Advocacy for Youth Employment

<< Background >>Youth unemployment rises more sharply and recovers more slowly than the average population. This is even more so for youngsters belonging to minorities and/or groups with fewer opportunities. Given that youngsters who are unable to enter the labour market are much more likely to result being long-term unemployed, lose their faith in their skills and even society as a whole, youth unemployment is a pressing issue that exceeds this particular generation. Anxiety, antisocial behaviors and decreased optimism about the future of EU are only some of the effects of youth unemployment; the depth of this matter indicates the need for a collaborative, institutional approachYouth organisations hold a key role in representing European youth. However, their capacities to be involved in institutional processes of decision making remains limited due to limited capacities in the field of policy and advocacy. Broadening and deepening the channels for youth involvement, particularly of youth with fewer opportunities, in the work and projects of civil society organisations is a prerequisite for achieving significant results - both for organisations and for participants themselves. << Objectives >>Advocacy for Youth Employment (ADYE) sought to improve the capacities of youth organisations to advocate for youngsters’ rights in the post-pandemic framework with particular reference to employment. To this end, the project:- Developed skills of youth organisations and advocates, supporters, allies (Capacity Building Training to Youth organisations) - Exchanged & established replicable good practice models for advocacy (Best Practices Guide on Advocacy for Youth Organisations (tools, methods and practical implementation) - Raised awareness with regards to youth unemployment and develop tools and methods to address it on institutional level. ADYE primarily sought to reinforce the links between research, policy and practice. To this end, the project: (a) identified needs related to youth employment at local, regional and national level though field research (b) researched and documented successful advocacy initiatives on youth employment (c) developed and implement replicable models for advocacy for youth organisations.<< Implementation >>Desk research: Partners registered examples of engaging and/or effective grassroots initiatives or advocacy campaigns that challenged rules and regulations on employment or other areas connected to youth welfare in partner countries but also beyond.Training course: The TC Introduced different concepts related to civic action, with emphasis on relational organising, and connect them to advocacy and active citizenship, provided Local Working Groups (LWG) with an in-depth understanding of advocacy and the role youth structures in improving policies that affect their livelihoods, LWGs decided on and drafted the content of the campaigns.Advocacy campaigns: Each partner organisation carried out an advocacy campaign on the general topic of youth employment. Building on the research and the training activities, participants identified either a rule/law/regulation that they think needs to be created or changed or one that exists and is either not applied or applied partially or wrongly. Platform creation: Partners collected and presented the project, partners, a guide with good practices on advocacy for youth employment and their advocacy claims.<< Results >>Research and exchange of practices: The project equipped involved organisations and youngsters with information and insights for advocating for the needs of youngsters in the field of employment, identifying needs and policy areas where they can intervene and also training their beneficiaries for promoting their causes. The Guide on Advocacy for Youth Organisations (tools, methods and practical implementation) gathered all registered advocacy practices collected by LWGs highlighting common challenges faced by youth across countries as well as potential solutions. Thus, It raised issues of partner countries with youth unemployment and placed them in a European context.The website added to the project’s visibility and facilitated the dissemination of its results and sustainability by gathering all useful materials for stakeholders to support the cause or be informed. Advocacy campaigns: By getting hands-on experience in organising a real-life campaign, LWGs and partner organisations developed skills in the field of advocacy. They raised awareness of communities and local, national and EU institutions on causes and externalities of youth unemployment in the respective countries as well as its regional aspects.