International
NYCI advocates on a number of international issues by developing the contribution of young people and member organisations particularly European youth policy and youth issues on a European and international level.
What do we want to achieve?
Show evidence of the influence and contribution of EU and the International institutions, structures and NGOs on NYCI’s Practise, Policy and Advocacy work at a national level. Work towards securing a United Nations Youth Delegate as part of the official Irish delegation, so as to have a greater influence on UN policy
Why?
Due to globalization and Ireland’s membership of the EU, European and international policy have an ever increasing influence on policies that affect young people in Ireland.
How?
It is important that NYCI engage with European and international institutions and advocate for the Irish government to fulfill the commitments signed up to European and international level. The overarching priority for advocacy at an international level in NYCI is the implementation of the new EU Youth Strategy “Youth – Investing and Empowering”. The aims of the strategy are:
· To create more opportunities for youth in education and employment
· To improve access and full participation of all young people in society, and
· To foster solidarity between youth and society.
Also of vital importance to NYCI is the strategy’s emphasis on the important role of youth work in dealing with unemployment, school failure and social exclusion, as well as improving skills and providing leisure time.
Progress
NYCI organised a consultation with young people “For Youth by Youth” on the draft Strategy for Youth in Europe and inputted into the consultation at a european level conference in Sweden. The NCYI International work area and the development education programme continued to encourage government implementation of the Strategy by hosting a conference on the strategy in 2010. NYCI are represented on the National Working Group on Structured Dialogue and as part of the european commission’s structured dialogue program, organised the first consultation with young people on youth unemployment “Let Youth Point us in the Right Direction”. The results of this consultation were fed back at a european level by three youth representatives attending the Spanish Presidency Youth Conference in April 2010. An NYCI delegation visited the EU Parliament to lobby MEPs on priority issues for NYCI such as youth employment, vote @ 16 and the EU Year of Volunteering 2011. NYCI is an active member of the European Youth Forum, who represent and advocate for the needs and interests of all young people in Europe to the EU, Council of Europe and the UN. Representatives of the European Youth Forum attended the NYCI consultation on the EU Youth Strategy and the NYCI International Vote@16 seminar. NYCI continues to advocate for a UN Youth Representative, lobbying the Department of Foreign Affairs and keeping informed through the European Youth Forum of the UN Youth Representative programme.
Links
Consultation on Youth Unemployment “Let Youth Point us in the Right Direction”.