Youth Participation through better Youth Information Improving equal opportunity and social particip

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Youth Participation through better Youth
InformationImproving equal opportunity and
social participation for all children and youth
through information services for young people

• 14.4.2007
• Youth Event, Cologne
• Alexandra Cangelosi, jugendinfo.cc

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• Austria an example
• Austria is a federal state ? Youth-Matters are
  mainly in the responsibilty of the federal
  states.
• Youth Informations Centers (YIC) exist in all the
  federal states
• YIC are organised in very different ways
• YIC have several features in common but show
  regional variations as well
• YIC have different experiences

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• Whatever the question start with us!
• Youth Information Centers are service-structures
  for young people.
• All questions can be asked in a YIC without
  taking an appointment or revealing your identity.
• YIC have basic information concerning all topics
  that are of relevance to young people or know
  where you can find what you need.
• YIC have an overview of specialists for the
  different topics and redirect you to the right
  place.

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• How does it work?
• Youth information services are available
  face-to-face in the centers, by phone, by mail
  and online (websites, forum, chat,)
• YIC continously research, store and distribute
  information taking into account what are the most
  asked topics.
• YIC are building up and maintaining a network of
  specialised organisations and exchange up-to-date
  information.
• After contacting a YIC you should know what your
  next steps will be

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• Coordination and Cooperation
• After some years of working on common projects in
  a loose working-group the Austrian YIC saw a need
  for more coordination and a legal body to
  represent them.
• In the same period the European Commission had
  published the White Paper on Youth and this
  started a more coordinated discussion on Youth
  Information on different levels in Austria.
• These two approaches worked together and led to
  the foundation of the national Youth information
  Association jugendinfo.cc in 2004.

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• National
• Coordination of national meetings,
  working-groups,
• Implementation of common projects e.g. brochures
• Implementation of training-activities for Youth
  Information Workers
• Representation of the Austrian YIC on national
  level (e.g. a national steering group for the
  European Youth Pact)
• Bilateral and multilateral cooperation with
  partner-organisations (National Youth Council,
  NAs,)
• Quality initiatives and insurance

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• EURODESK
• is an information-service supported by the
  European Commission (DG EAC) and the national
  authorities targeted directly to young people and
  those who work with them.
• is specialised in providing information on
  European opportunities for young people (funding,
  mobility,).
• has 31 national partner-organisations in 29
  European countries, an European Office in
  Brussels and is striving to have soon 1.000 local
  relays.
• Maintains the information on the European Youth
  portal and is activly involved in developing
  better services for young people (e.g. Quality
  Criteria, Seminars,..)

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• ERYICA (European Youth Information and
  Counselling Agency)
• is an umbrella-organisation of national Youth
  Information networks.
• has currently 28 member-organisations in 22
  European countries which have altogether around
  8.000 information centers and points for young
  people.
• stands for generalist youth information
• is activley involved in development of the youth
  information field through different initiatives
  e.g. European Youth Information Charter, Minimum
  Basic Training Course,

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• Why is youth information closely linked to the
  participation of young people?
• Information is a precondition for active
  involvement.
• Only those who know their possibilities can take
  their own decisions.

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• Upcoming challenges and developments
• Access to information are online-services the
  answer to that?
• Quality of information do we know what kind of
  quality we are talking about?
• Direct participation are we ready to share work
  and power?

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• Better access to information we need
• a good mix of different information-channels
  online, face-to-face, events,
• different offers for different target-groups.
• more out-reaching approaches.
• networks and cooperation with specialists, youth
  organisations, schools and many others.
• listen to the input young people provide us with
  in different ways.

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• Quality of youth information we need
• to define what we mean (e.g. quality criteria,
  indicators,)
• adapt our skills to new developments
• Ongoing Training
• Exchange good practice and know-how
• to share our know-how in providing information
  with partners and young people themselves can be
  a new area of work for the youth information
  field.

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• Direct participation of young people
• Accept if and where young people just want good
  service.
• Assure that the interests and needs of young
  people are taken into account anyway.
• Assure possibilities and real participation where
  young people want to take part.
• Assure that the involved staff has the right
  skills and tools.
• Make benefits and limits clear to everybody from
  the right begining

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• For further steps we need
• cooperation on different levels
• local, regional, national, european
• Youth Information field, decision-makers,
  youth organisations, specialist organisations
  young people themselves
• Resources
• Commitment, creativity fun

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• Questions, ideas, suggestions?
• Contact us!
• Austrian Youth Information Centers
• www.infoup.at
• ERYICA
• www.eryica.org
• EURODESK
• www.eurodesk.eu