Discover the KA3 Structured Dialogue projects for Erasmus+

Young people should have a say in the decisions that affect their lives and their communities. Youth participation is about young people engaging in forming opinions and taking action to bring about positive change within society. It can take many forms: the traditional form is representative democracy through voting or membership of a political party. Nowadays, young people engage in very diverse and unexpected ways. Through their daily lives, through participatory structures such as youth organisations or volunteering, through citizen-led initiatives and movements, young people actively participate in the development of our democratic societies. A first step to being able to participate is seeking information and learning about democracy in order to possess the basic knowledge. A lot of learning takes place in everyday life, by being engaged in debates on political issues, both online and offline, with their peers, at school or with their parents. This reflection on political topics and the society around them can only be actively stimulated in youth organisations, participatory structures or at school. One particular form of learning about democracy is participating in simulations of political processes.

The Treaty of the European Union explicitly states that the EU should encourage the participation of young people in democratic life in Europe and that is exactly what this action of the Erasmus+ programme is for. It allows people to organise meetings, conferences, consultations and events that encourage youth participation and interaction with decision-makers at local, regional, national and European level. In particular, within the framework of the EU Structured Dialogue, which we’ll have a closer look at in the next module.

As a concrete result of these activities, young people are able to make their voices heard on how youth policies, or policies affecting and concerning young people, should be shaped and implemented in Europe.

This part of the programme serves the specific goal of fostering debate around topics centred on the themes and priorities set by the Structured Dialogue and European cooperation in the field of youth. This cooperation aims to create equal opportunities for young people in education and on the labour market and to promote active citizenship, social inclusion and solidarity among young people.

The cooperation is built around 8 fields of action:

• Education and Training
• Employment and Entrepreneurship
• Health and Well-being
• Participation
• Volunteering
• Social Inclusion
• Youth and the World
• Creativity & Culture

Structured Dialogue projects can take the form of meetings, conferences, consultations and events:

1. National meetings and transnational/international seminars that offer space for information, debate and the active participation of young people – in dialogue with youth decision-makers - on issues which are relevant to Structured Dialogue or to the EU Youth Strategy; 
2. National meetings and transnational seminars that prepare the ground for the official Youth Conferences organised each semester by the Member State holding the Presidency of the European Union; 
3. Events that promote debate and information on youth policy themes linked to the activities organised during European Youth Week; 
4. Opinion polls or online consultations of young people, with a view to finding out their needs on matters relating to participation in democratic life;
5. Meetings and seminars, information events or debates between young people and decision-makers, youth experts around the theme of participation in democratic life; 
6. Events simulating the functioning of the democratic institutions and the roles of decision-makers within these institutions.