Labour and Co-operative Member of
Parliament for Kemptown and Peacehaven
European Youth Funding: Where next and what we should be doing to secure youth services.
Posted on www.intranet.youthforum.org/elections2012/node/41122#comment-151
There has been much debate about the European budget recently in the news, in particular the failure of governments to agree a additional funds required for this next year by the commission. This looks badly for the coming MFF negotiations and focuses our minds even more where the Youth Forum must make sure that youth are not cut in this budget but invested in.
Over the last few weeks I have been asked a lot about the Youth in Action funding, our work to secure the future of it and what were the difficulties along the way. As someone who has run and won funding campaigns for youth organisations in my home country I understand that all campaigns have ups and downs and I could write a book about the frustrations, the changes of course and the lost opportunities as well as the success that we have achieved. However in this post I want to touch upon my vision for the future for our work to promote funding for youth organisations.
Firstly, I believe that the Youth Forum discussed for a long time what it wanted the programmes to look like, and we now need to make sure that we not only talk to ourselves but also persuade people that our vision of European Youth Funding is what we want.
We received a set back in the announcement of the commission that they were to integrate the programme at the start of my mandate, but we have managed to pull the debate around. It was quickly clear that governments who were in favour of our view (independent programme) gave in too soon, but at least we secured a separate chapter and in the Parliaments draft has been strengthened even further with programming committees for each “section” of the programme and the possible inclusion of National Youth Councils at national level administration of the youth programme.
Whilst this good work (often lead by my colleagues in the Parliament) was going on we also have seen a development of the European Youth Foundation, the hard work of the AC and our youth representatives in the Council of Europe has meant that this programme has also be secured but reformed.
My view is that going forward we need to consider 3 strands of work:
1) I think that in the new mandate we should create a working group of youth forum experts on youth funding. This would build on the good work of the Youth in Action expert group this mandate, but explore cross cutting issues as well as be able to lean from different funding streams and lean form best practice. I am convinced that a joined up approach here will lead to more success and not only an EU but a pan-European approach.
2) Whilst new ideas are welcome, we need to make sure that now we keep up the pressure and not to give up on our points. Whilst internal consultations are useful we should trust the path we have set and develop a individualized action strategy for members. What do I mean by an individualized action strategy? I mean not just notices in the courier but having conversations about how we can can help and taylor campaign materials for each member – this will take time but pay off in the end. This could be when the Forum plans to contact political parties we sit down with the party youth and work out the best strategy for them before we moving forward and write the letters or that we sit down with a national youth council and develop a step by step plan for keeping the pressure up at national government using arguments that are relevant to each country. We cannot just rely on blanket approaches as each areas and member is different.
3) Finally, I am totally behind the push youth in all areas of politics. The work that we have done with Love Youth Future – getting youth priorities in the EU and beyond needs to crescendo for the European elections and everyone needs to be talking about youth not just as a problem but as a potential out of the crises. This means that we need to continue the spaces that we have created for members to share the approaches and link our work to the campaign to get young people out to vote in the EU 2014 elections and put youth on the map.
I hope that this has given you an outline of where and how I would focus the pressure to invest in youth and secure a youth programme that is well resources, lead by experts (youth and youth ministries) and independent of other political bargaining.
If you have any questions you can always contact me on +447899785265 and lloyd@russell-moyle.co.uk where I can answer questions or even arrange telephone interviews.
Comments
Precisely how long did it require u to publish “Lloyd Russell-Moyle | EUROPEAN YOUTH FUNDING: WHERE NEXT?
”? It seems to have quite a lot of beneficial knowledge.
Thank you -Zane
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