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The next 30 of the UBC: the Youth Dimension
UBC Youthful Cities Commission: The next 30 of the UBC: The Youth Dimension
by Dmitrijs Zverevs | dmitrijs.zverevs@riga.lv
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Even though those involved in the work of the Youthful Cities Commission since its very foundation in 2003 (back then as the Commission on Youth Issues) have been quite sure that we stand for the best interests of young people and their participation opportunities in the cities and wider region, quite often we have been in two minds about who the Commission actually represents (the city officials, the youth workers or the young people themselves) and how our ultimate goal can be achieved.
It’s just a coincidence timewise, yet the Commission enters the next 30 years of the UBC with a new vision about how to proceed. We dedicated the summer and autumn of 2020 to evaluate cities’ previous experience in the Commission and to mark the new priorities and working models for the upcoming years.
Youth workers were identified as our main stakeholders and it was agreed that meaningful involvement of young people can be achieved only through them. Threfore one of the things we plan to focus on is creating space for the youth workers to exchange experiences and develop joint project ideas. Luckily, a lot can be done in this field also online.
At the same time, youth participation remains at the very core of the Commission. Therefore, we stick with the tradition of organizing a Youth Conference next to the General Conference of the UBC this autumn. Even if it might not be possible for almost 100 young people from the UBC cities to meet in person this time, we will definitely host an online event for them to make sure the voices of young people are loud enough during the General Conference.
As youth dimension becomes more visible on global and EU agenda, here in the Baltic Sea Region we are lucky enough to have international partners who believe in youth participation to cooperate with (CBSS, BSSSC - to mention just few). Baltic Sea Youth Platform (BSYP) is a well-seen result of such cooperation (for example, Baltic Sea Youth Declaration – a statement by the region’s young people – made its whole way up to the EUSBSR annual Forum).
However, what makes the Commission a living body are the active member cities. As long as there’s true interest, there’s something for the Commission to do and needs to address. Therefore, we stay open for more cities to join the work of the Youthful Cities Commission. Don’t hesitate to contact us and surprise with your ambition!
