The International Forum is discussing the strengthening of youth participation / day

The aim of the forum was to strengthen cooperation between the formal and non -formal education sectors to promote the participation of young people. Education and youth policy makers, teachers, youth workers, as well as civic active young people participated in the forum. The event was a continuation of the forum of 2023 in Jurmala, whose focus was the study. This year, the focus was on the prioritization and the strengthening of the Community – so that youth participation is not based on only a few enthusiasts, but in a broad and sustainable support network.

The discussion center included interdisciplinary cooperation and opportunities to build it more strategic and more sustainable, without relying on individual enthusiasm. The forum provided the opportunity to meet, evaluate the cooperation so far and to look for ways to improve it to strengthen the active participation of young people.

The forum presented three competency mapping reports – in Latvia, Estonia and Southern Europe (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Kosova, Montenegro), which summarize each country’s initiatives and practices that help develop the competences of teachers and youth workers to help young people become democratic.

Three young people – Vanessa Baldiņa (Latvia), Ingars Jēkabsons (Latvia, Europeers « youth network representative) and Jane Kõrts (Estonia) also shared their experiences and perspective on promoting participation. Young people emphasized the need for a safe, supportive environment in which young people were free to express and participate in decision -making.

The second day’s panel discussion, « Democratic Participation – Current and New Issues » was dedicated to the support of youth participation on a European and national level. The discussion on the European view was shared by Dorina-Alina Besleaga, a member of Salo (Support, Advanced Learning and Training Opportunities for Youth), while Renate, Senior Expert of the Department of Education and Science, told about national initiatives and challenges.

On the second day of the forum, there was also a mini hackathon, where participants in groups developed solutions for challenges for cooperation at the cross -branch level. During the forum days, the participants shared good practice, learned about the results of Alexander Mangus, « Promotion of Youth Participation, through interdisciplinary practice », programs and methods that promote civic activism of young people.

« Since 2021, we started participating in the Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership, New Power in Youth, and in the Youth Policy National Program, we created initiative to support the self -management of educational institutions ‘contacts’ contacts, we have gained opportunities and resources that allow you to start interdisciplinary cooperation. The challenge is the cooperation itself – it requires a continuous dialogue between industries, schools and municipalities, public authorities and youth organizations.

The experience and ideas developed in the forum will serve as a basis for future initiatives, both national and internationally, creating a more inclusive and more democratic environment for young people.