To mark this milestone this series of extracts or summaries reflects on aspects of youth policy and youth work practice over the past 25 years as featured in the 100th issue.
EUROPEAN YOUTH POLICY
Howard Williamson
Forty years ago Europe experienced a range of political protests and upheavals, and just under 20 years ago, the Berlin Wall came down. Each of these moments heralded a key step in the incremental development of "European youth policy". Concern within an enlarging Europe was with the promotion of intercultural tolerance and understanding and the combating of racism, intolerance and xenophobia.
The third key moment may arguably be attached to the attacks on the twin towers in New York. This generated further and deeper issues around inter-religious or inter-faith dialogue. Faith is one of a trilogy of additional themes, alongside mobility and generation, that needs to inform the shaping of European youth policy over the next two decades.
These themes are, however, just component parts of a much longer checklist. The European Commission in its 2001 White Paper identified four - participation; information; voluntary activities; and a greater understanding of youth. These were supplemented in the 2004 European Youth Pact by concerns around education, employment and family life. More recently, the commission has identified employment, lifestyles and social exclusion.
The rhetoric is easy to produce, real development and action rather more elusive.
Howard Williamson, professor, humanities and social sciences, University of Glamorgan, and co-ordinator of the Council of Europe international reviews of national youth policy
- For more information on or to subscribe to Youth & Policy, visit The National Youth Agency website at www.nya.org.uk, email sales@nya.org.uk or telephone: 0116 242 7427. Guidelines for contributors available on request.
