The first Manifesto for Italian Local Youth Councils
Youth participation is a right, a necessity and the only solution!
Participation is a bottom-up process.
We would like Youth Councils to grow and spread throughout Italy because we believe they are a tool that can spread the culture of public participation and create those opportunities to see their ideas emerge and become tangible.
No resources, no future.
We believe that local governments should provide the necessary resources, such as a venues for activities, support from youth workers and a properly allocated budget for Local Youth Councils.
Collaboration is the key.
We believe that Youth Councils should evaluate the quality of the relationship between them and local administrations, avoiding the emergence of mechanisms of exploitation, decoration or tokenism.
Europe is here.
Youth Councils and local administrations should promote and take advantage of the opportunities provided by the European Union and the Council of Europe, such as Erasmus+, the European Solidarity Corps and funds provided by the European Youth Foundation.
We need a legal framework!
In Italy there is no legislative framework, at national level, that clarifies the role of youth councils. Without a law, there is no clear way ahead or consistency.
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This Manifesto has been realised within the project “The five Ws of Local Youth Councils”, funded by the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe as a pilot activity in the framework of the 2022 Youth Campaign. The project is coordinated by Europiamo ETS, a network of youngsters and youth organizations.