Panel Discussion
Long-term perspective: Next 10 years of the European youth programmes
On Friday 20 September, we will host a panel discussion titled ‘Long-term perspective: Next 10 years of the European youth programmes’. The panel discussion will be live-streamed directly from our annual RAY Network Meeting in Vilnius.
AIM and FOCUS
The main aim of this panel discussion is to explore the outcomes and main take-away points from the RAY Triangular Summit and the RAY STRAT Think Tank Meeting and reflect on the identified challenges and recommendations with stakeholders of the European youth (work) field. The discussion will include the following aspects:
– Which challenges have been identified?
– How can/should the European youth (work) sector react to them?
– Which long-term strategic changes are needed for the European youth programmes (Erasmus+ Youth and European Solidarity Corps)?
– How can/should the European youth (work) sector develop in the next 10 years?
– What is the state of art on future research in the field of youth, why is there a need to research the future and how is this connected to the identified challenges?
– Which dimensions should future research in the field of youth focus on?
PANELISTS
– Justina Garbauskaitė, RAY national research for Lithuania
– Leonardo Dongiovanni, Programme Manager, Youth Policy and Programmes, European Commission, Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Culture and Sport
– Tobias Flessenkemper, Head of the Youth Department, Directorate for Democracy, Council of Europe representative
– Álvaro González Pérez, Policy Officer, Funding & Civic Space, European Youth Forum
– Andreas Karsten, RAY transnational research coordination
Justina Garbauskaitė is a researcher in the field of non-formal education and youth. She is a RAY research partner based in Lithuania and has participated in several RAY research projects, reearching European youth programmes. Her work combines academic inquiry with practical experience, as she also serves as a practitioner in youth non-formal learning, as well as a trainer and facilitator of learning.
Leonardo Dongiovanni is a programme manager in the European Commission’s DG EAC Unit B3 (Youth and Volunteer Solidarity). He is responsible for the European Solidarity Corps interim evaluation and EAC contact point with the RAY Network. He joined the Commission in 2017 as policy officer in DG MOVE Unit C4 (Rail Safety and Interoperability), working on skills policies for transport workers and young apprentices. His interest for young generations triggered his move to DG EAC in 2022. He has a degree in environmental economics from the University of Pescara (2005). After a traineeship at the United Nations in Vienna (2006), Leonardo took a postgraduate master’s degree in environment, marketing and quality at the Strategies Business School in Rome (2007). In 2008 Leonardo moved to Brussels to work as a political advisor at the Association of European Rail Infrastructure Managers (EIM). Before joining the Commission, he was Public Affairs Manager at UNIFE, the Association of the European Rail Industry and Executive Secretary of Rail Forum Europe for six years (2011-2017).
Tobias Flessenkemper is the Head of the Council of Europe Youth Department since September 2023. Based on the Reykjavik Declaration of May 2023 the youth sector is spearheading the integration of a youth perspective into the Council of Europe’s work and promotes youth participation in decision making. The youth perspective builds upon the existing principle of co-management of the programme of the European Youth Centres and of the European Youth Foundation (EYF), which is the basis for the development of practices, benchmarks and standards for youth policies and youth work in the 46 member States and beyond. From 2018-2023 he was Head of the Council of Europe in Belgrade, after having served in the European External Action Service, the Secreatariat of the Council of the European Union. From 1998-2001 Tobias was Secretary General of the European Youth Forum in Brussels and contributed to democracy, human rights and rule of law projects in academia and civil society.
Álvaro González Pérez works as Policy Officer in the European Youth Forum, where he coordinates its policy work around the topics of funding and civic space from the side of the secretariat. He leads the day-to-day implementation of the advocacy strategy on, among others, the Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps Programmes. Prior to joining the European Youth Forum, Álvaro has engaged in the youth sector in several capacities (facilitator, trainer, researcher, board member) at various youth organisations.
Andreas Karsten coordinates the transnational research team of the RAY Network for the research-based analysis of European youth programmes. He works for Youth Policy Labs, a small research agency and think tank in the youth sector, where he leads an international team of participatory research, public policy and open data aficionados.
WHAT?
Long-term perspective: Next 10 years of the European youth programmes
WHEN?
Friday, 20 September, 11:00-12:00 CEST
WHERE?
Livestream, which can be followed online via Facebook and YouTube.
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> More information about the panelists will follow within the next few weeks on our social media, so stay tuned!
CONTEXT
The main aim of the RAY Triangular Summit, which took place in May 2024[1], was to foster an informed discourse between stakeholders from different fields and explore how the evidence-based research can contribute to youth work practice, to youth policy development in Europe, to relevant strategies, as well as the further development of the European youth programmes and their mid-term evaluations. Finally, the Summit illustrated the impact and showcased the outcomes of the European youth programmes. The following four main challenges, emerging from the research, were discussed: The European youth programmes are excellent intercultural learning environments. How can these opportunities be made accessible to more and more diverse young people?; Young people and youth workers encounter mis- and disinformation daily. How can the European youth programmes strengthen media literacy of young people and youth workers?; Young people increasingly wish to address sociopolitical challenges through their participation in the European youth programmes. What changes are needed to better support them?; The multiple crises of our time have strong impacts on young people and the youth field. How can the European youth programmes strengthen resilience in our day and time?
The report including main outcomes can be found HERE as well as the key messages HERE.
The main aim of the RAY STRAT Think Tank Meeting, which took place in June 2024, was to discuss and provide orientation on key strategic issues for the development of the next generation of the European Youth Programmes, in particular the strengthening of participation and democracy. Potentials for the improvement of the European youth programmes, including any strategic gaps in coverage and approach were discussed and recommendations were developed with the aim to provide clarity and orientation to stakeholder of the European youth programmes on how to navigate the changing European landscapes as well as develop the European youth programmes further. Prior to the meeting an input paper was developed which presented a curated selection of data as well as three main challenges: Strengthening democracy while democracies are getting weaker; Strengthening digital literacy while fake new proliferate; Strengthening diversity while navigating multiple crises. Additional challenges were determined during the meeting and included in the discussion.
The recommendations are currently summarized and will be published by the end of August.
[1] The Summit brought together 120 participants, 24 national delegations and European stakeholders, from the fields of practice, policy and research to discuss the evidence-based research from the latest RAY Monitoring surveys for Erasmus+ Youth and the European Solidarity Corps.