Safeguarding Civic Space for Young People in Europe

Year of production: 2020

Image is illustrative. Photo by Markus Spiske from Pexels

The European Youth Forum’s publication builds on the idea that civil society organisations, including youth organisations, perform a number of functions that are necessary in promoting and safeguarding basic human rights and democracy. In this context, the research explores various dimensions of current challenges, revealing, among others, that in their quest to facilitate the above mentioned process – i.e. of youth becoming an agent of social change – youth organisations have to overcome significant challenges. The paper proposes a classification into four groups, challenges related to
1) freedom of information and expression;
2) exercising their rights of assembly and association;
3) their quest to secure and facilitate citizen participation; and
4) human rights and the rule of law.

Authors

European Youth Forum

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.

Tomaž Deželan, PhD

Tomaž Deželan: Research interests include higher education policy, quality assurance, citizenship education, citizenship concepts, debates and regimes, political communication, youth, new modes of governance, parliamentary cohesion, electoral studies, gender, civil society and sustainable development.

Jason Laker, PhD

Mitja Sardoč, PhD