European Youth Forum

The European Youth Forum (YFJ, from (YFJ, from "Youth Forum Jeunesse") is an international NGO [http://ec.europa.eu/budget/reform/library/contributions/ng/20080612_NG_48.pdf "Reforming the Budget, Changing Europe: A Public Consultation Paper in view of the 2008/2009 Budget Review" from the European Commission] ] set up to lobby [http://www.youthinformation.com/Templates/Internal.asp?NodeID=90090 Youth Information website entry for European Youth Forum] ] international institutions - mainly the European Union, the Council of Europe and the United Nations [http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/documents/wpaysubmissions/europeanyouthforum.pdf United Nations document 0367-05 UN&GLOBAL, "Background to the European Youth Forum"] ] - on matters affecting young people. It characterises itself as "recognised internationally as the most developed and sustainable regional youth platform in the world". [ [http://www.youthforum.org/Downloads/policy_docs/global/0667-06_UNGlobalWD_FINAL.pdf YFJ Policy Paper 0667-06 on UN and Global Youth Work Development] ] As of 1 July 2008, [http://www.youthforum.org/Downloads/Press_publications/press_releases/2008/0630-08.pdf YFJ press release 1 July 2008, "French EU Presidency: Young Europeans need to hear good news"] ] it consists of 37 National Youth Councils and 60 international youth NGOs, a total of 97 bodies from across Europe.

Organization

Creation

It was formed in July 1996 by the merger of the Council of European National Youth Committees (CENYC), Youth Forum of the European Communities (YFEU) and the European Co-ordination Bureau of International Youth Organisations (ECB). [http://wwwarc.eui.eu/pdfinv/inv-cenyc.pdf Archived profile of the Council of European National Youth Committees (CENYC), held in the European University Institute - Historical Archives of the European Union, 1994-2006] .]

Presidents

ecretaries General

Funding

In 2005, 78% of its income came from annual grants from international institutions (74% from a grant from the European Communities' Budget via a grant from DG Education and Culture, approx 3.5% from grants from the Council of Europe). [http://www.youthforum.org/en/finance.htm Finance page from the YFJ website] ]

Aims

According to the European Youth Forum [ [http://www.youthforum.org/en/about_us.htm|"About Us"] , European Youth Forum website. Accessed 21 April 2008] , their aims are as follows:
*Increase the participation of young people and youth organisations in society, as well as in decision-making processes;
*Positively influence policy issues affecting young people and youth organisations, by being a recognised partner for international institutions, namely the European Union, the Council of Europe and the United Nations;
*Promote the concept of youth policy as an integrated and cross-sectoral element of overall policy development;
*Facilitate the participation of young people through the development of sustainable and independent youth organisations at the national and international level;
*Foster the exchange of ideas and experience, mutual understanding, and equal rights and opportunities among young people in Europe;
*Uphold intercultural understanding, democracy, respect, active citizenship and solidarity;
*As the biggest regional youth platform in the world, we work to deepen European integration while at the same time contributing to the development of youth work in other regions of the world.

Policy areas

*Employment & Social Inclusion
*Human Rights & Equality
*Mobility
*Education
*Training
*Youth Policy in Europe
*Global and Regional Youth Cooperation
*Sustainable Development
*Health

Membership

National Youth Councils

Full members

*Suomen Nuorisoyhteistyö Allianssi ry - Allianssi Finland
*British Youth Council (BYC), Great Britain
*Conférence Générale de la Jeunesse Luxembourgoise (CGJL), Luxembourg
*Consejo de la Juventud de España (CJE), Spain
*Comité pour les Relations Nationales et Internationales des Associations de Jeunesse et d'Education Populaire (CNAJEP), France
*Conselho Nacional de Juventude (CNJ), Portugal
*Consell Nacional de la Joventut de Catalunya (CNJC), Catalonia
*Consiliul National Al Tineretului Din Moldova (CNTM), Moldova
*Comité pour les Relations Internationales de Jeunesse (CRIJ), French language community of Belgium
*National Youth Council of Switzerland (SAJV)/(CSAJ), Switzerland
*Cyprus Youth Council (CYC), Cyprus
*Deutsches Nationalkomitee für Internationale Jugendarbeit (DNK), Germany
*Dansk Ungdoms Fællesråd (DUF), Denmark
*National Youth Council of Hellas (ESYN), Greece
*Forum Nazionale dei Giovani FNG), Italy
*Nemzetközi Ifjúsági Koordinációs Iroda (GYIK-NIKI), Hungary
*Nationale Jeugdraad, Netherlands
*Kunsill Nazzjonali Taz-Zghazagh (KNZ), Malta
*Lietuvos Jaunimo Organizaciju Taryba (LIJOT), Lithuania
*Latvijas Jaunatnes Padome (LJP), Latvia
*Landsrådet for Norgeog ungdomsorganisasjoner (LNU), Norway
*Landsrådet för Sveriges ungdomsorganisationer (LSU), Sweden
*Landsamband æskulýðsfélaga (LÆF), Iceland
*Mladinski Svet Slovenjie (MSS) Slovenia
*National Assembly of Youth Organisations of the Republic of Azerbaijan (NAYORA), Azerbaijan
*National Council of Youth Organisations of Georgia (NCYOG), Georgia
*National Youth Council of Armenia (NYCA), Armenia
*National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI), Ireland
*National Youth Council of Russia (NYCR), Russia
*Österreichische Kinder- und Jugendvertretung (ÖJV), Austria
*Belarusian Union of Youth and Children's Public Associations (RADA), Belarus
*Rada Mládeže Slovenska (RMS), Slovakia
*Vlaamse Jeugdraad (VJR), Flemish Community of Belgium.

Candidate members

*Eesti Noorteühenduste Liit (ENL), Estonia

Observer members

*Consiliul Tineretului Din Romania (CTR), Romania
*Rat der Deutschsprachigen Jugend (RDJ), German-speaking Community of Belgium.

International Non-Governmental Youth Organisations

Full members

*Association des Etats Généraux des Etudiants de l'Europe (AEGEE)
*Alliance of European Voluntary Service Organisations (ALLIANCE)
*International ATD Fourth World Movement (ATD-Quart Monde)
*Democrat Youth Community of Europe (DEMYC)
*European Bureau of Conscientious Objection (EBCO/BEOC)
*
*European Confederation of Youth Clubs (ECYC)
*European Democrat Students (EDS)
*European Educational Exchanges - Youth for Understanding (EEE-YFU)
*European Federation for Intercultural Learning (EFIL)
*European Federation of Youth Service Organisations (EFYSO)
*European Good Templars Youth Federation (ACTIVE)
*National Unions of Students in Europe (ESIB)
*European Trade Union Confederation Youth (ETUC Youth)
*EU Federation of Youth Hostel Associations (EUFED)
*European Union of Jewish Students (EUJS)/(UEEJ)
*Experiment in Europe (EXPERIMENT)
*Ecumenical Youth Council in Europe (EYCE)
*International Federation of Catholic Parochial Youth Movements (FIMCAP)
*Federation of Young European Greens (FYEG)
*International Cultural Youth Exchange in Europe ( [ICYE)
*International Federation of Liberal Youth (IFLRY)
*International Falcon Movement - Socialist Education International (IFM-SEI)
*International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Youth and Student Organisation (IGLYO)
*International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY)
*International Young Nature Friends (IYNF)
*International Young Catholic Students - International Movement of Catholic Students (JECI-MIEC)
*Young European Federalists (JEF)
*European Young Christian Workers (JOC-Europe)
*European Liberal Youth (LYMEC)
*International Movement of Catholic Agricultural and Rural Youth (MIJARC-Europe)
*Organising Bureau of European School Student Unions (OBESSU)
*Rural Youth Europe (RYEurope)
*Service Civil International (SCI)
*World Esperanto Youth Organization (TEJO)
*World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS)
*World Organisation of the Scout Movement (European office) (WOSM)
*European Region of the World Student Christian Federation (WSCF)
*Youth Action for Peace (YAP)
*Youth for Development and Co-operation (YDC)
*Youth and Environment Europe (YEE)
*Youth of the European People's Party (YEPP)
*Youth for Exchange and Understanding (YEU)
*European Alliance of Young Men's Christian Associations (YMCA)
*Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA)

Candidate members

*International Federation of Medical Students' Associations (IFMSA)
*Youth of European Nationalities (YEN)
*Erasmus Student Network (ESN)

Observer members

*European Council of Young Farmers (CEJA)
*European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions (CESI)-Youth
*Don Bosco Youth Net
*European Council of Conscripts Organisations (ECCO)
*European Free Alliance Youth (EFAY)
*International Federation of Training Centres for the Promotion of Progressive Education (FICEMEA)
*International Federation for Educational Exchanges of Children and Adolescents (FIEEA)
*International Coordination of Young Christian Workers (ICYCW)/(CIJOC)
*Union of Jeunesses Musicales of Europe (Jeunesses Musicales)
*Nordic Centre Youth (NCY)
*Pax Christi International (Pax Christi)
*Red Cross Youth (RCY)

External links

* [http://www.youthforum.org/ European Youth Forum Website]
* [http://ijgd.de/ International Youth Community Services] International Youth Community Services

References