Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Advisor on Youth Policy and Students, Marharyta Vorykhava, along with representatives of youth organizations from Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and Denmark, developed an action plan for 2024.
The Youth Councils Network is an association of national youth councils from five countries. One of the outcomes of their joint work during the meeting in Chișinău, Moldova, was the plan of events scheduled for 2024, including:
– Eastern Partnership Youth Conference “Youth for Rights” 2024;
– International Youth Festival;
– Educational events aimed at enhancing the potential of youth organizations;
– Advocacy for Erasmus Plus, aiming to ensure equal opportunities for youth from the region to access and benefit from its educational programs.
Ms. Vorykhava emphasized that collaborative efforts strengthen the voice of youth, ensuring their opinions are considered in political discussions:
“Through our joint strategies, we enable young people to actively promote inclusivity and shape their communities. By doing so, we ensure youth participation in decision-making processes and their ability to hold leadership positions while seeing that their perspectives are acknowledged. Collaborative efforts will allow us to expand our participation in international dialogues, such as with the European Commission and the Council of Europe, and advocate for policies that support the aspirations of young people”.
Additionally, a strategy was developed to facilitate the full participation of youth, expanding their rights and opportunities in the Eastern Partnership region. In addition, a document was created regarding the national youth councils’ advocacy efforts, outlining the approach to expanding youth opportunities at different levels of governance and defending their rights.
