Ambitions & Structure
Ambitions
- Promote youth political and civic engagement locally and globally, including through the identification of barriers to participation and concrete commitments by governments;
- Promote young people’s understanding of democratic principles and of the connection between democracy and long-term stability and prosperity;
- Promote diversity and inclusion within youth groups and in the advocacy of youth issues;
- Support young people and youth organisations in assessing democratic institutions and processes and in advising on possible reforms;
- Facilitate young people, youth organisations and youth movements in reimagining a more robust, inclusive, effective, transparent, accountable and equitable form of democracy.
Co-leadership and general groups
The Youth Democracy Cohort is structured in two groups, with each bringing a greater level of commitment to contributing toward the Year of Action. It seeks to actively involve and include youth of diverse backgrounds, especially of marginalised backgrounds and from the Global South:
- The co-leadership group with: European partnership for Democracy (EPD), AfricTivistes, the European Democracy Youth Network (EDYN), International Institute for Democracy and Election Assistance (IDEA), the European Commission, Ministerio de Cultura y Juventud and Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Culto (Costa Rica), the Ministry of Youth and Sports (Nepal), the Nepal Youth Council (NYC, Nepal), the National Planning Commission (NPC, Nepal) and the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE, Ghana). At this level of commitment, involved entities commit themselves to funding, implementing, or contributing to at least one major programme that contributes toward the Year of Action. This may be an already existing programme or initiative.
- The general group of the Cohort includes all CSOs, governments, international organisations, private sector partners, and other types of organisations who wish to advance the goals of the Cohort by making at least one commitment (for governments) or supporting the implementation of at least one commitment (as non-governmental entities) that contributes toward the Year of Action.
Any civil society organisations, youth organisations and governments can join. Ongoing expressions of interest to join all groups within the Cohort will be accepted on a rolling basis. Applications for membership of the leadership group will be considered by existing members on a case by case basis, limiting numbers to maintain efficiency whilst respecting the need for diversity.
