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/Issue 6

01/04/2012
Index
1

:

Influence
the
EU Youth
Policy:
Structured
Dialogue
O 2

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The Structured
Dialogue
process
with
images

Theme
priorities

National
Working Group

Guiding
Questions
of the Cyprus
Presidency
: 11

Interview:
Sophie Tsouris
CyC President
:
17


Experience:
Participation in
a consultation

Contact Us

18

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(Council of Youth Ministers)
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Influence the EU Youth Policy:Structured Dialogue


The Structured Dialogue is an essential part of the EU Youth Strategy.
It involves the young people in the decision making process for topics
that directly concern them through national and European
consultations. The youth consultations take place at a national and a
local level in each EU member-state and the European Youth Summit takes place in
the Presidency Country. The young people express their views on certain topics, then
they are collected through the process of national and local consultations and the also
through the process of the European Youth Summit. The opinions of the young people
are included in a common paper. The results of the consultations and the European
Youth Summit are submitted to the Council of Ministers of the EU. The thematic priority
of each cycle of the Structured Dialogue is aligned by the Council of Youth Ministers
and then each country of the Trio Presidency sets its own priorities. Currently, we are
in the second working cycle of the structured dialogue (Poland, Denmark, Cyprus). The
main theme of the current cycle is the Youth Participation .
The Structured Dialogue Step by Step, an interactive video by the European
Youth Forum.
Have in mind: You may also participate in the structured dialogue process online.

Useful Links

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Resource:

Eurodesk

Resource:

Eurodesk

Useful Links

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The Structured Dialogue Process with Images by


the European Youth Forum
Basic Information about the European Youth Forum: The European Youth Forum is
the umbrella of the youth organizations around Europe. It is the main body of youth
representation in Europe. The European Youth Forum promotes the youth rights and
sets some bases in the field of youth policy through campaigns.
The strategic priorities of the European Youth Forum are:
European
Youth Forum

Education
Youth Work Development
Participation and Youth Policy Mainstreaming
Human Rights
Employment and Social Affairs
The Structured Dialogue Process with Images:

Structured Dialogue
Homepage

Work Cycles of the


Structured Dialogue

Resource:
Eurodesk
Cyprus
Newsletter January:
Social Inclusion

Resource:
Eurodesk
Cyprus
Newsletter February:
Active Participation

Useful Links

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Useful Links

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Theme Priorities of the First Two Cycles of Structured Dialogue


First Cycle 1 January 2010 30 June 2011:
TRIO PRESIDENCY: Spain-Belgium-Hungary
Overall Priority: Youth Employment
The theme priority of the Spanish Presidency (1 January-30 June 2010) was the Social
Inclusion. The main highlights were the inclusion of the young people with less
opportunities and the role of local and regional authorities in youth policy. The
European Youth Summit took place on 13-15 April in Jerez, Spain.
The theme priority of the Belgium Presidency (1 July-31 December 2010) was the Youth
Work. The main highlight was the access of youngsters with economic difficulties to
youth activities. The European Youth Summit took place on 2-4 October 2010 in Leuven, Belgium.
The theme priority of the Hungarian Presidency (1 January-31 June 2011) was the
Active Participation. The main highlights were the citizenship focusing on the Human
Rights and the involvement of young people in voluntary activities The European Youth
Summit took place on 2-4 arch 2011 in Gdll, Madarska.

First Cycle: SpainBelgium-Hungary


Overall
Priority: Result of the First Working Cycle: The resolution of the Council of the EU on the theme of
Youth Employment Employment of young people.
Resource: Compendium of the Structured Dialogue

Second Cycle 1 July 2011 31 December 2012:


TRIO PRESIDENCY: Poland-Denmark-Cyprus
Overall Priority: Participation and Social Inclusion
The theme priority of the Polish Presidency (1 July- 31 December 2011) was Youth and
the World. The main highlight was the cooperation with the Eastern Europe and
Caucasus countries. The European Youth Summit took place on 5-7 September 2011,
in Warsaw, Poland .
The theme priority of the Danish Presidency (1 January- 30 June 2012) is Creativity and
Innovations. The main highlight was the participation of the young people in the
elections and the creativity. The European Youth Summit took place on 18-21 March
2012, in Soros, Denmark.

Second
C yc le:
Poland-DenmarkCyprus
Overall
Priority:
Participation
and
Social Inclusion

The theme priority of the Cyprus Presidency (1 July- 31 December 2012) is Participation
and Social Inclusion with special emphasis on community youth and legal immigrants.
The Cyprus Presidency will focus on the empowerment of young people and NGOs, the
youth participation at a local level and to the promotion of the inclusion of all the
youngsters in the wider social and democratic life. The European Youth Summit will
take place in Cyprus from 11-13/09. For more information on the Structured Dialogue,
contact the Cyprus Youth Council at info@cyc.org.cy. You can find the guiding
questions on pages 9-10.
Result of the First Working Cycle: It is expected after the end of the Cyprus Presidency.

Useful Links

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National Working Group

Ministry of Education
and Culture

The National Working Group ensures the youth participation in the process of the structured dialogue.
In Cyprus the Working Group is consisted by the following
institutions:
Cyprus Youth Council (CYC)
Youth Board of Cyprus (YBC)
National Agency of the Youth in Action Programme
Ministry of Education and Culture
Other competent authorities depending on the topic discussed

Youth Voice of
Cyprus: Structured
Dialogue with young
people

The Eurodesk Cyprus asked the Youth Officer, Stella Roussou how the
structured dialogue endorse the youth participation.
The young people have the opportunity to pose their views on topics that directly concern
them and challenges they may face, influencing the youth policy by participating in
Structured Dialogue (SD) consultations and being involved in the preparation of the guiding
questions of each Presidential country. The guiding questions are prepared under the coordination of the National Youth Councils. Consequently, the political decision they derived
through that process are more direct regarding the reality of the young people, since they
reflect their own views, positions and expectations.

Useful Links

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Youth Voice of
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Guiding Questions of the Cyprus Presidency

Cyprus Presidency
of the Council of the
EU 2012

Cyprus Youth
Council

Youth Board
of Cyprus

Youth Voice of
Cyprus: Structured
Dialogue with young
people

1.Youth Participation leading to Social Inclusion


Empowering every young person to fulfill his/her potential to participate actively at local,
regional, national and European level is an essential factor for the achievement of greater
social inclusion and for the sound, sustainable and democratic functioning of our societies.
Participation means more than just turning up at elections. There is a wide variety of forms
of participation (Council Resolution on Encouraging new and effective forms of
participation of all young people in democratic life in Europe 2011), some of them
pertaining to the category which can be labeled as non-conventional/alternative forms of
participation . In a broader sense, and for the scope of this questionnaire, youth
participation is about young people having the right, the means, the space, the opportunity
and where necessary the support to freely express their views; it is about being heard and
being able to influence decisions; it is about having the competences and motivation to
engage in actions and activities which contribute to the building of a better society.
Although the need for the provision of equal opportunities in all fields, for all young people
is widely accepted, at the same time, it is observed that there are certain circumstances
which prevent the participation of specific groups of young people such as young people
with migrant background . These circumstances take the form of obstacles which prevent
these young people from participating (or, in certain occasions, lead them to choosing not
to participate). The successful integration of young people with migrant background in the
wider society is not only a pre-condition for democratic participation and for social
cohesion, but also a dynamic and continuous two-way process of mutual accommodation.
With increasing migration into and within an already quite culturally differentiated EU and
with a high proportion of this immigration from countries whose social and political cultures
are significantly different, there is an urgent need to strengthen policies that enhance the
participation and lead to social inclusion of young people with migrant background.
1a. What are the main obstacles preventing social inclusion of young people with migrant
background?
b. What actions and measures can be adopted at local / regional / national and European
level to encourage the social inclusion of young people with migrant background?
2a.What are the main forms of discrimination of young people with migrant background in
your country?
b. What measures can be adopted at local / regional / national and European level to combat their discrimination?
3a.How can the solidarity between youth with migrant background and non-migrants be
strengthened?
b. How can the intercultural awareness of all young people be developed?
4a.What are the main obstacles preventing the participation of young people with migrant
background at local / regional / national and European level?
b. What measures could be adopted / implemented at all levels to encourage their
participation, including in decision-making?

Page 10

5.What good practices does your country / region / community / organization use to boost social inclusion and
participation of all young people? What good practices concern young people with migrant background specifically?
2.Support of Youth and Youth NGOs and recognition of their work and contribution
Young people and youth organizations should/need to be involved in the development, implementation and
evaluation of all policies especially the ones which affect them. By taking into account the voice of young people in
decision making and in the shaping of policies, more meaningful and sustainable solutions pertaining to the
challenges young people face, as well as to various societal problems can be found.
Youth organizations role is to provide a concrete representation of the interests of young people. Through their
actions, they can support the establishment of inclusive societies where all young people, including young people
with migrant background, are supported, motivated and encouraged to become active and engaged citizens.
Furthermore, youth organizations can contribute in promoting social inclusion strategies and in advocating for
policies which enhance the participation of young people with fewer opportunities such as young people with migrant
background.
At the same time, through their participation in youth organizations, young people with migrant background can
enhance their knowledge, skills and competences. Non formal and informal learning such as the one provided by
youth organizations has a key role to play as a means of supporting their social and economic inclusion in the wider
society.
6.How can youth organizations contribute to the social inclusion of young people in general and those with migrant
background or from other socially excluded groups in particular?
7.How could youth organizations be supported in their work for the inclusion of young people in general and those
with migrant background or from other socially excluded groups in particular?

/Issue 6

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Useful Links

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Interview: Sophie Tsouris President of the CyC Part


The Cyprus Youth Council (CYC) chairs the National Working Group, the CYC is a
member of the European Youth Forum. The Eurodesk Cyprus had an interesting
conversation with Sophie Tsouris, the President of the Cyprus Youth Council.
Hello Sophie, thank you for accepting our invitation and welcome to the office of
the Eurodesk Cyprus. Could you please explain briefly what the structured dialogue
is, how it was emerged and why is it important?
European Youth
Hello, the structured dialogue is a process that begun in 2009 after a decision of the
Forum
Council of the European Union which is in charge for youth topics. According to the
resolution, there is a continual consultation between the institutions with the young people
and the youth organizations, in order, to ensure the participation of the young people in
the decision-making process for topics that directly concern them. Before, each
presidency used to organize just a youth summit, where the young people gathered and
discussed some topics without any follow-up. Now, the dialogue between the young
people and the policymakers has a structure that leads to certain results, for a couple of
months, in each member-state discussions are organized on topics that had been
established six months ago. The purpose is, the results of each summit to be part of
resolutions or other formal documents of the Council of Europe. The dialogue between the
young people and the institutions may bring practical results also at a local and European
level, consequently, the structured dialogue is important for that reason.
Which actions have been done until now, regarding the further promotion of the
structured dialogue?
First of all, in each country a National Working Group has been established, which is
Cyprus Youth
consisted by the National Youth Councils and national shareholders who are in charge for
Council
youth topics in each country. In Cyprus, the institutions who are in charge for youth topics
are the Youth Board of Cyprus, the Ministry of Education and Culture and the National
Agency of the Youth in Action Programme. So, there is a coordination regarding the
implementation of the structured dialogue in each country by engaging the young people
and the public institutions. The National Working Group discusses and shares views
regarding the optimal implementation of the structured dialogue nationally. In Cyprus we
started with 2 consultations per semester. Now, almost 5 consultations per semester are
organized, which take place in different cities. Slowly-slowly, we are trying to improve the
way the young people get involved, for instance, we use the social networks, such as
facebook, online questionnaire and soon a website is going to be created. It should be
Youth Voice of
mentioned that, the questions are sent by email as well, for youngsters who couldnt come
Cyprus: Structured
to the consultations, in order to express their opinion which is taken into account as well.
Dialogue with young Concerning the theme priorities, how are they chosen?
people
The themes are chosen at institutionally. Each Trio presidency sets a thematic priority and
then each country of the Trio sets a particular theme for its own presidency. For
example, during the TRIO Belgium-Spain-Hungary the main theme was the Youth
Employment which established a discussion regarding the identification of the problems
in the field of youth employment and then some measures were proposed. In the current
TRIO Presidency, Cyprus is one of the countries; the wider theme is the Youth
Participation.

Page 15

Interview: Sophie Tsouris President of the CyC Part B


The Polish presidency had chosen the particular topic Youth
and the World and dealt with the perspective of the
democratization and the contribution of the collaboration with
the Third countries. The Danish presidency chose the topic of
Creativity and Innovation, however, it was given emphasis in
the participation of the young people in the elections. In our
presidency, the theme Social Inclusion is chosen. It is
going to be focused on some social groups with fewer
opportunities, such as the immigrants. With the term
immigrant we dont refer only to the young people who come
from Third Countries but also to youngsters who come from
EU member-states and migrate to other EU
member-states. The consultations are going to be launched in
the next month.
Regarding the National Steering Committee, which is the role of each institution?
Basically, all the institutions have the same role and participate equally into the National Working Group.
According to the Resolution of the Council of the European Union in 2009, which I have made a reference just
before, the member-states of the EU are encouraged to give the coordinative role to the National Youth Councils
something that has been established in Cyprus, as well. As a result, the young people work together with the
engaged institutions and they have the means to promote the youngsters needs and set the topics from the point
of view of the young people. For example, some of the National Youth Councils made suggestions about the
period of the consultations which wasnt youth friendly, due to the fact that sometimes coincided either with
exams or with holiday, so the young people werent motivated to participate in the consultations. If the Youth
Councils didnt participate to the National Working Group, the particular issue wouldnt have been spotted.
Generally speaking, the National Youth Councils have done many recommendations and the fact that are taken
into account is important.
The young people who live in Cyprus how can they get involved in that process in order to realize that
Europe is something that concerns them?
In the one hand, the themes are related to European topics, on the other hand are closely related to the local
reality, for instance, the youth participation or the social inclusion are topics that concern the young people of all
the countries. During the consultations, the local concerns are expressed, however, there is the European
aspect as well. At the end of each structured dialogue cycle, each member-state prepares a report which is sent to
the head of each group who prepares a composition of the reports of all the member-states, all the reports are
taken into account equally, consequently, the opinion of the Cypriot youngsters is as important as the opinion of
the rest Europeans. It should be mentioned that the youth of Cyprus is equally represented in the European youth
summit. It is really important the fact that the young people of each country may participate in the development of
a decision for topics that directly concern them and will influence them in the future. For this reason, the young
people and the youth organizations should participate in such procedures and realize that the EU decisions affect
their everyday life.

/Issue 6

Page 16

According to you, how could the existing youth information structures


(Eurodesk and Youth Information Centres) contribute, in order to
provide better quality of information to the young people about the
structured dialogue?
The Eurodesk Cyprus does a really good job by promoting all the
announcements and the questions. During the Danish Presidency we
organized the consultation in the Youth Information Centres, due to the fact that
many young people go there. Probably, we will use the Youth Information
Centres as the place of the consultations in the present cycle as well. Additionally, we are intending to find other
means of communication to approach the young people.
Finally, we would like you to tell us how the results-views that were collected during the consultations
process, are used.
The goal of the first cycle of the structured dialogue, after the end of the TRIO Presidency was to have a resolution
which would contain elements from the consultation. The results could be more substantial, even though there was a
resolution in the Council of Ministers, in charge for youth topics, however, the young people who participated in the
consultations felt that the topics they had discussed, were not included in the conventions that were finally adopted. As
a result, the National Youth Councils and the European Youth Forum, demanded to be given more attention to the
structured dialogue and we hope that from now on the results of the consultation of each cycle will be reflected more
efficiently to the final documents of the Council of Ministers. I have to point that the results of the consultations of the
first cycle will not be thrown out. The opinions of the youth of Europe about the youth employment are high importance
topics and they will be gradually promoted at a national and pan-European level, by being part of the agenda of the
member-states and the relevant EU institutions in order to set the starting-point or the base of policy discussion that
will lead to the alleviation of the problem locally and regionally. As a result, we shouldn't regards the whole effort under
the scope of "black or white". The outcomes of the national and the European consultations must be used by the
young people and the youth organisations as a tool for the enforcement of the voice of the young people everywhere.
The structured dialogue has just been launched. Now, we are in the second cycle, consequently, some
problems might have occured. Before, the young people didnt have the chance to be engaged in the
process of decision making but now they have it. As a result, this effort should be supported by all the young
people through their participation and the tiny issues will be solved.
Thats right, the last eighteen months, the first cycle of that process was launched so, it is quite normal for the
appearance of some gabs but, there is space for improvement. After the end of this cycle, the main topic of the
European Youth Week was the evaluation of the structured dialogue. Consequently, it is seems that the relevant
institutions are keen on the improvement of the process and take into account the suggestions of the National Working
Groups. The improvement comes through the experience, which means that we reconsider the procedure through the
issues that arise.

Useful Links

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Eurodesk
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Danish Presidency

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European
Commission:
Outcome of the
Danish EU
Youth Conference

Experiences: Participation in a consultation


The Eurodesk Cyprus hosts testimonies of Cypriot young people who participated in a
European Consultation.
Angelos Parmatzias, 26 years old: "It was a joyful, inspiring and unique learning
experience for me attending an EU Youth Conference. 20000 Young people across
Europe got involved in the Structured Dialogue process giving their views to the EU
Commission regarding the formation of youth policies in the EU."
Michalis Kairinos, 27 years old: Meeting young people, from all over Europe, who gt
together to discuss themes that are of great interest, was an amazing experience. Its an
opportunity to be heard and shape our future, with different people, sharing same
concerns.

Find the European Youth Portal you may find information


regarding the recommendation of the young people and
also the videos from the workshops.

Eurodesk
Eurodesk Cyprus

6,
1060
6, Evgenias and Antoniou
Theodotou
1060 Nicosia
Phone: 00357-22402613
Fax: 00357-22402630
E-mail:
eurodeskcy@eurodesk.eu


.
email :eurodeskcy@eurodesk.eu

newsletter
!!!

Share with us your opinion and your experiences in


Youth programs and activities.
Through email at: eurodeskcy@eurodesk.eu

Every month we will publish to our newsletter the most


interesting story .


, ,
, . Email : info@kepli.org.cy
You may find information about European opportunities and youth policies in the Youth Information Centres in Larnaka, Kato Polemidia, Agros
and Pafos. Contact email: info@kepli.org.cy

Eurodesk / Special Thanks to the Eurodesk Network

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This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.
This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held
responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

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