AIMS:

The project is an implementation of the youth policies that are already under way in Ferrara as part of the so-called Local Under 21 Agenda. The goal is to define youth programmes with the active participation and direct involvement of the young people themselves.

The present proposal intends promoting the active citizenship and social participation of the youth of the cities involved, with special attention to young people with fewer opportunities. It will also strive to promote a dialogue and effective collaboration among youth of different cultural, ethnic, and religious backgrounds so as to constitute a shared identity capable of effectively counteracting prejudice, discrimination, racial bias and xenophobia

Finally, the project also intends contributing to the implementation of the principles and recommendations set out in the White Paper, Providing new impetus to European Youth, by expanding on the application of the youth auditing method, setting up a standing network of youth agencies and organisations, improving information exchange and diffusion on European mobility programmes, and facilitating youth access to the European initiatives specifically aimed at young people.


OBJECTIVES:

to encourage young people to take part in the working out of youth policies directed at them, giving them the opportunity of voicing their demands and hence provide guidelines for local government action;
to train and inform young people who will act as multipliers with respect to youth at large as to the availability of new informal educational instruments and to the opportunities afforded them by European Community Programmes;
to exploit the opportunities for participation on an ever wider scale afforded by Web related technologies for widening the discussion among young people on issues such as participation, education, employment, well-being, European values, and world-wide mobility;
to make a comparative analysis for an overall picture of actual youth auditing approaches throughout Europe and in countries short-listed for adhesion;
to set up a standing network capable of advancing and aiding youth mobility projects on an international scale and promoting youth exchange programmes;
to push for an ever-increasing number of youth mobility projects at all levels.


ACTIVITIES:

the design, engineering, opening and maintenance of an internet site to facilitate up-to-date information flow and the involvement of ever greater numbers of young people in the project;
the setting up of an international network of agencies and youth organisations for identifying actions in common aimed at young people;
the running of two international youth workshops for discussing the issues set forth in the White Paper, groundwork in view of the European Forum, and diffusing information on and practically organi;
the running of a European Forum for young people from eleven countries to discuss the issues of youth participation in defining the policies aimed at them;
providing consultancy and organisational backing for developing at least project;
organising a European Convention for presentation of the results and evaluating the opportunity of extending the initiatives undertaken so far.




Download the Ferrara Declaration:the ferrara declaration_correct.doc