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European Youth Forum 120, rue Joseph II 1000, Bruxelles Belgium – Belgique
ISSN : 2032-9938
2010 European Youth Forum
with the support of : the European Commission the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe
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! Useful Resources The Statutes, the Strategic Priorities, the Work-Plan : These documents contain all the fundamental aspects that you need to know as a Youth Forum representative. Download them from the documents section of youthforum.org Youth Opinion : Existing since 1980, the magazine expresses what young people in youth organisations think and much more. Read it online on youthforum.org or ask for a paper version at the YFJ secretariat office. Youth Policy Watch : Get in your inbox the latest news on youth policy in Europe every two weeks. To subscribe, send an email to subscriptionypw@youthforum.org, available in English or in French. Twitter : www.twitter.com/Youth_Forum Facebook : www.facebook.com/EuropeanYouthForum Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/europeanyouthforum Vimeo : www.vimeo.com/channels/95828 3
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? Table of Contents Representing the European Youth Forum Who are we representing? Our values Why bother with Youth Rights?
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.01 Knowing what to say The key messages The simplest questions are the most difficult ones Answering awkward questions
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.02 How to say it Who am I addressing? Question to ask yourself before speaking
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.03 And how to show it What do we want to show
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Representing the European Youth Forum You are called upon to represent the European Youth Forum and you are wondering how to get the message across. You might have to make a speech to a Member of the European Parliament, write an article, give answers in an interview, or perhaps you have only 30 seconds to attract a future donor... Whether you are a board member or a representing a Member Organisation, a volunteer or a professional, working at national or international level, this booklet will provide you with some ideas to make your task easier. Contribute to the development of youth work in other regions of the world.
Who are we representing? The European Youth Forum (YFJ – from Youth Forum Jeunesse) is the Platform on Youth Organisations in Europe made up of around 100 National Youth Councils and International Non-Governmental Youth Organisations. It brings together tens of millions of 6
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youth from all over Europe in order to strive for the rights of all young people. At whatever level we are working in the European Youth Forum, when we appear in public at youth events or an institutional meetings connected with Forum, we represent not only our organisation but also the whole platform. When we are communicating a message in the name of the platform we always need to assess whether we are the persons best able to do so and whether we have sufficient information so as to get the right message across.
Our Values // // // // // // // // // // //
Participation Empowerment of young people Equality, gender equality and equal opportunities Inclusiveness Intercultural understanding Democracy Respect for human rights Solidarity with all young people Global responsibility Diversity and mutual respect Peace
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Why bother with Youth Rights ? The concept of “ Youth ” is not taken into consideration in State legislations. People are either minors and totally dependent, or adults and totally responsible for their actions. This principle, that reaching the age of majority would give people their rights and obligations as well as the maturity to deal with them, is divorced from social reality. In some cases, the young are recognised as responsible people, the clearest example of which being the recognition of youth as consumers. They are encouraged to open bank accounts and to spend their money, yet have no power to take a shop-keeping to Court.
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Knowing what to say
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THE KEY mEssagEs Fundamental elements WHY WE EXIST ?
WHAT WE WANT TO ACHIEVE ?
OUR STRENGHTS
OUR KEY MESSAGES (COMMUNICATION THEMES)
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Messages
What is it ?
To be the voice of young people in Europe
It is the big idea that led so many different organisations to work together.
To empower young people We have a mission in order to participate actively in to carry the vision. society to improve their own lives Representing Empowering Involving
To express how we live our big idea, we use three words. These are enough for others to remember.
Defending Youth Rights Young volunteers Building Europe Social impact of Youth Organisations
To achieve our vision and complete our mission we need to convince others of our key messages.
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THE simPlEsT QUEsTions aRE THE mosT DiFFicUlT onEs You may need to write an article, give answers during an interview, convince a potential donor... Simple questions are the most difficult because they require more precise answers. Here are some of the questions that you may be asked. (VISION) Question 1 : “ What is the point of the European Youth Forum ? ” Our Vision says it all : “ To be the voice of young people in Europe, where young people are equal citizens and are encouraged and supported to achieve their fullest potential as global citizens. ” (MISSION) Question 2 : “ What does it seek to achieve ? ” Again our Mission says it all : “ The European Youth Forum is an independent, democratic, youth-led platform, representing national youth councils and international youth organisations from across Europe. 12
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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. ” (ILLUSTRATED BY TRUE STORIES) Question 3 : “ but what does it actually do ? ” It is important to illustrate the vision with real action from the work of Member Organisations and from the institutional advocacy carried out by the platform so as not to appear utopian dreamers. You must always be armed with a few true examples to illustrate what you are saying. The greatest interest is generated when you can surprise your audience with unexpected information : e.g. “ Did you know that young people can vote at 16 years old in Austria ? ”
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ansWERing aWKWaRD QUEsTions There are questions that one would prefer to avoid, but people are entitled to ask them. Some awkward questions are justified because people do not know much about our mission and have entrenched preconceived ideas about the Youth Forum. Always keep your cool and give pertinent arguments. If you don’t know how to answer, tell the person that you will get back to him or her with an answer later. (Fighting the most frequent preconceived ideas) (Understanding why these preconceived ideas exist) Wrong impressions The European Youth Forum is not really a representative platform Possible answers The Forum represents around 100 youth organisations, thus, it is the only representative European platform of youth organisations, as it brings together youth organisations almost all European countries, all cultures, themes and political and ideological beliefs.
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Wrong impressions The European Youth Forum is an exclusive club with a closed number of Youth Organisations Possible answers The Forum is a growing and open platform. If a European Youth Organisation or a National Youth Council is considering to become a member they can check the dedicated section of youthforum.org and address an expression of interest to join to the Secretary-General of the Forum. We will respond by sending you all the necessary information to help you file the application and to give you more information about the membership criteria. Wrong impressions The European Youth Forum is a small bunch of young politicians with an elitist background Possible answers The Forum represents young people with the most diverse backgrounds. Think of the millions of young people engaged in youth clubs, scout groups, sport teams or student movements around Europe. Youth Organisations reach out to vast amounts of people, from young farmers from the countryside of Latvia to urban youth with migrant background in the suburbs of Paris.
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Wrong impressions The European Youth Forum is an agency controlled by the European Union Possible answers The European Youth Forum is an independent International NGO registered under the Belgium Law. The European Union is an institutional partner and the most important funder of the Forum but it has no say in the democratic governance of the Platform. Wrong impressions All European Youth Forum representatives are paid Possible answers The Forum has 25 employees in its Brussels office. The platform, however, it is based mostly on volunteers. Representatives from the Member Organisations, the President and the democratically elected board all give volunteer time to the Platform.
Can you think of awkward questions that do not appear here ? If so let us know
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How to say it
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WHo am i aDDREssing ? You want to make an impact on the people in front of you in 10 seconds or 1 minute, it is important is to grab their attention and make them want to know more through asking “ why ? ” and “ how ? ” This then gives you the opportunity to communicate the whole of your message. That is how a dialogue always starts.
i have 10 sec // for a journalist “ The Youth Forum increases the participation of young people and youth organisations in society. Did you know that... ” (Here, briefly give the journalist some news that s/he can write about) // for a politician “ The Youth Forum positively influence policy issues affecting young people in Europe. It helps in developing political awareness ! Like you, the Forum helps to meet real needs in society. ” // for a Business leader “ The Youth Forum is one of the biggest platforms of civil society organisations, reaching out to millions of Young People all over Europe. Young Innovators that represent the energy of the Continent ”
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i have 1 min // for a journalist, a politician or a Business leader Make my 10-second introduction and keep 50 seconds to tell a story that : - is relevant to the subject - is in line with the interests of the person I’m talking to - is in line with the cause that the person I’m talking to is defending i have 5 mins // for a journalist, a politician or a Business leader 1. make a 10-second introduction 2. Take the time to expand on what you want to say Give some examples with one or two stories based on one of the three communication themes 3. Keep her/his interest by asking a question : - What else would you like to know ? - Do you have problems finding information ? - Were you a member of a youth organisation ? - After what I have just told you, what do you think you could do with the Forum ? It is important to create a dialogue so as to establish trust
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Questions to ask yourself before speaking When did you last speak with young people and/or responsible persons of a local or national youth organisation ? Who were they ? What are they doing ? How does it link with the work of the person you now talking with ? When you last spoke with young people from youth organisations, what did they tell you ? What were their concerns ? What is the message they wanted the decision makers to hear ? What are the main obstacles for young people to get their message across to the person you are now talking to ? How this person could help young people to achieve their fullest potential and youth organisations in supporting them to do so ?
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How to SHOW it
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WHaT Do WE WanT To sHoW ? You may be invited to express yourself in the name of the platform, but you do not know which photo or a video to show... Ask yourself the following question : HoW DoEs oUR imagE REFlEcT oUR mission THRoUgH oUR acTion ? The image is the reflection of our identity // One cannot expect a photo or a video to reflect action if all one sees is people standing at attention or doing nothing in particular // One cannot expect a photo or a video to reflect our desire to strive for youth rights if one of the main activities is to sit in a meeting room listening to a speech A good photo is not left to chance; it needs to reflect something meaningful.
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Graphic design: Laurent Doucet
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