Participation in civil society
What is the EU's Role
The EU Youth Strategy seeks to encourage young people to participate in the democratic process and in society. The objectives are:
- to develop mechanisms to engaging in dialogue with young people and facilitate their participation in the shaping of national policies
- to support youth organisations, including local and national youth councils;
- to promote participation of under-represented groups of young people in politics, youth organisations, and other civil society organisations
- to support ways of 'learning to participate' from an early age
How is this being done?
Specifically, the Commission pursues these objectives through:
- Structured dialogue - a process to involve young people in EU youth policy making
- The Erasmus+ programme - supports projects providing opportunities for young people to participate in cross-border projects and events
- European Solidarity Corps - allows young people to volunteer or work in projects for the benefit of communities and people around Europe