Youth empowerment is often addressed as a gateway to
intergenerational equity,
civic engagement and
democracy building. Local, state, provincial, regional, national, and international government agencies and nonprofit community-based organizations provide programs centered on youth empowerment. Activities involved therein may focus on
youth-led media,
youth rights,
youth councils, youth
activism, youth involvement in community decision-making, The EU has been the birthplace of many cultural youth empowerment movements across the past century. Most recently these have included,
Fridays for Future,
Extinction Rebellion and the
2009 Austrian Student Protests. But has also historically had a connection to youth empowerment through cultural movements such as the
punk subculture. The basis for youth empowerment in the EU is based in articles 165 and 166 of the
Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). The youth empowerment objectives of the treaty aimed at encouraging the development of youth exchanges and exchanges between socio-educational instructors (i.e. youth workers) and to encourage the participation of young people in democratic life in Europe. The
European Commission and the
European Parliament are the institutions mainly tasked with youth engagement and empowerment. These institutions have set in place various initiatives and projects to achieve these aims including the;
Erasmus Programme, Youth Guarantee,
European Solidarity Corps,
European Youth Week,
European Youth Event, Youth Conference and Structured Dialogue. The
Council of Europe also have youth empowerment mechanisms such as the
Advisory Council on Youth and the
European Youth Centres network. Youth empowerment projects by EU Institutions is carried out in close cooperation with international
NGOs, such as the
European Youth Forum, and
National Youth Councils.
United States Youth empowerment occurs in
homes, at
schools, through
youth organizations, government policy-making and
community organizing campaigns. Major structural activities where youth empowerment happens throughout society include community
decision-making, organizational planning, and education reform. Educational activities that cite youth empowerment as an aim include
student-centered learning,
popular education, and
service learning.
Free schools and
youth-led media organizations often state their intention to empower youth, as well as
youth voice,
community youth development, and
youth leadership programs. Youth empowerment is studied by a variety of scholars including
Shawn Ginwright,
Henry Giroux,
Barry Checkoway, and
Mike Males. Their research is highlighted by advocacy from notable activists such as
William Upski Wimsatt,
Alex Koroknay-Palicz, Salome Chasnoff and
Adam Fletcher. One prominent initiative in the United States is the Youth Empowerment Initiative, sponsored by the
Obama Foundation Youth Group.
Ireland In 2002
Comhairle na nÓg was established in each local authority area as part of the National Children's strategy. Comhairle na nÓg is Irish for Youth Council. These councils are encouraged to include the participation of young people from all walks of life and to tackle local issues affecting young people. It is run by the local county or city councils under the Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. It is a recognized political organisation by the Irish Government. An extension of Comhairle na nÓg is the Comhairle na nÓg National Executive. The National Executive has one "youth councillor" from every Comhairle na nÓg and deal with issues important to young people. These issues are nominated by young people themselves at an AGM every two years. The Comhairle na nÓg National Executive has the opportunity to express there views in a form of a researched report, ad-campaign, conferences, seminars and to put those views to policy makers.
Commonwealth The 53 member countries of the
Commonwealth of Nations have all signed up to the Commonwealth Plan of Action for Youth Empowerment (2007–2015). The Plan of Action underpins the work of the
Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP). On the Commonwealth definition, "Young people are empowered when they acknowledge that they have or can create choices in life, are aware of the implications of those choices, make an informed decision freely, take action based on that decision and accept responsibility for the consequences of those actions. Empowering young people means creating and supporting the enabling conditions under which young people can act on their own behalf, and on their own terms, rather than at the direction of others." The Plan of Action for Youth Empowerment was developed by the
Commonwealth Secretariat, working closely with Ministers of Youth and young people themselves. It encourages
youth mainstreaming and contains thirteen action points for governments. The first of these is: "Develop and implement measures to promote the economic enfranchisement of young people" through a range of measures ranging from micro-credit and entrepreneurship education through to reviewing macro-economic planning and trade regimes and how they affect young people. Other action points address gender equality, HIV/AIDS, education, the environment, youth participation in decision-making, and democracy and human rights. == Benefits of empowerment ==