Youth information centres in the EU

Transcription

Youth information
Informační
centra
centres
in the EU
pro
mládež
Youth information and counselling services
v ČR
Table of Contents
Introduction
5
Development of youth information and counselling services
6
European Youth Information and Counselling Agency (ERYICA)
9
EURODESK - Youth information network
13
Key documents
17
Individual countries
22
ERYICA affiliated and co-operating organisations
61
In Conclusion
63
Important links
67
Annex 1 - European Youth Information Charter
69
Annex 2 - Translation of Principles for Online Youth Information
72
Annex 3 - COUNCIL OF EUROPE, COMMITTEE OF MINISTERS
75
Introduction
The idea of general youth information and counselling services is nothing
new in Europe or the world. The book you have just begun reading tries to
map the situation in Europe. It aims not only to make you familiar with the
history and status quo of youth information and counselling services, but
also to introduce you to the legislative framework for this specific area of
youth work.
Youth information services differ from country to country, sometimes
from region to region. It is therefore virtually impossible to describe all the
possible forms and methods of informing youth on these few pages. The
authors of this book have therefore decided to introduce you to the functioning, roles and methods of work of two of the largest European umbrella
organisations. The first of them is ERYICA (European Youth Information
and Counselling Agency); the other one, Eurodesk - the European youth
information network. Their member organisations - national partners - will
give you an overview of the information services in nearly all European
countries.
This book will not only make a general introduction and present key documents, but will also introduce the member (affiliated and partner) national organisations of the said European organisations. To make the text
more interesting and inspiring, we have included examples of interesting
projects and activities run in some of the organisations. If you are interested in the specific situation in any given country, feel free to contact the
said organisations directly. They will be happy to answer your questions
regarding their activities.
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Development of youth information and counselling services
For a long time, „youth“ was not perceived as a separate social group.
The need to specify young people as a separate category is a modern
thing. In the early 20th century, young people were still not considered to
be a group of citizens whose interests and needs differed from those of
adults. Although children and their needs began to be perceived and respected in the first half of the 20th century, the separation of youth from
the worlds of children and adults only dates back to the mid 20th century.
No specialised youth information and counselling services existed until
then; conventional schooling thus was the only preparation for entering
the adult world.
The heralds of youth work only began appearing in the 1950s. The first
„youth clubs“ and similar initiatives were set up. It was then that the earliest youth workers realised how specific young people are as a social
group, how different their information requirements are, and how necessary it is to provide young people with specialised counselling. Information began to be given to youth in various clubs and youth organisations
relatively spontaneously. But those were exceptions rather than the rule.
Young people only had access to specific information, provided as part of
counselling services for adults.
The year 1964 was a sort of turning point. The first specialised information centre for youth was set up in Ghent, Belgium. It was founded by Willy
Faché, a secondary school teacher at the time, who was to become a
recognised and leading youth worker. He initiated the first international
meeting for information workers held several years later, when youth information centres opened in other European countries. Besides Belgium,
non-governmental initiatives appeared in the UK, Germany, Austria, and
the Netherlands, among others. Information centres were made available
in practically every major city in these countries in 1970-1975. An entirely
new type of organisation appeared in France at that time. The French Ministry of Education and Sports initiated the establishment of the Centre
d’information et de documentation jeunesse (CIDJ), which has been supported by national as well as local authorities.
Information services spread to the south of Europe in the following years.
In northern European countries, where youth information services had
had a longer tradition, information services were extended with counselling specialised in young clients. National organisations were set up in
some countries. Their meeting in France (Marly-le-Roi, 1985) saw the requirement for the establishment of an international umbrella organisation. Thus, ERYICA (European Youth Information and Counselling Agency)
was founded in 1986; a separate chapter of this book deals with it.
The following years saw a rapid development of youth information services. Youth information centres even began to appear in eastern European
countries in the early 1990s. The first youth information centre was set up
in the Czech Republic in 1992. The Hungarian organisation HAiYCO even
became a member of ERYICA one year earlier.
Thanks to the progressive spread of youth information and counselling
services throughout Europe, the importance of the work was reflected at
the political level too. Recommendation No R (90) by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe concerning information and counselling
services for young people in Europe was the key document. It was adopted
by the Committee of Ministers on 21 April 1990. The entire document in
the English language forms an annex hereto. 1990 was an important year
for another reason: the European youth information network, Eurodesk,
was established. A separate chapter herein informs about its activities. Many international meetings, colloquia and seminars have been held since.
Youth information services have undergone many changes. From direct contact with young people, the work of the information workers has increasingly
shifted towards online information. The situation of the organisations has
improved in some countries, while the services are less and less supported in others. Whatever background the youth information and counselling
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services enjoy in European countries, they are all governed by a single key
document: the European Youth Information Charter. It was adopted at an
ERYICA General Assembly in 1993. Its original text was revised and amended after several years. Its current 2004 version, adopted at the ERYICA
General Assembly in Bratislava, forms part of this book. A sort of addendum
to the Charter - Principles for Online Youth Information - was made in 2009.
It specifies rules for providing youth with information using modern technologies. You will find its full wording on the following pages. The book also
presents other important documents that have had a crucial influence on
the attitude towards youth information services throughout Europe.
European Youth Information and Counselling Agency
(ERYICA)
ERYICA was established in Madrid on 17 April 1986. The day has been celebrated as the European Youth Information Day since 2008. The founding of
the non-governmental umbrella organisation was initiated a year earlier by a
recommendation adopted at the first international colloquium of youth information centres in Marly-le-Roi, France. It was the first meeting of over 200
youth information and counselling workers from 18 European countries.
ERYICA is made up of national partners (governmental and non-governmental) guaranteeing young people the right to complete and relevant information that helps them set out in the right way in their adolescence and supports
autonomy and active participation of young people in democratic society.
As an independent European organisation composed of these national partners and networks, ERYICA‘s main mission is to intensify and facilitate European co-operation in youth information and counselling. It also focuses on
developing, supporting and promoting of youth policy and quality general information for youth at every level: local, regional, national, and international. The
main objective is to meet the information needs of young Europeans. Another
major purpose is to implement the principles of the European Youth Information Charter in reality, and not only within the scope of member organisations.
ERYICA‘s Statutes give it three principal objectives:
To promote and implement the principles of the European Youth
Information Charter. To ensure European co-operation and representation of interests of
youth information and counselling services at the international and
governmental levels.
To initiate the creation of a European environment for this aspect
of youth work, primarily by developing a European network of
information and counselling structures.
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In order for ERYICA to meet these objectives, it focuses its work on several
key activities. Not only does it connect the major players in youth information services at the European level; it also monitors the state and development of this youth work sector. It arranges and ensures the dissemination
of findings among the players, such as through worker exchanges. ERYICA
itself supports research into and innovative applications of youth information and counselling services. And of course, it also supports other activities arising from the needs and ideas of member organisations.
At the international level, ERYICA actively co-operates with several prominent
partners. It made a partnership agreement with the Council of Europe (DG Youth and Sport) in 1997. Since 2003, when the European Union included information among the chief priorities in its youth policy, ERYICA has closely co-operated on implementing these set priorities with both the EU Member States and
the European Commission. This is also based on a partnership agreement.
Of course ERYICA provides its member organisations with the necessary
services. These include a periodical newsletter, informing on the news in
the organisation. Nowadays, however, most of the information, chiefly from
the members, is published on the organisation‘s website, www.eryica.org.
The online platform for youth information workers, www.sheryica.org, is
a brand new feature. This website is open to discussion and experience
sharing for anyone interested in youth information. Another online service
run by ERYICA - not for its members but for the youth - is www.infomobil.
org. The portal, intended for young travellers, has a long-established tradition. It provides basic information on studying, working and travelling in
different countries. Moreover, it includes such points of interest as traditional customs, what to watch out for when visiting a country, etc. Originally
a printed periodical of ERYICA and its member organisations, Infomobil
has been published since 1987. At present, the portal contents are jointly
prepared by organisations in 23 European countries.
Besides mediating information for its members, worker exchanges, holding seminars and meetings, and publishing, the organisation has deve-
loped its own training module for new workers of youth information centres. The module, in which national instructors are trained, is called the
Minimum Basic Training Course (MBTC). It consists of at least 40 lessons
divided into 4 topic areas. Since it has existed for many years and the situation in youth information services has changed since its introduction,
it was revised in 2009. A new type of basic course for beginning workers,
YIntro – Stepping into Youth Information, has been created. It is based
on the original MBTC, but is supplemented with new findings and skills
concerning chiefly information technologies. The first course for trainers
will be held in 2010.
ERYICA is registered as an international non-profit organisation in Luxembourg. It has moved there from Paris after many years. The organisation
consists of its members, who may not be individuals but only organisations (preferably national) whose mission is to provide youth with information and support or co-ordinate local and regional organisations providing
young people with information in accordance with the principles of the
European Youth Information Charter. Membership fees are paid every
year, constituting a significant source of funding for ERYICA‘s work besides subsidies and project funding. The organisation is managed by the
Secretariat, located in Luxembourg.
ERYICA offers two types of membership: regular and affiliated. Some organisations, which are also involved in youth information services, may
be given the status of a Co-operating Organisation based on a written
application. The status is issued with a prospect for a shift to a member
organisation.
ERYICA regular members may take full advantage of its services, may dispatch their employees to activities undertaken by ERYICA, and may take
part in the annual General Assemblies, exercising the right to elect members of the Governing Board. A representative of a member organisation
may also stand as a candidate for the Governing Board. Representatives
of affiliated members do not have the right to elect or be elected. Other-
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wise, they may make use of ERYICA‘s services just like regular member
organisations. The ERYICA Governing Board is the supreme body of the organisation, managing and inspecting the work of the Secretariat in co-operation of its Director, who is the Head of the Secretariat. The Governing Board summons
annual General Assemblies and ensures that provisions adopted by the
Assemblies will be duly implemented. It supervises the implementation
of the approved action plan and represents the organisation‘s interests
outwards.
Visit the organisation‘s website www.eryica.org for more information
about it. A list of ERYICA members (as of 1 January 2010) forms part of
this book.
ERYICA has several closely co-operating partners. Eurodesk, the European youth information network, is one of them; the following chapter
deals with it. The European Youth Card Association (EYCA) is another. Its
mission is to support mobility and knowledge. The tool for achieving the
mission is the youth card known as Euro<26, providing people under 26
years of age with various benefits. In some countries, it works up to the
age of 30. EYCA is located in Bratislava; it was established in 1987 and
has since then supported young people in their life decisions. It offers
not only full access to the benefits offered by the Euro<26, but above all,
access to such information that is necessary for them in making correct
decisions.
Many projects, seminars and publications have resulted from the connection of the three networks. Recently, another important representative
of young people, the European Youth Forum (EYF) has joined the three
above organisations. This independent forum consists of over 90 national
youth councils or international NGOs associating youth organisations. In
all, it is an umbrella for 10 million young people throughout Europe, whose
interests it represents. Youth information centres in the EU
EURODESK - European youth information network
Eurodesk is a European youth information network, providing young people and youth workers with information on working, studying, volunteering
and travelling in Europe. The Eurodesk network comprises over 900 offices in 30 European countries.
The first Eurodesk office was set up in Scotland in 1990. The primary
aim was to gather all information relevant for youth and youth workers in
Scotland in one place, and to contribute to this information becoming easier to understand and access for them. Moreover, it became evident that
the awareness of European issues had to be raised in the area in order to
make maximum use of the available European information.
The funds for the office were provided by the European Union, the central
government and the local Scottish government, with Apple Europe making a sponsorship contribution. The Edinburgh Eurodesk office opened
in March 1990. It was an almost instant success, and its numbers of
clients and demand for its services grew rapidly in a short time. The unprecedented rate of interest, particularly from areas outside Scotland, led
to the establishment of a co-operation strategy, where selected partner organisations in the other three countries of the United Kingdom (England,
Northern Ireland, and Wales) agreed to provide youth and youth workers
with identical information in their respective territories.
The approach had some implications concerning quality of information
and publicly provided services, effective information management, effective communication, and preparation of training courses. Between 1991
and 1994, the Eurodesk service provision in the UK was based on a network comprising the four countries and co-ordinated from Edinburgh.
A presentation of this British model for representatives of ministries in
charge of youth was made in Brussels in 1994 upon a request by the
European Commission. The meeting resulted in a decision to launch a
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pilot project aiming at determining whether the British model was flexible
enough to be adapted for use in other Member States, where the situation, structures and information environments differed.
Seven national Eurodesk offices were set up with success by June 1995
(Denmark, Spain, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Portugal). The Eurodesk office in Edinburgh was charged with co-ordinating
the extension of the model of managing European information in other EU
Member States and then in all countries fully involved in the EU YOUTH
programme.
The development has continued and, nowadays, 30 national partners are
involved in Eurodesk: all EU countries except Cyprus, plus Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, and Turkey, with over 900 regional Eurodesk offices.
In the course of twenty years, a local Scottish project has thus grown into
a pan-European affair, and Eurodesk has become a pan-European information network.
Eurodesk is active at three levels: European, national, and regional. The
co-ordination office for the European level is the Bruselss Link in Brussels,
co-ordinating the entire network, providing national and regional partners
with support services, and it conducts a dialogue with the European Commission and European organisations for youth.
If a country wishes to join the Eurodesk network, an agreement between
the country‘s government bodies and the European Commission has to
be made first. The ministry in charge of youth in each of the Eurodesk
countries selects a national organisation to become the Eurodesk partner.
This organisation is typically a governmental or non-governmental entity
operating in the area of youth activities at the national level. The partner
is often (not always) an organisation simultaneously in charge of the EU
Youth in Action programme (2007-2013) in the country in question. The
main task for the national Eurodesk partner is to source and manage
information concerning youth mobility.
Each national partner may decide to set up a network of regional (local)
Eurodesk partners aiming at devolving Eurodesk youth service provision
closer to the local level. In general, these partners are regional or local organisations already working with youth and providing information services.
Eurodesk is a service providing young people and youth workers with
European information, including opportunities for voluntary work or exchanges, working and studying abroad, receiving European funding, and
searching for partners for international projects.
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The services provided include
Free answers to questions and counselling concerning young people‘s
mobility (work, study, scholarships, education schemes, volunteerism,
travel, etc.) in Europe.
Fast online access to European information at www.eurodesk.cz and
www.eurodesk.eu.
Information and news of the European Youth Portal
http://europa.eu/youth.
Training courses for those who work with youth and information.
Help searching for partners for international (youth) project.
Key documents
Certain key documents play a crucial role in the brief history of youth information and counselling services. The right to information is anchored
in the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Basic Freedoms. However, with
the progressive awareness of the importance and necessity of a specific
approach of young people to information not only for their life decisions
but also their active citizenship, democracy and participation, the issues
have occurred in texts shaping the youth policy directly. This has also
happened at the pan-European level. The said Recommendation No R
(90) by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe concerning
information and counselling services for young people in Europe was one
of the earliest such documents. Its entire text in the English language is
an annex hereto. We will just highlight its major points here.
Early on, the Recommendation underlines the importance of youth information and counselling as a support to young people‘s autonomy. This
was also the first time the importance of information for increased youth
mobility was highlighted, saying that mobility enforces peace and advances the sense of European citizenship. The Committee of Ministers therefore recommends the Council of Europe Member States to promote and
establish or advance youth information and counselling services that will
observe the main principles. These are very similar to those in the European Youth Information Charter. The services should be universal, using
heterogeneous sources; answers to questions should be comprehensive.
Of course the young people‘s right to anonymity has to be respected. The
services provided should be accessible to all. They have to be entirely rid
of all commercial influences and should primarily support the autonomy
of the young generation. In order for the States to provide their youth
with such services, the Committee of Ministers proposes some specific
measures. The States themselves should guarantee the reliability of the
services. It is advisable to support the information services with relevant
surveys on young people‘s information needs and to co-operate at the
international level. A new topic in the document is the support of young
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people‘s effective participation in the information and counselling activities designed chiefly for them. Even in 1990, when the Recommendation
was made, the Committee of Ministers found it important that the States
support introduction of new technologies in information and counselling
services.
Another key text in which youth information appears as a main issue
is the European Commission White Book: A New Impetus for European
Youth. Its 2002 Czech translation is available from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports website (www.msmt.cz/mladez/bila-kniha-evropske-komise-o-mladezi, available on 4 Jan 2010). The document was
published on 21 November 2001. The entire text deals with young people
and their position in today‘s world. The White Book in fact sets a common
vision in youth policy. Its mission has been to set European co-operation
in relation to youth in motion.
In order to make the White Book happen, consultations of an unprecedented scale took place throughout Europe, including contributions of
young people themselves. About 450 representatives of the young generation from 31 countries convened in Paris in 2000. Together they made
about 80 proposals. In addition, over 60 youth organisations expressed
their opinions at the Economic and Social Committee public consultation in Brussels in February 2001. The entire preparatory process culminated in April that year with a consultation directly in the European
Parliament.
The numerous meetings and consultations produced 4 main missions.
Young people demand recognition and wish to fully participate in public
life. Education needs modernisation so as not to restrict itself to traditional forms and methods. Young people strive for autonomy and wish
to have it granted by all possible means. The last, but no less important
message is that young people expect Europe to fully accept them and
thus permit their active citizenship.
The European Commission proposed to base the European co-operation on two pillars. One of them is the application of the so-called open
co-ordination method in the specific area of youth. It set four priorities:
participation, information, voluntary activities, and more understanding
for youth. The other pillar is the need to study and ensure a youth perspective in other sectoral policies and thus integrate youth policy in all other
areas of the political world. The information priority is no doubt of prime importance to us. The European Commission sees it as inseparably bound to participation. Only an
informed person can truly become fully involved in events taking place
around them. It is essentially within the authority of each Member State
to guarantee and support this priority axis, but pan-European co-operation on access to information is indispensable. It has to be ensured that
information directly reaches both young people and those who are in
everyday contact with them as part of formal or informal education.
Since the White Book was published, youth information and awareness
have appeared in numerous other documents. For example, the Council
resolution of 25 November 2003 on common objectives for participation
by and information for young people (2003/C 295/04), available on 4 Jan
2010 from www.msmt.cz/mladez/usneseni-rady-eu-o-obecnych-cilechpro-participaci-a-informovanost-mladych-lidi), is a direct follow-up on the
White Book. In the text, the Council of the EU confirmed the importance
of the set priorities and defined general objectives of developing them. In
the area of information, it primarily highlighted the necessity of improving
young people‘s access to information, the need to extend the provision of
quality information, and the effort to increase the involvement of young
people themselves in information provision, e.g., in preparation and dissemination. Moreover, the text explicitly mentions the need for quality
information, which can be guaranteed, e.g., by observing the European
Youth Information Charter, and the necessity of further education for youth information and counselling workers in order to ensure such quality.
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The Commission of European Communities has also dealt with the question of how to ensure the young generation‘s access to quality information. A document titled „EU Youth Strategy: Youth – Investing and Empowering“ was published on 27 April 2009. The need to mobilise the existing
youth information networks appeared among the measures identified by
the European Commission chiefly in health and sports. Perhaps even
more interesting is the mention about provision of quality information
services as a goal for the area that deals with young people‘s active involvement in civil and political life. Quality counselling and consultancy
services are then explicitly mentioned in the area dealing primarily with
informal education and its important role in complementing conventional
schooling. (The document is available from http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2009:0200:FIN:CS:PDF, 4 Jan 2010).
One of the remaining texts crucially concerning youth information is the
Council Resolution on a Renewed Framework for European Cooperation
in the Youth Field (2010-2018) (http://youth-partnership.coe.int/youthpartnership/news/attachments/Renewed_framework_European-cooperation.pdf, available on 4 Jan 2010). The document no longer sets youth
information and awareness as a separate priority. Instead, one might say
that the issue has been given a promotion within the European youth policy. The Council of Europe sees youth counselling and information, their
spreading and access to them as one of the crucial issues to transcend all
areas of the newly defined youth policy. Priorities for the coming years include the creation of equal opportunities in access to education and work
for all young people and support of active citizenship, social inclusion
and solidarity. The document defines specific areas of activity on which
initiatives should focus in alternating three-year „working cycles“. These
are education, employment and enterprise, health and healthy lifestyle,
participation, voluntary activities, social inclusion, youth and the world,
creativity, and culture. Youth counselling and information should be taken
into consideration in all specific activities to concern these issues.
As we have seen, youth information is no Cinderella within the policy on
young people. In fact, this specific type of youth work is included in many
other documents. For instance, the topic was dealt with at the Conference on the Future EU Cooperation in the Youth Field, held under the
Swedish EU Presidency in Stockholm on 12 - 14 Sep 2009. The need
for quality information was mentioned in several of the main conference
proposals (Key Messages, available on 4 Jan 2010, www.se2009.eu/
polopoly_fs/1.14974!menu/standard/file/Outcome%20from%20workshop.pdf).
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Austria
Jugendinfo.cc
Vienna
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.jugendinfo.cc, www.infoup.at
The form of the information services in Austria differs significantly with
respect to the country‘s administrative divisions. Youth information issues fall under the authorities of each federal state and youth information centres are operated either by local youth departments, the federal
ministry, or NGOs. To bridge the differences among the 9 information
centres, each located in one state, the umbrella organisation jugendinfo.cc was set up and is funded by the Ministry of Economy, Family and
Youth. The association is an ERYICA member and also co-ordinates the
Eurodesk services at the national level. Jugendinfo.cc supports training
projects for YIC workers and publishes resources intended for young people (overviews of study and work opportunities abroad, safety tips for
travelling abroad, etc.).
Jugendinfo.cc: Sun& Gatsch Festival Database
The Austrian youth information centre has developed Sun & Gatsch, a database of
major as well as less visible music festivals held both in Austria and neighbouring
countries. Information on some of the events are difficult to find; others are
scattered across the organisers‘ websites. Jugendinfo.cc therefore decided to
offer young people a comprehensive overview. The database is designed to
facilitate the choice primarily among summer events, but the list also includes
those held outside the season. Moreover, the overview is continually extended
with new additions. Its electronic form is accessible via www.jugendinfo.cc,
where visitors can search for an event via multiple criteria. People can pick up a
print version of Sun & Gatsch at any YIC in Austria.
Belgium
Flemish Community:
Vlaams Informatiepunt Jeugd Brussel E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.vipjeugd.be
In Petto jeugddienst Berchem
Web: www.inpetto-jeugddienst.be
JINT vzw Brussel
Web: www.jint.be
French Community: BIJ Bureau International Jeunesse
Bruxelles E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.lebij.be
CIDJ - Centre d‘information et de documentation pour jeunesse
Bruxelles
Web : www.cidj.be
FIJWB - Fédération Infor Jeunes
Wallonie-Bruxelles
Namur
Web: www.inforjeunes.be
JIZ St. Vith – Jugendinformationszentrum St.Vith
Web: www.jugendinfo.be
German-speaking Community: Infotreff Eupen
Web: www.jugendinfo.be
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Infor Jeunes: Service Kots
– assistance in finding accommodation
The Belgian Infor Jeunes provides its clients with practical assistance in finding
housing. Young people can apply to one of the network members and make use
of the database of vacant housing facilities, mostly student rooms or rooms for
rent. The database, freely accessible online, is also an advertisement space
for those offering accommodation. What is more, information centre workers
advise young people on choosing appropriate housing, and are also willing to
advise on any legal issues. All these specific services are free of charge.
Given the administrative arrangements, the system of youth information
services in Belgium is very complicated. Each of the three Communities
has its own executive powers, meaning it defines its own youth policy concept. In the Flemish Region, the government authorised the NGO Vlaams
Informatiepunt Jeugd (Flemish Information Point Youth) to co-ordinate
youth information services. It is charged with surveys of the youth‘s information needs, systematisation of the information services, and training
for information workers. The organisation runs web portals for three different age groups of children and youth, publishes handbooks in over 40
topic areas, and manages a network of 50 information points. It closely
co-operates with the national youth service In Petto, which specialises in
participation and awareness raising in social and psychological issues.
The work of both the institutions is funded from the Flemish government
budget. Two government-recognised co-ordinators exist in the Walloon
Region: the Centre d‘information et de documentation pour jeunesse (Information and documentation centre for youth) and the Fédération Infor
Jeunes Wallonie-Bruxelles. They get part of their funding from the government; they raise remaining money from local administration and by selling
their own products and services (training, aids, publishing). Each of the
Walloon co-ordinators has a network of regional partners, including 15
independent NGOs in total. Two youth information centres work in the
German-speaking regions, run by NGOs funded from municipal budgets.
Although the two organisations are independent of each other, they have
a joint web presentation and both are members of the ERYICA network.
The situation is analogously intricate concerning Eurodesk service providers. A special agency is authorised to manage the current EU Youth in
Action programme in each of the Belgian Communities, performing the
roles of national Eurodesk partners in the Flemish and Walloon regions.
One of the youth information centres performs this duty in the Germanspeaking regions.
CIDJ.be: Teaching aids
Thanks to co-operation with local experts and schools, the Belgian YIC has
managed to implement several informal education projects. It has made
teaching aids helping young people become aware of social problems such
as racism, discrimination and civic participation in public affairs. One of the
aids is the board game Une place à prendre (A Place to Occupy), in which young
people learn to become involved in decision-making on public affairs. The
players become citizens of an imaginary town, whose mayor wants to destroy
a sports ground and an arts centre and build a parking lot on the site. The
players are given various tools to support or reverse the mayor‘s design. The
purpose of the game is to kindle an interest in public affairs in young people
and show them the possibilities for their civic initiative. Another teaching aid
made by the CIDJ - Mes tissages de vie (My Life‘s Threads) - is intended to
encourage reflection on one‘s social identity. This set of practical exercises
takes the young person through the various levels of human identity and points
out the interconnection of the components (family, peers, etc.) in building it.
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Bulgaria
Eurodesk Bulgaria National Centre European Youth
Programmes and Initiatives
Sofia
Web: www.youthdep.bg/, www.eurodesk.bg
The Bulgarian Eurodesk service programme belongs under the National
Centre European Youth Programmes and Initiatives, working as the national agency for the current EU Youth in Action programme. The Bulgarian
Eurodesk network comprises 20 regional partners, including both NGOs
working with youth and youth centres run by local authorities. Each member has to follow binding rules for information service provision, emphasising information exchange at the local, national and international levels,
active participation in the intranet environment, and providing up-to-date
and comprehensive answers to clients‘ questions. Besides the network,
Bulgaria has over 30 youth information and counselling centres, whose
development is managed by a co-ordinator appointed by the Ministry of
Youth, and a national information centre. They receive subsidies thanks to
the concept of information services, based on which new web portals will
be open and handbooks published for young people.
Croatia
Zajednica informativnih centara za mlade
Republike Hrvatske (Zajednica ICM)
Zagreb
Web: www.icm.com.hr
The Association of Croatia‘s Youth Information Centres is among the youngest members of ERYICA. It became an affiliate member in late 2008.
A year later, in December 2009, its membership changed and the Zajednica ICM became a full member. At present, there are 8 regional information centres in Croatia that are associated under the organisation. The
association supports them methodologically, trains information workers,
and represents their interests domestically and abroad. The association‘s
vision also touches upon reinforcing the youth information centres throughout the Western Balkans. It wishes to reinforce the co-operation among
the region‘s youth information centres chiefly through the use of modern
technologies, meetings, resource sharing, and support to workers.
Cyprus
Cyprus Youth Board Nicosia
Web: www.youthboard.org.cy
In Cyprus, youth issues and related issues are pursued by the semi-governmental Cyprus Youth Board. Although its establishment in the mid 1990s was
initiated by a governmental act of law and its activity is funded from the state
budget, the Board acts independently of state bodies. It supports and organises programmes cultivating the political involvement of youth, implements
leisure projects, and advises state administrative bodies in youth issues. It is
also in charge of co-ordinating youth information and strives to expand the YIC
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network in the country, currently operated in 3 towns. Youth centres have a
significantly firmer grip in Cyprus; their funding and methodological support is
also managed by the Youth Board. Besides leisure activities, the centres handle
cultivation of young people‘s environmental and democratic awareness. As an
ERYICA member, the Cyprus Youth Board is involved in international activities
and promotes international projects in which young people may get involved.
Czech Republic
Národní institut dětí a mládeže
Prague
Web: www.nidm.cz
Národní informační centrum pro mládež
Prague
Web: www.nicm.cz
Eurodesk ČR
Prague
Web: www.eurodesk.cz
The main player in providing youth with information in the Czech Republic is the
National Institute of Children and Youth (NIDM), a directly managed organisation
of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic. Two of its
departments have the greatest share in quality youth information and counselling
service provision: the National Youth Information Centre and the Czech National
Agency Youth, incorporating the national Eurodesk partner. Both of the departments are an inseparable part of the Czech Youth Information System along with
other important partners, such as the Association for the Promotion of Development of Youth Information Centres in the Czech Republic, the Czech Children and
Youth Council, and the Association of Czech Youth and Children‘s Centre Workers.
Of course, the Youth Information Centres across the country are part of the system. The NIDM represents the system at the European level, being a member of
both ERYICA and Eurodesk. Since 1 April 2009, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports and the NIDM have also been jointly implementing the national
project titled Keys to Life: Developing key competences in leisure and informal
education. The project will run till 2013. One of its key activities is „Supporting the
youth information system“ (www.kliceprozivot.cz).
The history of Czech youth information services began in 1992, when the
first Youth Information Centre opened in Prague. It was established by the
NIDM (at that time called the Institute of Children and Youth). In its first
years, the YIC was mostly a counselling centre for unemployed youth. The
Centre‘s activities progressively expanded and it became a youth information centre providing youth with general information. With the technological
development and the spread of the Internet, the greater part of the Centre‘s
work has shifted to this domain. The Centre has thus operated its own website for many years, giving young people the information they search for.
The NIDM took up another major role in 1998. The Czech office of Eurodesk opened (www.eurodesk.cz). Eurodesk work deals with the specific
area comprising information about the EU in general, and about studying,
working, volunteering, and travelling in Europe. Besides, the National Youth
Information Centre (NICM) provides general information coming from the
Czech Republic, Europe, and other countries of the world.
The adoption of the „National Children and Youth Policy Concept for 2007-2013“
was an important step in the development of youth information and counselling
services in the Czech Republic. The paper defined several topic areas. „Information about youth and for youth“ is the first item. The Government sets itself a goal
of creating, expanding and improving conditions and prerequisites for obtaining,
transferring and disseminating a broad spectrum of information corresponding
to the needs and interests of the young generation. (The entire paper is available
from www.msmt.cz/mladez/koncepce-statni-politiky-pro-oblast-deti-a-mladezena-obdobi-2007-2013, 4 January 2010.) Thanks to this key paper, the „Czech
Republic Information System Development Concept“ could be published in 2008
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(available from www.icm.cz/koncepce-rozvoje-informacniho-systemu-pro-mladezv-cr on 4 January 2010). It defines specific measures to take in order to approve
young people‘s access to information. Based on it, for example, the Youth Information Centre under the NIDM was transformed into the National Youth Information
Centre (NICM), endowed with new, chiefly methodological tasks. The introduction
of a unified classification of information areas and a National Quality Standards
Code are great challenges in the Concept. Over time, the observance of the Code
will lead to standardisation of youth information services in the Czech Republic so
that the young users of the information services are guaranteed their maximum
quality. Throughout the country, those centres that will meet the certification and
standardisation requirements will be certified and awarded a quality label.
The services of the National Youth Information Centre do not differ from
those provided by an ordinary YIC. Information provided conforms to a unified classification; besides the Centre, a large portion of the work is on the
website www.nicm.cz, visited by approx. 50,000 visitors a month. Unlike
regional centres, however, the NICM does methodological and consultancy
work for workers of other YIC in the country, publishes, does training, offers
scholarships and other required assistance to both existing and newly established YIC.
Denmark
Eurodesk Cirius København
Web: www.ciriusonline.dk
Altjóða Skrivstovan Tórshavn
Web: http://www.ask.fo
In Denmark, youth information services are provided by two organisations
that are members of Eurodesk. They are not conventional YIC, but agen-
cies representing some European education programmes and informing
about them. Cirius works at the national level under the auspices of the
Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, managing programmes supporting youth exchange stays, including the current Youth
in Action and the Lifelong Learning Programme. The agency is a central
institution for recognising qualifications received abroad and disseminating information on study and work opportunities for young people among
leading youth workers. Being a Eurodesk member, it also focuses directly
on young people via the portal www.udiverden.dk, collecting information
on study and work opportunities abroad. The other Eurodesk member organisation, Ask (Altjóða Skrivstovan, meaning International Office in Faroese), only focuses on the Faroe Islands, searching for and collecting information on study opportunities abroad. The organisation also provides
locals and foreign visitors with information on educational institutions on
the Faroe Islands. 31
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Estonia
Eurodesk Estonia European Movement in Estonia
Tallinn
Web: www.eurodesk.ee, www.euroopaliikumine.ee
Eesti Noorsootoo Keskus
Tallinn
Web: www.entk.ee
In Estonia, information for young people is assured by two national organisations. One is the Estonian branch of the European Movement,
which associates institutions and individuals with an active interest in
European events. The Estonian membership base was formed in Swedish exile in 1950, but has worked actively in its home country since
1998. It has set one of its main goals to ensure the availability of objective information about the EU and support young people‘s awareness
of opportunities offered to them in other EU countries. For this reason,
the European Movement in Estonia has joined Eurodesk, set up a local
network of counselling centres, and operates its own website for young
people. The other central organisation ensuring youth information is the
Estonian Youth Work Centre (Eesti Noorsootoo Keskus), falling under
the powers of the Ministry of Education and Research and a member
of ERYICA. It focuses chiefly on methodological support for youth workers, youth organisations and centres. It manages a project covered
from European funds aiming to improve the chances of young people on
the labour market via educating youth workers and developing specific
working methods. The organisation runs no youth information centres
directly (they operate in the country at the level of the 18 regions), but
provides their employees with methodological support and initiates new
youth information projects.
ENTK: Teevit, Youth Information Trade Fair
Since 1994, the Estonian youth work centre has held annual Teevit, Youth
Information Trade Fairs in co-operation with the Estonian Ministry of Education
and Research. Its main objective is to provide young people with as much
information as possible concerning study and work opportunities and leisure
activities. Youth workers are the other target group of the Trade Fair. The
sections on training courses, work methods and expert literature are intended
for them. The offers of exhibitors, mostly including educational institutions,
publishing houses and youth organisations, are not limited to the domestic
setting: they have an international dimension too. According to a visitor survey,
over 20% of people come to the Trade Fair to find out more about work and
study opportunities abroad. In 2008, the Trade Fair was visited by nearly
18 thousand people in its 3 days. The Trade Fair also has its own website,
www.teevit.ee, where you can find more information.
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Finland
Eurodesk Finland CIMO - Centre for International Mobility
Helsinki
Web: www.cimo.fi, www.maailmalle.net
Finnish Youth Cooperation Allianssi
Helsinki
Web: www.alli.fi
Finland has its representative in both the European information associations. The Eurodesk service co-ordinator is the Centre for International
Mobility (CIMO), which manages European youth exchange and study programmes at the national level. In addition, it runs the information portal
offering study and work experience abroad www.maailmalle.net, and its
website www.studyinfinland.fi offers similar services to those who wish
to gain work experience in Finland. The Finnish network of Eurodesk centres comprises youth information centre, represented at the international
level by the Finnish ERYICA member - the Allianssi Youth Co-operation Organisation. It associates the country‘s youth organisation and pursues
numerous activities to support youth workers (methodological guidance,
professional training) and young people as such. It organises youth exchanges and elections to the Youth Parliament. In the domestic context,
youth information centres are guided professionally by the National Centre for Co-ordination and Development of Youth Information and Counselling Services (www.nettinappi.fi), which also co-operates with the two
above institutions. At present, the Finnish network comprises 30 information centres, nearly 40 regional and national web portals, and 5 regional
development projects, involving nearly 50 municipalities.
France
CIDJ
Paris
Web: www.cidj.com
The youth information centre was set up in France in 1969. The foundation of the Centre d‘information et documentation jeunesse (CIDJ) in Paris
was initiated by the Ministry of Education and Sports, and the institution
then focused mostly on services related to school and job seeking. Already back then, the centre vestibule housed a job agency kiosk, providing
young people with personnel counselling. The CIDJ has maintained its
traditional partnership with professional organisations to this day. Its premises host workers of psychological, volunteering and legal consultancy
centres several times a week. Besides the conventional range of information, the Paris information centre offers consultations regarding young
Centre d'information et de documentation jeunesse – France
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Centre d'information et de documentation jeunesse – France
people‘s own initiatives: how to make a grant application, how to set up a
citizens‘ association, etc. It also runs an open-access library of related publications. CIDJ is member of both the European information and counselling networks. Being the national centre, it co-ordinates the work of other
YIC in the country and prepares nationally-valid information for them. The
French network of youth information centres is among the densest in Europe. It associates 1,600 centres at various hierarchical levels - regional
information centres, information offices and points. Their funding differs;
no centre apart from the national centres enjoys state subsidies, and all
are forced to seek funding from local institutions.
Germany
IJAB e.V Bonn
Web: www.jugendinfonetz.de, www.ijab.de
The German national youth policy concept does not explicitly mention the
task of informing youth and there is even no government-appointed youth
information service co-ordinator. The spectrum and quality of services of
the local and regional service providers vary significantly. But that does not
mean that Germany‘s network of youth information centres, comprising
35 organisations, would be left without proper professional assistance.
Initiated by the German International Youth Service (Fachstelle für Internationale Jugendarbeit der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, IJAB), an informal
association of youth information service providers was established with
its primary goal to define basic service quality standards valid countrywide. The association, the Jugendinfonetz, strives to increase information
workers‘ qualifications and offers them a training course in information
and leisure pedagogy. The IJAB also pursues other activities in the sphere of youth information. It has launched the web project Jugendonline
(www.jugend.info), striving to make information accessible to young people by means of new media, so increasing their media competences. The
sister project of this initiative is the digital culture portal Netzcheckers.de,
in which young people can set up their own profiles and share multimedia
content with other users.
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IJAB: Web portals for youth workers
Germany‘s umbrella organisation, the IJAB, pursues numerous activities to
support youth information as well as youth workers. Besides doing training and
holding international youth workers‘ meetings, it has set up several platforms
for experience and information exchange in youth work. They include www.dija.
de, a web portal serving as an information databank on children‘s and youth
issues in over 40 countries worldwide. The section on each country introduces
its youth policy, offers an overview of its youth organisations, and presents
successful projects aimed at youth. Visitors also find a guide to the funding
options for youth meetings, and practical tips for promoting intercultural
dialogue among young people. Another portal operated by the IJAB, www.
jugendhilfeportal.de, has a similar purpose. It works as a communication
tool for youth workers, exchanging information on new projects, available
grants, events, etc. In contrast to the above portal, this website only covers
German institutions and the related current events in the German-speaking
environment.
Greece
General Secretariat for Youth Youth in Action and Eurodesk
Athens
E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]
Web: www.neagenia.gr
Since youth information services lack a legal and conceptual framework
in Greece, they are provided by several institutions in both the governmental and non-governmental sectors. The General Youth Secretariat, an
organisation directly subordinated to the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs, holds a prominent place among them. In connection to the
social situation, the Secretariat participates in forming the governmental
youth policy and works as a main tool for its implementation. The Secretariat incorporates the country‘s national agency for Youth in Action and
is the national co-ordinator of Eurodesk services. The Greek network of
regional Eurodesk partners comprises most of the 58 youth information
centres. In Greece, they are operated by independent organisations under
the auspices of local authorities. Greek information centres assure young
people access to communication and information technologies, provide
them with information on European programmes and counselling in basic
topic areas. Along with other organisations, the Secretariat provides the
centres with support at the national level. Besides youth information, the
Secretariat is in charge of several other youth projects. It manages the
issuing of Euro<26 cards and publishes information resources for young
people. In co-operation with professional institutions, it offers legal assistance to young people in socially endangered groups and educational
excursions to Brussels to secondary school students, organises environmentally themed cycling trips around the city, and runs several volunteer
programmes.
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Hungary
Mobilitás Országos Ifjúsági Szolgálat
Eurodesk Magyarország
Budapest
Web: www.mobilitas.hu, www.eurodesk.hu
Hungary only has a representative in Eurodesk. It is the national youth
service Mobilitás, providing youth organisations, their workers, and professionals in youth work with all manners of support. It strives for the
professional and society-wide recognition of their work, helps organisations establish contact at the local and national levels, and provides them
with consultancy in applying for grants. International activities are an important element of the organisation: Mobilitás seeks international partners for Hungarian organisations, organises work experience, and holds
international meetings. Mobilitás also hosts the international agency for
the current EU Youth in Action programme and initiates corporate social
responsibility programmes, linking the commercial sector, public administration and NGOs. Mobilitás manages the Hungarian network of Eurodesk
services, comprising 19 partners and 40 local information points. Young
people can find up-to-date offers in areas pursued by Eurodesk on the
specialised website www.eurodesk.hu. Youth information services have
also been provided by the YIC network in Hungary since the mid 1980s,
located chiefly in regional capitals. The centres are united in an association that became an ERYICA member but resigned a few years ago for
financial reasons. Iceland
Eurodesk Iceland, Evrópa unga fólksins
Reykjavik
Web: www.euf.is, www.evrovisir.is
In Iceland, youth information services are provided by the national agency
representing the current EU Youth in Action programme. It offers programmes in the classic scheme of five basic categories of informal education
and youth worker co-operation. It also represents the Eurodesk European
network at the national level and its website informs about study scholarship and work experience opportunities in the form of links. Since there is
no network of youth information centres in Iceland, the youth is informed
about important psycho-social issues by several counselling and consultancy websites (such as www.totalradgjof.is) Numerous youth clubs pursue leisure activities, with Samfés as their umbrella organisation.
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Ireland
Eurodesk Ireland Léargas
Dublin
Web: www.eurodesk.ie, www.leargas.ie
National Youth Information Monitoring Committee
Department of Education & Science Dublin
Web: www.youthinformation.ie
Irish youth information services are represented at the European level by two
organisations managed by the Department of Education. Léargas, the national
Eurodesk partner, works as an agency that manages international education
and exchange programmes. Besides programmes falling under the projects of
the current EU Youth in Action project or the Lifelong Learning Programme, it
also co-ordinates programmes focusing on education on human rights or mutual understanding between young people from Ireland and its northern part.
Léargas runs the Irish Eurodesk portal with basic information on study and
work opportunities in Europe, and co-operates with 24 local partners - youth
information centres. They are represented in ERYICA by the National Youth
Information Monitoring Committee, working as an advisory body to the Department on development and evaluation of information needs. The co-ordination
function is allocated to another Department body that provides information
centres with support in professional training, publicity, etc. This complicated
centralised arrangement reflects the fact that the work of Ireland‘s YIC is largely funded by the Department from national lottery funds. The centres, 30
at present, follow a unified classification of information spheres and each
employs one to two full-time workers. They are run by local youth or volunteer
organisations. Youth information centres in the EU
Centro InformaGiovani, Torino – Italy
Centro InformaGiovani, Torino – Italy
Italy
Ufficio di Coordinamento Nazionale Eurodesk Italy
Cagliari
Web: www.eurodesk.it
43
Coordinamento Nazionale Informagiovani Vicenza
Web: www.informagiovani.anci.it
Like Belgium and France, Italy has had a long tradition of institutions
charged with informing young people. Italy‘s first YIC was set up in Turin
in the late 1960s and others soon followed in big cities. The greatest
boom came in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when there were 300
of them. However, the massive exponential growth has not stopped, and
Italy is now among the countries with the densest network of YIC, having nearly 1,300. In 2007, the Ministry of Youth and Sports set up the
National Youth Information Co-ordinator (Coordinamento Nazionale Informagiovani), providing the country‘s centres with support and facilitating their access to subsidies. Along with the newly established regional
co-ordination centres, it strives for optimising their services based on
common quality standards. On its web server, it operates an intranet
that connects all the operators virtually. According to a study published,
one fifth of Italy‘s YIC were set up based on the decision of a local selfgovernment; other operators include regional authorities, interest asso-
44
ciations, local healthcare bodies, and sporadically, private social service
providers. According to the report, the overwhelming majority of Italy‘s
centres provides its clients with free internet access and wheelchair access. About 30 of them are members of Italy‘s Eurodesk network, in addition comprising countless public and private entities. Combined, they
cover 95% of Italy‘s regions. At the central level, Eurodesk is represented by an office that closely co-operates with the Italian national agency
and the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, and runs a specialised
youth portal www.portaledeigiovani.it. Latvia
Eurodesk Latvija
Riga
Web: www.jaunatne.gov.lv
No chief co-ordinator of youth information services is present in Latvia,
meaning their structure is partially fragmented. An attempt to centralise
them is the web portal www.jaunatneslietas.lv, providing young people
with comprehensive information on principal topic areas and offering
links to other entities dealing with youth issues. The Eurodesk network of
26 regional centres is an important element, co-ordinated at the national
level by the Agency for International Youth Programmes, managing the
current EU Youth in Action programme. In addition, young people in Latvia
are informed by information points specialised in specific issues - health,
education, etc. Youth information in Latvia is also the charge of workers
appointed by local self-government bodies as youth co-ordinators. Their
job is primarily to disseminate information from publicly active persons to
young people.
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Liechtenstein
Aha – Eurodesk
Schaan
Web: www.aha.li
Located in Liechtenstein‘s largest municipality of Schaan, Aha was established in the late 1990s to provide youth services at multiple levels. First
of all, Aha is a conventional youth information centre and the country‘s
only one. It offers information to young people on established topics such
as education, work and leisure, and provides counselling in arts, family
relations, and legal issues. It always motivates its clients to be independent and to get involved when searching for information. In addition, Aha
runs orientation seminars for students of final years of secondary schools
and training for future youth workers. It plarticipates in organising youth
exchanges, camp stays, and other vacation activities for children. The Liechtenstein organisation is abundantly involved in international activities.
It manages the current EU Youth in Action programme, provides Eurodesk
services, and participates in ERYICA projects as an affiliate member.
Aha - Tipps und Infos für Junge Leute – Liechtenstein
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Lithuania
Lietuvos jaunimo organizacijų taryba (LiJOT)
Vilnius
Web: www.lijot.lt, www.eurodesk.lt
Young people in Lithuania have access to information services chiefly
through specialised websites and youth centres. The YIC structure does
not exist in Lithuania. One of the chief portals for young people is the
Lithuanian Eurodesk website, run by the national partner - the Lithuanian
Youth Board (Lietuvos jaunimo organizacijų taryba, LiJOT). The Board joined the Eurodesk network in 2004 and has since started partnership with
11 youth organisations, which have thus been granted the status of regional partners. However, LiJOT is primarily an umbrella NGO for 62 youth
national and regional youth associations. It pursues activities in many areas typical of leading associations - it trains member organisation workers,
issues professional publications, defends the interests of youth workers
in governmental structures, and is active in youth policy. The Lithuanian
Board is also a member of the European Youth Forum and fathered the
Lithuanian national agency for Youth in Action.
Luxembourg
Centre Information Jeunes
Luxembourg
Web: www.cij.lu
Both the European information and counselling networks are represented in Luxembourg by the Youth Information Centre (Centre Information
Jeunes, CIJ). The centre operates at the national level and provides in-
formation on all important topic areas (education, work, practicalities
and international issues), which are processed in detail in clear information sheets, freely available from the website too. In its information
centre in the capital of the grand duchy, the CIJ also provides personnel
counselling, assistance in drawing up people‘s own projects, and many
free information resources (e.g., the annually updated 60-page young
people‘s guide to Luxembourg). Although the CIJ acts as a national centre, it only co-operates with regional and local information points. They
are co-ordinated by the ministry-run organisation National Youth Service
(Service National de la Jeunesse). It has supported and initiated several new youth projects, such as the website www.youth.lu, where young
people can send specimens of their artworks, or its sub-domain jobs.
youth.lu with up-to-date offers of seasonal and temporary jobs. CIJ too
deals with attractive projects for young people. The Centre has taken
part in establishing the Youth Parliament, which had its first meeting in
late 2009, and co-funded the Graffitti radio programme, entirely in the
hands of young people.
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Malta
European Union Programmes Agency‚
Youth in Action‘ Programme
Valletta
Web: www.maltanetwork.info
As is obvious from the name, the Eurodesk services in Malta are incorporated in the broader complex of European programmes managed by
the European Union Programmes Agency. The organisation was established in 2000 on the initiative of Malta‘s Ministry of Education, Youth and
Employment, with the aim of reinforcing long-term education, international
mobility, and linguistic and cultural diversity of local inhabitants. Besides
Youth in Action, its powers include the Lifelong Learning Programme and
the Euro-Mediterranean Youth Platform (Euro-med). Euro-med is commonly part of the national agencies in Member States, but its headquarters
are in the Maltese agency secretariat. Its commission is to support cooperation and exchange among youth organisations in EU countries and
adjoining Mediterranean countries. In Malta, Eurodesk is only active on
web platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, where it regularly publishes
up-to-date offers for young people. Youth information centres in the EU
The Netherlands
Eurodesk Nederland
Nederlands Jeugdinstituut / Nji Internationaal
Utrecht
Web: www.nji.nl, www.go-europe.nl
Vereniging van JIP‘s Rotterdam
Web: www.jip.org
Co-ordination of youth information services in the Netherlands is divided
between two independent organisations. One of them, the Association of
Youth Information Centres (Vereniging van JIP’s), represents the Netherlands in ERYICA. There is no centre in the Netherlands that would manage
the information centre network and work at the national level. JIP‘s partially assumes its tasks, counselling its members in practical (operating
structure of centres) and methodological matters (information quality,
consultancy services). It also assists interested people in founding and
building new information centres. At present, over 100 YIC operate in the
Netherlands, differing in the scope of their services and size of premises.
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50
Some of the centres work under public libraries, where they have a dedicated corner with information resources; others work as regional centres
with a full representation of all services. Eurodesk affairs are within the
scope of the Dutch Youth Institute (Nederlands Jeugdinstituut), taking care
of the complex improvement of services for children and youth and workers in charge of them. Its task is also to collect, verify and disseminate
findings concerning educating and caring for children and youth. Among
other things, it focuses on youth policy and interventions among young people. The Institute has compiled extensive information databases on both
of these topics, which are accessible online at www.youthpolicy.nl and
www.nji.nl. The Institute also performs the role of the national agency for
the current EU Youth in Action programme, under which the local network
of Eurodesk service providers also operates. They mostly include youth
information centres, public libraries, and Eures advisors‘ offices.
Norway
Barne-, ungdoms- og familiedirektoratet
Oslo
Web: www.eurodesk.no, www.aktivungdom.eu
Forum för Ungdomsinformasjonskontor
Tvibit Youth Centre
Tromsø
Web: www.unginfo.no
In Norway, youth information services are provided by two institutions that
are members of Eurodesk and ERYICA. Eurodesk is represented by the governmental Barne-, ungdoms- og familiedirektoratet (Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Matters), which, besides youth information, pursues a broad spectrum of activities from child care and adoption to family
counselling to managing youth grants and exchange programmes. It hosts
the country‘s national agency for Youth in Action (Aktiv Ungdom) and runs
the web portal www.ung.no, providing young people with an information
basis in 100 topic areas, a discussion forum, interactive tools, etc. The
Directorate disseminates Eurodesk information on work abroad, grants
and other opportunities to young people by way of the website www.eurodesk.no. Youth information is also the chief priority to local YIC, which are
associated in the Forum för Ungdomsinformasjonskontor (Forum for Youth Information Offices). The Forum is an ERYICA member and at present
comprises 17 regional centres, differing in their scope of services. The
biggest one among them, in Oslo, provides young people with assistance
in finding a school, a job, accommodation, and offers them free Internet
and telephone use. The Oslo centre sees high visitation rates as it also
houses an office of Use-It, a young travellers‘ information network.
Poland
Eurodesk Polska
Warszawa
Web: www.eurodesk.pl
Poland‘s youth information services are only integrated in one of the European networks: Eurodesk. The national partner status is held by the
country‘s national agency for the current EU Youth in Action programme,
co-ordinating a dense network of regional partners. Eurodesk information
points are mostly schools, educational foundations, citizens‘ associations, and youth information centres proper. Eurodesk services are also
strongly present on the Internet. The website www.eurodesk.pl contains
an overview of grant programmes in many spheres of activity, offer a youth organisation search engine by topic and region, and the forum enables young people to ask Eurodesk staff questions. Poland‘s Eurodesk
has also issued several brochures on volunteerism, working and studying
abroad, and issues a periodical information bulletin for young people as
well as youth workers.
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Portugal
Instituto Português da Juventude
Lisboa
Web: www.juventude.gov.pt
The European networks ERYICA and Eurodesk are represented in Portugal by
the governmental authority Instituto Português da Juventude (Portuguese Youth Instutite, IPJ). At the general level, its charge is to implement governmental
measures in youth policy and support young people‘s involvement in social
activities. Its activities concern health, volunteerism, participation, and youth
information. The Institute works as a national co-ordinator of youth information
services, managing a network of over 70 information centres, within which 19
regional centres are directly under its management and the others closely cooperated with information points run by local authorities. The Institute‘s partner
organisations also run further information centres in Madeira and the Azores.
The governmental Institute provides some of its information services through
mobile units incorporated in the project of its partner institution FDTI promoting
information technologies among young people. The Institute‘s home site serves
as an information base, including basic topic sections on young Portuguese people‘s needs as well as a database of accommodation options for young travellers. 20 regional information centres under the IPJ perform the role of Eurodesk
partners. They are co-ordinated by the national agency of the current EU Youth
in Action programme, operated under the auspices of the IPJ.
Romania
Agentia Nationala pentru Programe
Comunitare in Domeniul Educatiei si
Formarii Profesionale
Bucharest
Web: www.eurodesk.ro, www.anpcdefp.ro
Disseminating information among young people in Romania is the charge of
the Agentia Nationala pentru Programe Comunitare in Domeniul Educatiei si
Formarii Profesionale (National Agency for European Programmes in the Domain of Education and Professional Formation, ANPCDEFP), falling under the
Ministry of Education, Research and Innovation. The Agency manages Lifelong
Learning Programmes and the current EU Youth in Action programme, under
which it acts as the national co-ordinator of Eurodesk services. Romania‘s
Eurodesk office runs its own website with up-to-date offers for young people,
issues a monthly news bulletin, and also disseminates information on projects
for young people via its own discussion group on Yahoo.
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54
Slovakia
Iuventa – Eurodesk Bratislava
Web: www.eurodesk.sk, www.iuventa.sk
Iuventa is an allowance organisation under the Slovakian Ministry of Education, implementing tasks arising from the national youth policy and promoting
and developing research in the youth area. It also manages the Ministry‘s grant
schemes and acts as the national agency for the current EU Youth in Action
programme. At the national level, it is in charge of Eurodesk services; a network
of Eurodesk regional partners is being prepared for Slovakia. Iuventa also focuses on support of volunteerism, participation, human rights, and informal
education. It fathered the virtual volunteer centre, whose website presents upto-date volunteer opportunities, offers consultancy services to existing and future volunteers, and generally strives to promote volunteerism in the society. In
its school pupil council project, it strives to involve students in decision-making
concerning school matters and developing their skills in communicating with
school, self-government and community representatives. Slovenia
Eurodesk Slovenija MOVIT NA MLADINA
Ljubljana
Web: www.eurodesk.si
MISSS - Mladinsko Informativno Svetovalno Sredisce Slovenije
Ljubljana E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.misss.org
Eurodesk information services in Slovenia are co-ordinated at the
national level by MOVIT NA MLADINA, the agency for the current EU
Youth in Action programme. Eurodesk has operated in Slovenia since
2001, running its own web portal for young people, publishing and
distributing weekly bulletins with up-to-date offers and information
for young people as well as youth workers. A network of regional partners was set up in 2007, now comprising 6 organisations. Besides
Youth in Action, the national agency also manages services connected to the issuing and distribution of Euro<26 cards. In addition, youth information services are provided in Slovenia by youth information
centres in the form of information points under youth leisure centres
or full-fledged information centres operated by NGOs. The nearly 30
centres are co-ordinated at the national level by the NGO Misss, taking care of a methodological background for information workers and
the quality of their services, and disseminates national information
among them. In addition to the European Youth Information Charter,
Slovenian quality standards for information work are defined by a document resulting from co-operation of Misss with local centres. Misss
also has a noticeable presence in prevention activities for young
people. It holds workshops and group discussions at which young
people debate social issues, and operates a telephone help line.
Misss: Youth to Youth Phone
Misss operates a unique service for its clients: a telephone line where young
people answer questions asked by their peers. The line should help young
people mostly in times when they deal with problems concerning sexuality,
partnerships and addictions. It can be called by young people who are in a
crisis and do not know where to go, as well as those who just want to chat. The
line, operated by specially trained staff, is in operation every weekday in the
afternoon.
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56
Spain
Instituto de la Juventud
Madrid
Web: www.injuve.migualdad.es,
www.juventudenaccion.migualdad.es
Information services in Spain are the domain of the Instituto de la Juventud (Institute of Youth, Injuve) an organisation directly managed by the
Ministry for Equal Opportunities. The Institute is charged with projects to
facilitate young people‘s participation in society and support their interests and values. Its departments include the Spanish national agency
for the current EU Youth in Action programme, which co-ordinates Eurodesk services among other things. In Spain, Eurodesk co-operates with
54 regional partners, also present in the Balearic and Canary Islands.
As a standard part of its services, Eurodesk publishes a monthly electronic bulletin with up-to-date information, and holds information forums for
clients and partners. Injuve also intensively co-operates with youth information centres, comprising a network of 3 thousand centres of various
institutional nature. Each of the autonomous communities has one regional centre operated by the youth department of the regional government.
Local centres are operated by local self-government bodies. All centres
are governed by a unified classification of services according to a youth
compendium developed by Injuve in co-operation with regions. Besides
the information centre in Madrid, the Institute reaches out to its target
groups via communication platforms in social networks, including Youtube. For young people, it prepares information brochures on travelling, resources on media literacy, prevention of socio-pathological phenomena,
and guides to budget accommodation. Youth information centres in the EU
Sweden
Ungdomsstyrelsen Stockholm
Web: www.ungdomsstyrelsen.se
In Sweden, youth information services are not covered by a consistent
concept and local authorities are free to form them. Nor are there any
centres that would provide young people with general information, and
each governmental or self-government body is responsible for informing
young people in its area. In spite of this fragmentation, there are youth
information centres in the country focusing on specific areas (health,
education, etc.), and web portals providing young people with advice on
choosing a school, finding a job, or spending free time (www.avstamp.
nu, www.studera.nu, etc.). In addition, some local authorities, EU information centres and NGOs working with youth are involved in the Swedish
Eurodesk network, managed at the national level by the governmental
institution Ungdomsstyrelsen (National Youth Board). The National Board provides its partners with information on opportunities for young
people in Europe as well as co-funding their projects on international
co-operation and youth leisure activities.
Switzerland
Infoklick.ch
Moosseedorf
Web: www.infoclick.ch
Infoclick.ch, an association for the support of children and youth, is Switzerland‘s leading institutions dealing with informing youth. The Association does not run conventional information centres, but rather provides
children and young people with advice on all matters that interest young
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58
people. In co-operation with specialised organisations, it runs an Internet consultancy focusing on social and psychological issues and a web
portal where young people can handle their problems with the school
curriculum. In addition, Infoclick.ch instructs young people on how to
establish and implement their own projects, and is active in supporting
children‘s and young people‘s participation. It manages the issuing of
the youth discount cards, participates in the competition for the best
debater and defender of political views, and operates an Internet game
promoting healthy lifestyle. The Association operates through its seven
offices in every canton, is multilingual and strives for a cultural dialog
among young people in Switzerland.
Turkey
Eurodesk Türkiye
Avrupa Birliği Eğitim ve Gençlik Programları
Merkezi Başkanlığı
Ankara
Web: www.ua.gov.tr, http://eurodesk2.ua.gov.tr/tr
In Turkey, Eurodesk services are operated by the Centre for EU Education and Youth Programmes, performing the role of a national agency for
the current EU Youth in Action programme. Eurodesk has been active in
Turkey since 2008. At present, it is building a network of regional partners
and provides information to young people mostly via the Internet. Its specialised website offers young visitors discussion forums and also disseminates information on current opportunities in Europe via social networks.
Young Scot – Scotland – Van in Edinburgh
59
Young Scot – Scotland – Mobile info point at music festival
United Kingdom
Eurodesk UK
London
Web: www.eurodesk.org.uk
Canllaw Online
Caerphilly
Web: www.canllaw-online.com
YCNI - Youth Council for Northern Ireland
Belfast
Web: www.ycni.org
Young Scot Enterprise
Edinburgh
Web: www.youngscot.net, www.youngscot.org
Different rules apply to providing youth with information services in each
UK country, and a different organisation co-ordinates the services in each
of them. With the exception of the organisation charged with managing
services for young people in England, all the co-ordinators are ERYICA
members. The Scottish NGO Young Scot Enterprise was established in the
early 1980s, and has since then evolved several projects supporting young
people on their way to active citizenship. It issues a card owned by over
300 thousand young people in Scotland and used as a discount card as
60
well as an identification card. It operates a telephone line
and a web portal advising young people in financial matters. Besides information brochures, it publishes a youth
magazine and its web portal www.youngscot.org allows
visitors to play sound and picture broadcasts made by
young people via podcast and to find the current events
in a selected region. The work of the Young Scot Enterprise was the chief impulse for setting up Canllaw Online, a
similar institution in Wales. It also runs numerous interesting projects for young people. In co-operation with private businesses, it builds a network of Digilabs for young
Young Scot – Scotland – Summer festival
people, equipped with information and communication
technologies, and publishes numerous information resources and guides.
The Youth Council for Northern Ireland provides young people with information in Northern Ireland. The Council runs the website www.niyouthinfo.org
and helps spread information through its network of various organisations
working with youth. The only organisation that deals with informing youth
throughout the UK is the national Eurodesk office. It co-operates in disseminating information chiefly with the above organisations.
Canllaw: Credu – Digilab network
The Welsh Canllaw Onlie (www.canllaw-online.com) and Fujitsu have launched
CREDU, a multi-million project to make cutting-edge audiovisual technology
accessible to young people in 82 so-called Digilabs throughout the country. The
aim of CREDU (the Welsh for „believe“) is to give youth access to technologies
and, above all, develop their skills necessary to operate them, in an environment
that feels natural, comfortable and safe. Digilabs are commonly equipped with
high-speed Internet connection, digital cameras, video cameras, colour printers
and scanners, laptops, tablets, video conferencing equipment, and others. The
three pilot Digilabs opened already in 2003. The partner, Fujitsu, provided all the
necessary equipment and software and trained the Digilab staff in operating it.
ERYICA affiliated and co-operating organisations:
Belarus Centre for Youth Information and Documentation
Minsk
E-Mail: [email protected]
Web: www.adukacyja.info
co-operating organisation
Bosnia and Herzegovina Omladinska informativna agencija BiH (OIA)
Sarajevo
E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]
Web: www.oiabih.info, www.mladi.info
affiliate member
Montenegro
FORUM MLADI I NEFORMALNA EDUKACIJA (Forum MNE)
Podgorica
Web: www.forum-mne.com
affiliate member
Liechtenstein
Aha – Eurodesk Eu
Schaan
Web: www.aha.li
affiliate member
Serbia
ONO Omladinska Nevladina Organizacija
Novi Sad
Web: www.ono.org.rs
Turkey GSM Youth Services Centre
Ankara
Web: www.gsm-youth.org
United Kingdom Youth Net
London
Web: www.youthnet.org
affiliate member
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Europe
Use-It: Tourist information for young people
Use-It is a network guaranteeing young travellers in various European countries
quality tourist information tailor-made for them. Specialised Use-It tourist
information centres exist in some cities (such as Oslo, Rotterdam, Brussels).
Elsewhere (e.g., Warsaw, Dresden, Ljubljana), this is only an online service
and publication of specialised guides or maps without actual centres. All the
Use-It services follow the same rules. The guides are updated annually, the
information is produced by local people and is thus guaranteed and tested. All
the materials and services are given to the young travellers free of charge. UseIt is a non-profit initiative, mostly supported by local authorities. Restaurants,
clubs, cultural establishments and others included in Use-It guides thus do
not pay for inclusion. The services of the tourist information centres (including
Internet access) are free of charge too. This project involves several ERYICA
member organisations. (www.use-it.info)
In Conclusion
This publication could be done thanks to the Ministry of Education in
the Czech Republic which – in cooperation with the National Institute
for Children and Youth – is carrying out national project: The Keys for
Life – Developing Essential Competencies in a special-interest and informal education. The main characters of the project are people who work
with children and young people in their free time in organizations such
as leisure-time centers, after-school clubs, school clubs and non-governmental non-profit organizations throughout the Czech Republic. The aim
of the project is to significantly strengthen lifelong education of people
working with children and youth and in particular to improve the system
supporting lasting and sustainable development of special-interest and
informal education. Individual project activities are managed by expert
guarantees who are able to identify qualities and difficulties of the work
in the area of special-interest and informal education and make positive
changes.
The areas of interests of the project The Keys for Life:
research
standardization of the organizations of informal education
education system
leisure-time studies education
continuous studies
cross-sectional themes: upbringing to volunteerism, participation
and know-how, upbringing to active citizenship, healthy
environment in special interest and informal education, inclusion
of children with special educational needs, multicultural education,
media exposure and media education
functional learning
recognition of non-formal education
recognition of informal education
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64
The goal of implementers of the project The Keys for Life is among others
to popularize and generally increase public awareness of the systematic
professional work with children and youth in their spare time. This publication has been made as one of the outputs of the Youth Information systems support. Other outputs are: the database I-Catalogue
(http://ikatalogy.icm.cz/), the Internet magazine REMIX (http://remix.icm.cz),
other publications, educational activities, animated movie and video clips,
travelling presentation of the model Youth Information center.
The aim is to improve service quality in the Information centers for youth
and to promote professional qualification of the staff working with the
youth in the field of targeted transferring of information for young people
and for the public. Another intended goal is to initiate a proposals for a
changes of the system or the legislation everywhere that it appears to be
necessary. .
Important links
www.eryica.org
–European Youth Information and
Counselling Agency
www.eurodesk.eu
–Eurodesk
http://eyca.org
–European Youth Card Association
www.youthforum.org
–European Youth Forum
www.coe.int
–Rada Evropy (http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/
youth/default_en.asp – DG Youth and
Sports)
http://europa.eu/youth
– European Youth Portal
http://ec.europa.eu
–European Commission (http://ec.europa.eu/
youth/index_en.htm – Youth)
www.sheryica.org
–online platform for youth information
workers
www.nicm.cz
–National Youth Information Centre
www.eurodesk.cz
–Eurodesk Czech Republic
www.msmt.cz
–Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports
of the Czech Republic
www.nidm.cz
–National Institute of Children and Youth
www.kliceprozivot.cz
–Project „Keys to Life“
67
Annex 1
European Youth Information Charter
Adopted in Bratislava (Slovak Republic) on 19 November 2004 by the 15th General
Assembly of the European Youth Information and Counselling Agency (ERYICA).
Preamble
In complex societies and in an integrated Europe that offers many challenges
and opportunities, access to information and the ability to analyse and use
information is increasingly important for young Europeans. Youth information
work can help them to achieve their aspirations and can promote their participation as active members of society. Information should be provided in ways
that enlarge the choices available to young people, and that promote their
autonomy and empowerment .
Respect for democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms implies the
right of all young people to have access to complete, objective, understandable and reliable information on all their questions and needs. This right to information has been recognised in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in the European Convention for
the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, and in the Recommendation N° (90) 7 of the Council of Europe concerning information and
counselling for young people in Europe. This right is also the basis for youth
information activities undertaken by the European Union. Introduction
Generalist youth information work covers all topics that interest young
people, and can include a spectrum of activities: informing, counselling,
advising, guiding, supporting, befriending, coaching and training, networking, and referral to specialised services. These activities may be delive-
69
70
red by youth information centres, or through youth information services
in other structures, or using electronic and other media. The principles
of this Charter are intended to apply to all forms of generalist youth information work. They constitute a basis for minimum standards and quality
measures which should be established in each country as elements of a
comprehensive, coherent and co-ordinated approach to youth information
work, which is a part of youth policy. Principles
The following principles constitute guidelines for generalist youth information work, which seeks to guarantee the right of young people to information:
1 Y
outh information centres and services shall be open to all young people without exception.
2 Y
outh information centres and services seek to guarantee the equality of access to information for all young people, regardless of their
situation, origin, gender, religion, or social category. Special attention
should be paid to disadvantaged groups and to young people with
specific needs.
3 Y
outh information centres and services should be easily accessible,
without any appointment being required. They should be attractive for
young people, with a friendly atmosphere. The operating hours should
meet the needs of young people. 4 T he information available shall be based on the requests of young
people and on their perceived information needs. It should cover all
topics that could interest young people, and should evolve in order to
cover new topics.
5 E
ach user shall be respected as an individual and the response to
each question shall be personalised. This shall be done in a way that
empowers users, promotes the exercise of their autonomy, and develops their capacity to analyse and use information.
6. Youth information services shall be free of charge.
7. Information is given in a way that respects both the privacy of users
and their right not to reveal their identity
8. Information is provided in a professional manner by staff trained for
this purpose.
9. T he information offered is complete, up-to-date, accurate, practical
and user-friendly.
10. Every effort is made to ensure the objectivity of the information provided through the pluralism and verification of the sources used.
11. The information offered shall be independent of any religious, political, ideological or commercial influence.
12. Youth information centres and services shall strive to reach the largest possible number of young people, in ways that are effective and
appropriate to different groups and needs, and by being creative and
innovative in their choice of strategies, methods and tools.
13. Young people shall have the opportunity to participate, in appropriate
ways, in different stages of youth information work, at local, regional,
national and international levels. These can include, among others:
identifying information needs, the preparation and delivery of information, managing and evaluating information services and projects
and peer group activities.
14. Youth information centres and services shall co-operate with other youth
services and structures, especially in their geographical area, and shall network with intermediaries and other bodies that work with young people.
15. Youth information centres and services shall help young people both
to access information provided via modern information and communication technologies, and to develop their skills in using them.
16. Each source of funding for youth information work should not act
in any way that prevents a youth information centre or service from
applying all the principles of this Charter.
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72
Annex 2
Principles for Online Youth Information
Approved by the 20th General Assembly of ERYICA
Rotterdam, the Netherlands, 05.12.2009
Internet is a powerful source of information and communication, as well
as an integrated part of the social environment of young people. Provision
of generalist Youth Information and Counselling online, as well as orientation on the Internet are new tasks, which are complementary to existing
Youth Information work.
In addition to the role of Youth Information, helping young people find the
right information and take their own decisions, Online Youth Information
supports them to maximise the benefits of the Internet and minimise its
potential risks.
Online Youth Information is an integral part of Youth Information work and
thus, shall comply to all the principles formulated in the European Youth
Information Charter. As Online Youth Information has some specific characteristics, an additional set of guidelines is needed.
In order to ensure the quality of provided Online Youth Information services and to guarantee their added value and trustworthiness ERYICA,
the European Youth Information and Counselling Agency adopted the following principles.
1. O
nline Youth Information shall be accurate, up to date and verified.
The date when it was produced or updated shall be clearly mentioned.
2. T he content shall be based on the needs of young people. Those needs have to be identified and evaluated in an ongoing process.
3. T he content shall be a selection of relevant, free of charge information
that provides an overview of different options available. The applied
selection criteria must be made public and understandable.
4. O
nline Youth Information shall be understandable for young people
and presented in an attractive way for them.
5. O
nline Youth Information services shall be operable for all, especially
taking into account users and groups with specific needs.
6. W
hen young people have the opportunity to ask a question online it
shall be clear within which time limit they will receive an answer. The
answer shall be tailor-made and it shall be clear who is providing it.
7. W
hen young people are included in producing content, the accuracy
of the final content shall stay the responsibility of the youth information organisation.
8. E
ncouraging young people to give feedback shall be an integrated
part of the ongoing development of Online Youth Information services. The feedback shall be easy to submit. It must be then evaluated
and used to adjust the content. Young people shall be made aware of
how their feedback has impacted on the services.
9. T he author and the purpose of the Online Youth Information shall be clear
and visible. If content of third parties is used, the source is clearly indicated.
10.It must be clear to the users who the providers of the Youth Information service are and what their motivation is. Full contact information should be clearly displayed. Sources of financial support shall be
transparently displayed.
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74
11.Online Youth Information services should provide methods and guidance which help young people increase their information literacy
and online competences.
12.Online Youth Information services shall inform and guide young people on how to act in a safe and responsible way in online environments.
13.Online Youth Information services shall be a safe environment for
young people.
14.Online Youth Information respects and protects the privacy of the
users and allows them to modify or delete their own published private
data.
15.Online Youth Information services respect the copyright of third parties and are aware of their own.
16.Youth Information workers shall be competent on the use of online
tools and have information literacy skills. They shall be aware of new
developments, relevant law and keep themselves informed about
trends and new online practices among young people.
Annex 3
Council of Europe, committee of ministers
RECOMMENDATION No. R (90) 7
OF THE COMMITTEE OF MINISTERS TO MEMBER STATES
CONCERNING INFORMATION AND COUNSELLING FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN EUROPE
(adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 21 February 1990, at the 434th meeting of the
Ministers‘ Deputies)
The Committee of Ministers, in pursuance of Article 15.b of the Statute of
the Council of Europe, Considering that the aim of the Council of Europe
is to achieve greater unity between its members;
Having regard to the relevant conclusions of the Conferences of European
Ministers responsible for Youth (held in Strasbourg on 17-19 December
1985 and in Oslo on 11-12 April 1988);
Considering that young people have a right to full, comprehensible and
reliable information, without reservations, and to counselling on all problems concerning them in all sectors, without exception, so that they may
have complete freedom of choice, without any discrimination or ideological or other influence;
Considering that such comprehensive information and counselling from
many points of view should help to promote young people‘s autonomy;
Considering that information and counselling are an important factor in
increasing the mobility of young people, both individually and in groups,
and that such mobility is essential to foster understanding and peace
between peoples and to develop the feeling of being part of Europe,
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76
I. RECOMMENDS that the governments of member states :
1 Promote co-ordination at European level with due regard for democracy,
human rights and fundamental freedoms and for a policy of information and counselling designed for and accessible to all young people.
This entails, inter alia, collecting information at local, national and international level and making it available as widely as possible to youth;
2 Foster and support the creation and/or development of appropriate
information and counselling services which observe the following principles: the services should be versatile, the sources varied and the replies to enquiries comprehensive; young people‘s right to anonymity
should be respected and the information reliable; the service should be
accessible to all without discrimination, should be of a non-commercial
character and should promote young people‘s independence; to this
end governments should:
a. Inform and counsel young people in accordance with their direct
requests and specific needs;
b. Promote surveys appropriate to specific national circumstances
and enabling comparative studies to be made at European level
of young people‘s needs, and use the results of these surveys for
constant adaptation of services and structures;
c. Satisfy themselves as to the utmost reliability of services and the
validity of information sources and circulation;
d. Foster effective participation by young people in information and
counselling activities intended for them;
e. Recognise the complementary nature of, and foster co-operation
between, information and counselling services and youth organisations, by bringing them together, for example, in statutory management bodies and in the preparation and circulation of information;
f. Consult each other about issues relating to training for the staff
of such services, with a view to giving them the skills required to
perform the tasks which fall to them in the implementation of this
Recommendation;
g.Promote exchanges of staff, particularly by means of fellowship
programmes, comparison of the information techniques adopted
by each service, and training periods spent in the appropriate services in the different countries;
h.Strengthen their mutual co-operation, particularly as between neighbouring states with linguistic and cultural affinities, in matters
of training, including advanced training, for the above-mentioned
categories of staff, or foster such training in a Council of Europe
context, especially through the European Youth Centre, provided
that this does not imply the reduction of activities regularly organised by and for youth organisations;
3 Support the introduction of new technologies in information and counselling services, in order to facilitate:
- young people‘s direct access to information and counselling on
a self-service basis, via centres, services, the media and mobile carriers;
- the storage, updating, transfer, communication, publication and management of the product;
- data processing, data compatibility, the use and analysis of data at
local, regional, national and international levels and the creation of
a network of national data banks;
4 Promote research at European level, both into information and counselling methods and techniques and into methods of evaluating such
services, and foster the collection and exchange at European level of
professional documentation on methods and techniques devised by
practitioners and researchers;
5 Support the development of a European network of information and
counselling services for young people;
II. Instructs the Secretary General of the Council of Europe to draw the
content of this Recommendation to the attention of the governments
of states which are parties to the European Cultural Convention but
are not members of the Council of Europe.
77
Youth information and counselling services
First edition
Authors: Julie Čákiová, Lucie Jarolímková a Tomáš Hodač
Proofreading: Pavla Kopečková a Svatava Šimková
Cover and graphics: Comunica, a. s.
Circulation: 17 000 copies, Prague 2010
Photographs throughout the book come from the archives of the National Youth Information Centre and EURODESK
Project „Keys to Life: Developing key competences in leisure and
informal education“ - Support of the youth information system
www.kliceprozivot.cz, www.nidm.cz, www.icm.cz
Copyright © Národní institut dětí a mládeže MŠMT
ISBN 978-80-86784-88-5

Youth information centres in the EU

Transcription

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