Last week, Advisor to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya on Youth Policy and Students and President of the RADA Youth Council, Marharyta Vorykhava, held an online meeting with the volunteers of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office. Ms. Vorykhava spoke about her work and projects, and also answered the volunteers’ questions about youth policy and youth as a target audience. Read below to find out about Marharyta’s activities as Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Advisor and more.
Marharyta Vorykhava is responsible for the Office’s work vis-a-vis youth. It includes:
- developing youth policy, responding to requests from Belarusians, and promoting the needs of youth;
- promoting requests and needs of Belarusian youth and youth NGOs at the international level;
- representing Belarusian youth in decision-making international bodies;
- enhancing cooperation and coordination with youth organizations.
Youth must be addressed as a target audience individually because different age groups have different needs that must be in focus. Engaging with youth is crucial for a stable concept of a new Belarus as they are the ones to promote it in the future. The rapid development of informational technologies makes even a five-year difference a significant gap in societal development.
To implement youth policy within Belarus, Ms. Vorykhava suggests:
- conducting educational campaigns as a way to form common values among youth that will bring these values into the future;
- involving youth in all activities carried out within youth policy, offering participation in online meetings to share their opinions
- maintaining safe communication between democratic forces and Belarusian youth.
To unite youth across borders, they should be involved in organizations of the democratic forces and given the opportunity to participate in decision-making processes. A comprehensive strategy for a new Belarus should be developed that clearly includes youth as an integral part of the vision. Policies should be advocated that support youth mobility, such as softening visa restrictions and promoting educational exchanges and cross-border entrepreneurship.
Ms. Vorykhava also spoke about her work within the RADA Youth Council. The umbrella organization unites more than 38 democratic youth organizations and coordinates their work, collects the needs of Belarusian youth, and represents them in the Contact Group of the Council of Europe. RADA also creates training courses and educational programs and supports youth, including at the international level.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office has contacts with youth from beyond Belarus, including within the framework of the Council of Europe’s Consultative Group. Work is underway to encourage more actors to cooperate with Belarusian organizations, invite more youth to international conferences and create venues for communication between Belarusians and youth in other countries.
