About the European Youth Forum
The vision of the European Youth Forum is to be the voice of young people in Europe, where young people are equal citizens and are encouraged and supported to achieve their fullest potential as global citizens.
Who are we?
The European Youth Forum is the platform of youth organisations in Europe. We represent over 100 youth organisations, which bring together tens of millions of young people from all over Europe.
The Youth Forum 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. In the current uncertain political and social context that affects young people, they can be powerful catalysts for positive change and contributors of innovative solutions to Europe’s challenges.
The European Youth Forum is funded by:
meet the team
our actions
From leaving education and finding a quality job, to protecting the...
our members
We have over 100 member organisations, who represent hundreds of youth...
Our strategy
To overcome the challenges faced by young people, the European Youth Forum's work is centred around three main pillars as outlined in our Strategic Plan:
- Youth-friendly world
Young people and youth organisations are part of the solution for a youth-friendly world. Our engagement contributes to the betterment of the environment and the societies we live in. Young people need to be guaranteed the right to safe living conditions in a healthy environment. Current and future generations need to be educated on and equipped to access their rights and participate in democratic life at all levels.
- Enabling environment for youth organisations
Flourishing youth organisations are a vital part of a healthy democracy. Civic space needs to be protected and expanded, so youth organisations can function without any barriers - financially, legally, politically and legitimately.
- Thriving platform
Words are not enough: we will walk the talk. Our platform needs to be further cultivated to be kept relevant, strong and innovative. We want to remain and further strengthen being a credible actor as the main voice of young people in Europe.
With these goals in mind, the Youth Forum will continue our advocacy work to become an agenda-setter on youth affairs, empower Member Organisations to maximise the impact of their expertise and enforce a rights-based approach in all that we do.
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Our Structures
The Youth Forum is governed by young people, for young people.
To ensure that our work will always be democratic and transparent, the Youth Forum has different working structures that all play an important role in our organisation.
The Board
The Board defines the overall strategy of the Forum in accordance with the guidelines given by the member organisations at the General Assembly or the Council of Members. They oversee the implementation of the strategic plan. The Board is responsible for finances and budgetary matters. They prepare the statutory meetings. The Board ensures the external representation of the Forum. They are the main contact with and between the member organisations.
Secretariat
The Secretariat is the permanent structure of the Forum. It is composed of employees under the supervision of the Secretary-General. The Secretary-General is accountable for the Secretariat to the Board and the General Assembly.
Financial Control Commission (FCC)
The Financial Control Commission is responsible for the internal audit of the finances of the Youth Forum. It shall act in advisory capacity to the Board, Council of Members and the General Assembly on the allocation of existing resources in line with the strategic priorities and the work plan, as well as the identification of new resources. It presents a written report to the Council of Members and the General Assembly with regard to the annual budget and the accounts of the Forum.
- The members of the FCC for 2023-2024 are: Siobhán Gallagher.
Consultative Body on Membership Applications (CBMA)
The Consultative Body on Membership Applications reviews the complete applications of potential members and presents a motivated report on the membership applications to the Board. Additionally, the Consultative Body on Membership Applications can be addressed by existing members or take initiative in relation to both proposed as well as adopted changes relevant to their membership status, such as changes of statutes and/or legal status.
- The members of the CMBA for 2023-2024 are: Caillum Hedderman, Daniela Ordowski, Freja Ellefsen and Simona Dimitrova.