil society / individuals
• competences for Democratic Culture
(CoE)
Review of policy and research

16. Youth & the World
• globalisation impacts on life chances of
young people – identity, citizenship, work
• example: effects of migration flows
• need to consult youth
• require proper global education to
construct global identity
• remove barriers to integration: radicalisation
Review of policy and research

17. Creativity & Culture
• culture stimulates creativity and
opportunity
• close links with digital technologies
• impact on education, training, employment
• policy based on communication and
cultural consumption
• fuelled by multilingualism and mobility
Review of policy and research

18. Creativity & Culture
• decentralisation of technologies
• social interaction, communication and
participation online
• develop entrepreneurial opportunities
• young people disadvantaged
• need to support youth entrepreneurship
at European level
Review of policy and research

19. How well are countries
doing?
Era of monitoring and accountability

20. How well are EU
countries doing?
Age of transparency and open data

21. How well are countries
doing?

22. How well are countries
doing?

23. How well are countries
doing?

24. Forward Looking Project
• YouthMetre creates a ‘forward-looking tool’
for youth participation
• based on Education, Training & Youth (ETY)
• identifying, testing, developing, assessing
new innovative approaches in ETY
• innovation in practices and policies for
Youth

25. YouthMetre
• Addresses Priority 7:
• “Using e-participation as an instrument
to foster young people's empowerment
and active participation in democratic
life”

26. YouthMetre as a
Forward Looking Project
• Improvement / development of new policies
• In-depth evidence and knowledge - effective
methodologies/tools for systemic
innovation
• Potential of long-term impact – mainstream
advanced innovative policy approaches
• Stakeholders having impact on policy

27. Web: http://www.youthmetre.eu
News http://tinyurl.com/YouthMetre1
Email: j.mahlerova@youthpress.org
Twitter: @youthmetre