NEWS

EUROPEAN YOUTH POLICY TO BECOME PART OF EDUCATION, HEALTH CARE STRATEGY

10-10-2008

KYIV, October 10
Within the 8th European Conference of Youth Ministers, the Council of Europe suggests youth discussing directions of youth policy for the next 10 years. This policy cannot be worked out in isolation, it should become a component part of the policy in the field of education, health care and others. This was disclosed by Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe Maud de Boer-Buquicchio during the opening of the ministerial conference in Kyiv.

She suggested "a mainstream" idea meaning young people's involvement in defining a European policy not only as regards youth issues, but also in other areas, inclusion to energy-saving programs and other aspects. According to Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, ensuring human rights and skills and knowledge in this area is important for the existence of a democratic society.

In this context, she believes, a youth policy plays a significant role. "However, the question is not only about the youth feeling its rights are defended, but the matter also concerns youth assuming obligations to defend human dignity and this becomes an everyday practice," the Council of Europe official stressed.

"Europe witnesses a lot of difficulties related to young people's activity and life, and I am convinced the Council of Europe can intensify measures in this area, form new approaches so that youth is able to get informal education," she said. According to Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, the youth is a potential that will defend values Europe was built on. The Council of Europe's longstanding experience shows that one of the approaches for providing young people with informal educating makes their chance better to get a job that national schools and universities are unable to offer. Informal education let get skills in disputable questions, project management leadership competence, team development and business knowledge - these are the competencies the youth may learn in various forms and even better that in the sector of informal education, she claimed.

/Roman Suchchenko, Yuriy Banakhevych - UKRINFORM/.