Transcript Youth Affairs Section

NYCI Conference Engaging with Youth and
the World
29/30 April 2010
Jim O’Donovan - OMCYA
Europe 2020 – A European Strategy for
smart, sustainable and inclusive growth
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“2010 must mark a new beginning”
Europe 2020 (March 2010) successor to
Lisbon Agenda
New framework for cooperation in youth
field (2010-18)
Move of Youth Affairs to OMCYA – more
integrated cohesive approach to youth
policy development and implementation.
Europe 2020
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Headline targets – employment, R&D,
climate/energy targets, early school
leaving and poverty
Seven flagship initiatives – Youth on
the Move – focus on education and
training, entrepreneurship, access to
labour market, promote non and in formal learning
Summary of Council Resolution on
renewed framework for European
cooperation in the youth field (2010-18)
Context:
 Promoting the social and professional integration of
young people is an essential component to reach
the objectives of Europe's Lisbon strategy for
growth and jobs, at the same time as promoting
personal fulfilment, social cohesion and active
citizenship.
 Challenges to be met include youth unemployment,
young people not participating in education or
training, poverty, low levels of participation in the
democratic process and various health problems.
The overall objectives of European
cooperation in the youth field should be
to:
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create more and equal opportunities for all young
people in education and in the labour market,
and to
promote the active citizenship, social inclusion
and solidarity of all young people.
Achieving and implementing the
objectives implies a dual approach
involving the development and
promotion of:
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Specific initiatives in the youth field - policies and
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Mainstreaming initiatives - initiatives to enable a
actions specifically targeted at young people, including
non-formal learning, participation, voluntary activities,
youth work, mobility and information and
cross-sectoral approach where due account is taken of
youth issues when formulating, implementing and
evaluating policies and actions in other policy fields.
The main fields of action in which
initiatives should be taken are:
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Education and training
Employment and entrepreneurship
Health and well-being
Participation
Voluntary activities
Social inclusion
Youth and the world
Creativity and culture
Achieving and implementing the
objectives also requires that:
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European cooperation in the youth field should be
– evidence based, pertinent and concrete. and produce
– Clear and visible results
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Cooperation should be implemented by a renewed
open method of coordination (OMC) based on
– Work cycles of three years commencing in 2010
– Priorities for cooperation between member states
– Implementation Instruments e.g. mutual learning,
progress reporting, dissemination of results, etc.
– Structured Dialogue with young people aligned with
overall objectives and priorities for each work cycle
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Youth Work should be supported and developed as
a cross-sectoral issue
Member States are invited to:
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Work together to enhance cooperation on the basis
of the overall objectives, the fields of action, the
dual approach, implementation instruments and of
the priorities agreed for each work cycle.
Adopt measures at national level which can
contribute to achieving the overall objectives
outlined in the renewed framework and consider
learning at EU level when devising national policies
in the youth field and other related policy areas.
Work Cycle 2010-2011
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Overall Priority – Youth Unemployment (Jan 2010-
Jun 2011)
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The following specific priorities – which will
contribute to the overall priority - will be addressed
under the relevant Presidencies as follows:
– Jan-Jun 2010 (Spanish Presidency) – Social inclusion
– Jun-Dec 2010 (Belgian Presidency) – Youth Work
– Jan-Jun 2011 (Hungarian Presidency) - Participation
Conclusions
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First, how can youth policies, initiatives and practices interface
effectively with other broad policy areas such as education, health
and well-being and the labour market and in this instance youth in
the world, so as to promote and help these respective policy areas
achieve their aims and objectives?
Second, what unique contribution can youth policy and practice
make to the broader policy framework? Effectively, what can we in
the youth sector do, through youth work and provision of youth
services, that our colleagues in other policy areas cannot do or less
effectively do?
What particular strengths, experience and expertise can Ireland
contribution to this process?