Youth as a resource

The project with the long name "Different history - common future, youth as a resource for a sustainable future in the Baltic Sea Region - cooperation of municipalities, NGOs and youth" is an EU project that runs in 2007-2009. The partners in the project are: Kalmar as lead partner, Tallinn, Liepaja, Kolding, UBC Secretariat in Gdansk and the "supporting" partner of the Baltic Sea Secretariat of Youth Affairs in Kiel.

The purpose is to establish a platform for generating knowledge, best practices, policies and structures to foster youth as a resource for development of the Baltic Sea Region and building local youth policies. The project seeks to give young people access to participation in policy instead of disregard and exclusion. Young people seem to be not engaged anymore. The main project will work towards:

• Developing a common, dynamic and lasting platform for youth workers and leaders of NGOs, young people, politicians and civil servants;
• Establishing learning mechanisms for sharing of experiences, results and les sons;
• Enstablishing virtual learning and discussion platform & online com munities for youth;
• Installing local Youth Info-Centres at central places;

The projects activities are divided in to three main work packages: "Youth communicating", "Youth exchanged" and "Youth engaged". Youth communicating - creation of website containing online knowledge base for youth and also for civil, organising youth "tolerance" trips in order to increase tolerance and to promote intercultural learning. Youth exchanged - organising two large scale BSR Youth conferences, establishing a network of organisations working with EVS programme and innovative Youth Info Centres;

Youth engaged - setting up international workshops where different issues concerning EVS and youth involvement in the NGO's will be discussed, youth microprojects.