Actions in EGL: a training on lobbying

Europe Goes Local is much more than a group of youth workers who get together once a year at a European event. We have lots of actions happening at the European, national and local levels. From now, we will start introducing activities that were initiated and carried out by our network members. If you are interested in any of them, contact us for more information!

Lobbying for Youth Work – The European Advanced Training

Think about this vision of a flourishing society: a community whose members, youthful and old, are educated about and occupied with all the serious issues that influence their lives. Among other tools, “lobbying” is an act of attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of legislators or members of regulatory institutions.

Supporting the development and recognition of youth work, it is necessary for the stakeholders to become active in interfering with and influencing local policy making. This requires a fundamental change in youth workers’ attitude as well as adapted and new skills and abilities. It needs further education in areas such as policy intervention, policy advice and lobbying.

The Road To Change

In Germany, a model in the years 2013-2015 with these contents and with exceptionally positive outcomes was created. This preparation expects to exchange the Germany model venture to the European dimension. Jugend für Europa, the German National Agency of the Erasmus+ Youth in Action programme and its partners decided to develop an international long term training course for youth workers on the basis of the already existing model, in the framework of the Europe Goes Local project.

The point is to add to a more honed profile and to an improved political situating of youth work. Youth workers are to get out of their uninvolved position and into progressively dynamic roles as step towards developing co-makers of fellow youth work arrangement.

What Are We Aiming For with the training?

• To sharpen the profile and political position of youth work,
• To train and qualify youth work representatives / youth workers to analyze political frameworks and situations at the local level so they can influence local youth policy making through political lobbying,
• To encourage the establishment and consolidation of local networks for youth politics,
• To create a sustainable training concept at the European level in an attempt to re-politicize youth work and to explore European impulses for local youth work.

What we have accomplished:

Contents of MODULE 1 : January 2019 in Germany

• Creating a common understanding of youth policies: local, regional, national, European
• An input and overview about the political aspect of youth work (Input Prof. Lindner)
• An input on lobbying & political communication
• SWOT Analysis – where are we today?
• Defining aims for local projects

Webinar held in March.

What’s Next:

Contents of MODULE 2 : June 2019 in Austria

• SWOT and Network Analysis
• Input on municipal policy/politics: chances and challenges
• Working out concrete Action Plans of each team
• Preparing the next three steps that we will take in our local reality

Webinar in October

What’s There To Come:

Webinar in January

MODULE 3: in February/March 2020 in Latvia

• Sharing results: What did the project change? Our successes. Our failures.
• An exchange on how we transfer the lessons learned, knowledge gained into everyday practice after the end of the project?
• Creating a dissemination and follow up plan

The Wrap:

The undertaking is planned as a propelled preparing and further training module and will cover the accompanying learning components and errands:

• Mapping and analysis of the (local) policy field
• Development of targets
• Analysis and development of (local) networks, development of action plans
• Policy development and political consulting

Some additional readings:

The information leaflet of the training course

The presentation of the training course

Stay tune for more updates on our programs and follow our Good Practices Series.

Catch you next time.

written by La Sheika Campbell.