The European Youth Forum (YFJ) is an independent, democratic, youth-led platform, representing 98 National Youth Councils and International Youth Organisations from across Europe. The YFJ works to empower young people to participate actively in society to improve their own lives, by representing and advocating their needs and interests and those of their organisations towards the European Institutions, the Council of Europe and the United Nations.

Today the European Youth Forum has YO! fever. Stands of youth organisations from all over Europe, a free concert of Piano Club, Bogus and DJ Kwak make up YO! Fest, an event organised by the European Youth Forum in occasion of its annual Open Doors, in cooperation with Jeunesses Musicales International, and with the support of the Belgian Presidency of the EU and the Loterie Nationale. Speeding up with preparations in the Parc Maelbeek to welcome our guests, Member Organisations and partners to the YO! Fest. There are many reasons to celebrate, so today is the day to Turn Up Your Rights! 

But today is also the day when the Youth Working Party of the European Union meets. The European Youth Forum, after its intervention in the meeting, during which was highlighted the contribution of the Structured Dialogue in the recent had the opportunity to invite all the Youth Working Party members to join YO! Fest, meet the European Youth Forum Board and get to know our work more closely. And YOU are invited too: see you at Parc Maelbeek, starting from 18h00!

"Dilo fuerte!" (in English: Say it aloud!) is the slogan of the World Youth Conference 2010. More than 200 young delegates from all over the world gathered in Mexico for the Youth NGO Forum that resulted in a Statement that asks decision makers to "Keep their promises and make them true!".

Especially, they want governments to recognise the crucial role of youth in achieving the MDGs, in view of the upcoming UN General Assembly and the UN MDGs Revision Summit of September 2010. This Statement covers many important issues, such as (amongst others) health, education, employment and participation.

In parallel to the Youth NGO Forum, youth delegates take part to the Governments Forum. For the first time, a youth delegate from the European Youth Forum was included in the official EU Delegation and presented the European youth policy example to the Conference, highlighting the mechanism of participation of the Structured Dialogue.

Read the NGO Statement of the World Youth Conference (in English, French and Spanish) and the European Youth Forum's Press Release on the event, follow the daily video reports of the European Youth Forum and updates on Twitter!

NEW! Read the Declaration of Guanajuato - Official Declaration of the World Youth Conference 2010 (in English, French and Spanish).