Become a Member!
Is your organisation interested in becoming part of the European Youth Forum?
Then you're on the right page!
Why become a Youth Forum Member?
- Have your voice heard in Europe - becoming a member organisation of the European Youth Forum will give access to European and international institutions.
- Help decide on the future of youth in Europe - becoming a member organisation of the European Youth Forum will give access to decision and policy making of the platform and the possibility to nominate candidates for working structures.
- Grow stronger - the European Youth Forum provides numerous opportunities for capacity building and organisational development
- Share your expertise through various networks and expert groups to improve the situation of young people in Europe.
- Participate in different events at the European level - the European Youth Forum regularly organises events on various topics relevant to young people.
- Networking - connect and exchange best practices with 100 national and international youth organisations.
Membership categories
There are two different ways that your organisation can engage with the European Youth Forum:
MEMBER
- Observer member
- Full member
or ASSOCIATE
The information below will help you identify what is the best kind of engagement for your organisation and the specific criteria for joining.
Member criteria
To be a National Youth Council or an International Youth Organisation.
- Observer member
To have at least 3000 young members in six European States and under no circumstances have less than 100 young members in any one of those States.
- Full member
To have been Observer Member for 12 months and have at least 5000 young members in 10 European States (Council of Europe), and under no circumstances have less than 300 young members in any one of these ten States.
Associate criteria
To be an entity working for and with young people other than the ones outlined in member criteria.
- Either
Implement your activities in at least five European States and fulfil one of the two following criteria:
- engage with 1500 young people;
- or have at least 1500 young members.
- Or
Receive a positive recommendation from the Secretary-General and the Board, or the Consultative Body on Membership Applications, under special circumstances, based on your relevance to the promotion of participation of specific vulnerable and/or underrepresented groups of young people, or the work of the Forum.
Membership application procedure
The process consists of the following steps:
The first step is to send an “Expression of Interest” to governance@youthforum.org - this is not yet an application.
Organisations applying as Member or Associate should submit the required documents in English as well as in the original language to the European Youth Forum Office.
The Consultative Body on Membership Application (CBMA) will review the documents submitted for the application and a cross-check of the membership of the applicant organisation will be conducted by the Secretariat of the European Youth Forum
A site visit is also conducted by the CBMA and the Secretariat.
The CBMA submits its report to the Board, the latter gives a recommendation on the membership application, which is then put on the agenda of the General Assembly.
The General Assembly votes.
You can find all the details of the procedure and the list of documents to submit in the membership application procedure.
FAQs
What’s the difference between membership and association? Open
Membership and Association are two different types of engagement with the European Youth Forum. Members and Associates have different rights, and while membership is designed for youth-led organisations who wish to be involved in the policy and decision-making processes of the platform, the association allows space for various civil society organisations, who are working with young people, to take part in the activities of the Youth Forum and engage with the platform in a unique way.
Who can be a member of the European Youth Forum? Open
Only independent non-governmental organisations based in Europe that meet the criteria stipulated in the Statutes of the European Youth Forum can become a member.
Who can be an associate of the Youth Forum? Open
Only International civil society organisations that work with and for young people in Europe and have a structure run by young people, that meet the criteria stipulated in the Statutes can become associates.
What about individuals? Open
If you are a young person looking to join a youth organisation or become active in the European youth field, you can explore the work of our member organisations, active on international and local levels.
If you have any questions feel free to contact governance@youthforum.org.