 | 1. Believing that the participation of young people in municipal and/or
regional life lies within the framework of an overall policy based on the
coherent interlinking of sectoral policies, local and regional authorities
undertake to comply with the principles of this charter and implement the
various forms of participation which it advocates in consultation with young
people and their representatives. |
| 2. The principles and various forms of participation advocated apply to
all young people without any discrimination, particularly towards ethnic,
racial, national, social and cultural minorities. |
| 3. The municipalities and regions undertake to implement policies in
favour of organised socio-cultural activities - youth associations and
organisations, youth groups and community centres - which, together with the
family and school or work:
 | i. are one of the pillars of social cohesion in the municipality or
region; and |
| ii. which remain an ideal channel for youth participation and the
implementation of youth policies in the fields of sport, culture, crafts and
trades, musical creation and expression, drama and art, as well as in the
field of social action. |
|
| 4. Bearing in mind the aspirations of young people and their capacity for
developing micro-projects and implementing local schemes, the municipalities
and regions propose to encourage the development of flexible forms and
structures for associations, such as youth centres or youth groups organized
by the young people themselves. |
| 5. Local and regional authorities undertake to encourage the development
of organizations of young people who, as a result of the accumulation of
instability which they experience, are the furthest away from all community
life. |
| 6. In order to develop the local and regional youth association network,
the local and regional authorities undertake, through appropriate measures, to
give their support in particular to organizations and associations which train
heads and leaders of youth clubs and organizations, as well as young social
workers, who play a vital part in life at local and regional level. |
| 7. The local and regional authorities undertake, if current local or
national legislation permits, to allow young people from the age of 16 to vote
and take an active part in the statutory bodies of youth associations and
organisations of which they are active members. |
| 8. The local and regional authorities undertake to implement or
facilitate, by any suitable means at their disposal, programmes to deal with
unemployment at the economic and social levels, thereby tackling one of the
factors which makes social misfits of young people. |
| 9. With a view to implementing a concrete contractual policy in favour of
youth employment, they undertake to set up or improve communication structures
at the local or regional level between the business community, education and
training authorities and the representatives of local and regional youth
associations. |
| 10. They also undertake to assume their responsibilities in taking steps
to encourage the employment of young people, particularly in the following
areas:
| i. by close co-operation with schools and vocational training
institutions in combatting educational underachievement; |
| ii. by setting up local centres to provide special help for young people
who have serious difficulties in finding jobs because they lack the
necessary qualifications or suffer other social or family handicaps; |
| iii. by giving priority to encouraging young people who plan to set up
small business or co-peratives, by making logistical support available in
the form of premises, equipment and financial and commercial advice; |
| iv. by supportingthe activities of youth organisations, youth
associations and youth clubs, which are an important feature of the social
scene at the local level, especially those which deal with disadvantaged
young people, through contract-based financial aid and exemption from taxes
and social contributions, and by providing support in terms of training and
equipment; |
| v. by supporting projects which encourage voluntary work as an
alternative means of social integration for the unemployed, as a complement
to education in the face of unemployment and as an active form of
participation by young people in their local or regional environment. |
|
| 11. In connection with the construction of Europe, the municipalities and
regions pledge their support to those associations or groups, which favour the
mobility of young people, through exchange projects for young workers or
students, and develop exchange network policies in favour of young workers.
|
| 12. Together with representatives of youth organizations, the
municipalities and regions undertake to create conditions for developing an
urban environment policy based on a more integrated, less fragmented living
environment where housing, leisure facilities, shops, schools, play areas and
even places of work are all close together. |
| 13. When organizing urban transport systems, municipalities and other
communities should set up participating machinery allowing young people to
take part in this organization. Such machinery should equally allow for co-
operation on a supra-communal level. |
| 14. Local and regional authorities undertake to pursue housing and urban
environment policies which closely involve young people in consultation
arrangements bringing together locally or regionally elected representatives,
economic decision-makers, leaders of associations and architects.
Their aim is:
| i. to draw up programmes for a more harmonious environment conducive to
personal self-fulfilment and the development of real solidarity between the
generations; |
| ii. to develop a concerted policy on the urban environment that takes
account of residents' social and intercultural realities in the drawing up
of housing and/or housing renovation programmes. |
|
| 15. In close co-operation with youth organizations, tenants' organizations
and/or consumer organizations, social housing agencies and social workers,
local authorities undertake to promote the development of, or to develop
within existing social structures:
| i. Iocal information centres on housing for young people; the purpose of
these centres would be:
 | • to provide full information on housing possibilities, having regard
to the individual's resources and requirements; |
| • to provide all the requisite information on current legislation and
the rights and benefits available under it; |
| • to help towards the accommodation of young people with social or
family difficulties; |
|
| ii. local guarantee funds to help young people gain access to housing.
|
|
| 16. Local and regional authorities undertake, within their own ambit, to
implement schools policies that promote human rights education and encourage
young people to play a full part in school life and associated activities,
such as out-of-school activities and pupil exchanges. |
| 17. Municipalities and regions pledge to give school projects, which aim
to integrate young people into community life, special encouragement and
financial support by:
| i. supporting newspapers and other media projects launched by young
people to help them develop their ability to express themselves and to
communicate; |
| ii. encouraging youth participation in school structures, to accustom
them to the workings of democracy; |
| iii. supporting youth exchanges and multilateral contacts between young
people and schools in European municipalities to prepare them for life in a
multicultural society. |
|
| 18. Local and regional authorities which decide on school curricula and
training programmes undertake to bring young people into the consultation
bodies which plan curricula and educational activities which encourage youth
expression, such as drama, art, music, literary composition and the media.
|
| 19. Local and regional authorities are committed to do their job on the
basis that their youth policy, and especially their policy in encouraging
international youth exchange, can play a role in promoting balanced regional
economic development in Europe:
| i. Local and regional authorities in regions with a low income level,
high degree of unemployment or other signs of structural problems are
committed to an active effort to encourage their schools and young people in
their regions to participate in international school twinning activities,
multicultural school exchanges and different European networks such as the
NEJ-network. Local and regional authorities are also ready to give financial
support to this form of exchange, because they consider it strategically
important to regional development, in the more integrated Europe of the
future, for youth to be given early opportunities to acquire international
experience. Local and regional authorities with such a policy are trying to
create as many opportunities as possible for youth to serve in companies
competing on international markets; |
| ii. Local and regional authorities, in economically successful regions,
are also actively encouraging their schools and their youth to participate
in international school twinning activities and multicultural school
exchanges as well as participating in European networks. These authorities
are also ready to give financial support to this form of exchange,
particularly in regions with a lower standard of economic development, far
distant regions and regions with a language and culture very different from
their own. |
|
| 20. With a view to promoting the emergence and implementation of projects
originating from young people and fitting into both the development of the
concept of all-round health and the dynamics of community life, local and
regional authorities undertake to create or develop institutional machinery
for consultation between youth organisations, elected representatives and all
social and professional groups concerned with social welfare and the promotion
of health. |
| 21. Faced with the ravages of drug and alcohol abuse among young people,
local and regional authorities undertake to introduce, develop or promote,
together with representatives of youth organizations, local information
policies and counseling facilities for young people affected by these problems
as well as special training policies for young social workers and for
voluntary workers and leaders of organizations operating prevention and
rehabilitation strategies for the young people concerned. |
| 22. Young people have to face various economic, occupational and cultural
obstacles: in connection with sex and family life, although these are
essential components of life, particularly for the young: local and regional
authorities undertake to promote the creation of, or support of, sex education
and family planning services. They also undertake to promote participation by
young people in planning and evaluating projects and activities run by these
services and centres. |
| 23. In view of the current increase in sexually transmitted diseases,
local and regional authorities undertake to intensify information campaigns
and preventive measures aimed at young people, thus promoting within the
community a spirit of solidarity engendering social relationships in which
moral judgments and segregation have no place. Young people and the
representatives of local youth organizations should be closely involved in the
design and implementation of these information and action programmes. |
| 24. In response to the demand from young people, the municipalities and
regions undertake to promote and support information and counseling centers
offering services to all young people and supplying them directly with
information on a broad range of questions such as leisure activities, sport,
cultural affairs, housing, youth associations, temporary employment,
vocational guidance and training. |
| 25. The municipalities and regions firmly pledge their commitment to
optimising conditions for equal participation by men and women in local and
regional life, and in particular to a determined policy giving young women
access to responsible positions in associations, politics and local
government. |
| 26. Within the limits of their powers, local and regional authorities
undertake to promote, from early childhood onwards, an educational policy of
equality between women and men, giving teachers the educational means to
tackle social and cultural stereotypes. |
| 27. To promote a policy of equality between women and men, local and
regional authorities undertake to:
| i. make specific budgetary provision for the recruitment of a qualified
person with responsibility for equality and women's affairs; |
| ii. draw up a medium-term plan with the aim of eliminating inequalities
between young people; |
| iii. publish an annual report containing statistics by sex and age-group
on measures taken to promote equality, as well as an annual evaluation
report on the policy in respect of equality of treatment; |
| iv. pursue specific policies on behalf of girls and young women by
actively supporting the setting up of committees to co-ordinate policies for
equality between men and women. |
|
| 28. These policies should in particular enable girls and young women:
| i. to receive specific information on training courses leading to
professional qualifications; |
| ii. encourage them to learn occupational skills by offering grants and
specific courses of study; |
| iii. train them in the running of public affairs by entrusting them with
responsibilities at the highest level, on the basis of a quota of places
reserved for women; |
| iv. introduce financial measures for social services which assist girls
and young women. |
|
| 29. Regional authorities and rural communities undertake to pursue special
policies for rural regions by:
| i. giving priority to support for medium-sized businesses and
co-operatives set up by young people, while at the same time stepping up
employment policies in the countryside, particularly through support for
small- and medium-sized businesses and the processing of local agricultural
products; |
| ii. promoting a housing policy which will enable young people to live
there; |
| iii. developing an education policy supporting school networks in rural,
areas in order to guarantee educational facilities which will enable young
people to participate fully in the life of their village and region; |
| iv. preserving or creating vocational training opportunities that
guarantee young people the right to be trained in their own region; |
| v. encouraging youth clubs and associations, creating or supporting
community centres and/or mobile facilities open to all, and encouraging
youth activities and organisations which stimulate social and cultural life
and which offer young people a rare escape from isolation, giving them a
chance to take charge of their own lives and tackle the issues of greatest
concern to them; |
| vi. helping young people to play an active part in organising and
running local affairs. |
|
| 30. Local and regional authorities shall strive to provide young people
with facilities and conditions in which to express themselves and exercise
their creative skills, for example:
| • by promoting training and creative expression in music, the media and
the arts; |
| • by helping to bring modern means of expression and communication and
modern technologies within reach of young people; |
| • by providing them with facilities such as premises, information
channels and logistical infrastructures essential to their creative,
expressive and cultural activities; |
| • by setting up communication centres such as local and regional radio
stations and television channels in which young people are active
participants. |
|
| 31. Aware that environmental problems are of primary concern to the young
people who will be obliged in the future to cope with past mistakes, local and
regional authorities undertake to set up a youth fund for the environment,
composed of economic decision-makers, elected representatives and leaders of
youth associations, in order to establish the environmental priorities in
their regions. |
| 32. Faced with an increasingly obvious deterioration of the environment
due to our way of life and short-term thinking, local and regional authorities
undertake to give financial support to projects designed to raise awareness of
environmental problems in schools and in associations, be they traditional or
experimental educational projects. |
| 33. Local and regional authorities undertake to support intercultural
exchanges in order to promote a global understanding of environmental problems
and an awareness of the resulting need for supranational structures. |
| Part II: The institutional participation of young people in local and
regional life |
| 34. In order to carry out these sectoral policies, local and regional
authorities undertake to optimize the institutional conditions governing the
participation of young people in the decisions and debates affecting them.
|
| 35. The institutional conditions governing participation are embodied in
structures which may take on different forms in an urban neighborhood, a town,
a village or even a region, these structures should enable young people and
their representatives to be full partners in the policies affecting them. |
| 36. Partnership arrangements, which are one means whereby young people can
make themselves heard and improve their role and status in the community, are
an essential key to the practical application of this charter on the
participation of young people in community life. |
| 37. If young people are actually to be represented on municipal and
regional bodies, there must be a post of "youth delegate" within the local or
regional authority. |
| Where this practice is not institutionalized, local and regional
authorities undertake to consider, within the framework of the local
legislation currently in force, ways of creating such a post, which should be
held by a young person appointed, for example, on a proposal from
associations: |
| During a fixed term of office, he or she will assist the municipal
department responsible for youth affairs, see to the consistency of youth
policy objectives and co-ordinate decisions affecting young people. |
| 38. Aware of the social and cultural changes taking place within a
community, a neighborhood or a village, young people should assume direct
responsibility for projects and play an active part in the related policies.
For this purpose, local and regional authorities undertake to create or
support youth councils operating as structures for active participation in
which: |
| • young people are elected by their peers; |
| • the young person elected as chairman of the assembly generally co-chairs
proceedings together with the mayor or the municipal councilor responsible for
youth affairs; |
| • with the exception of the mayor and the municipal councilor responsible
for youth affairs, the youth council is made up entirely of young people. |
| 39. Young people are elected to these councils on the basis of
sociological realities in the municipalities concerned, including neighborhood
youth groups, youth associations and organizations, youth centers and
community centres, youth councils and schools. |
| 40. On the basis of a budget allocated by the local or regional
authorities, these youth councils operate in four wavs: |
| • they monitor the needs and aspirations of young people and analyze the
problems raised, such as housing, town planning, leisure activities cultural
facilities; |
| • they study the feasibility of projects in conjunction with experts,
local elected representatives and civil servants on sub-committees; |
| • they draw up budgets and take and implement decisions; |
| • they monitor the results. |
| 41. As well as implementing projects, these youth councils may be called
upon to debate questions concerning the young people of a particular
neighbourhood, town or village. |
| By giving young people the opportunity to speak on the problems affecting
them, they provide training in democratic life and the management of public
affairs. |
| 42. This is a forum providing for regular and constant institutional
dialogue between elected representatives and delegates or representatives of
youth associations and organisations, who may be young people elected by their
peers, young social workers, leaders of youth associations, youth clubs,
community centres, social centres, family planning centres, information and
service centres, or leaders of the youth council, a co-ordinating body
liaising between the youth associations and organisations in a given
municipality or region. |