10th European Youth Parliament for Water

 

13 - 20 March 2011, Province of Gelderland (NL)

Statement by Andrée Buchmann (France) on the Congress’ Youth activities

It is a great pleasure for me to be here today because the Congress attaches great importance to the active involvement of young people in democratic processes at local and regional level. Citizens gain their first democratic experience as young people at the local level and it is there that they learn about, and interact the most with democratic structures. This is why youth participation in democracy is crucial.

We in the Congress are convinced of the need to establish a permanent framework for dialogue between young people and elected representatives, a framework for youth participation in local and regional public life. Young people have a great deal to contribute to improving the governance of our communities, and their opinion must be valued and taken into account. With their skills, knowledge, experience, energy and motivation, young people must also be fully involved in democratic action for the benefit of all citizens, as well as their own.

This is why the Congress actively supports the establishment of youth councils at regional and municipal level, as representative structures of young people that can provide input into political deliberations of elected representatives. Such initiatives as the Youth Parliament are a great contribution to this work, especially on thematic issues like water and water management. Local and regional authorities play a crucial role in managing water resources, which is indeed an issue of governance, a democratic issue, for us and our children. We need an input of all stakeholders in this matter, and the contribution of young people is highly valuable.

We see this contribution as part of the broader participation of young people in public and political life at local and regional level. The local and regional elected representatives which make up the Congress firmly believe in the importance of youth participation, and translated this commitment into a set of principles and guidelines which have been brought together in the Revised European Charter on the Participation of Young People in Local and Regional Life.

For the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, and here I quote from the Charter’s preamble: “Participation in the democratic life of any community is about more than voting or standing for election, although these are important elements. Participation and active citizenship is about having the right, the means, the space and the opportunity and where necessary the support to participate in and influence decisions and engage in actions and activities so as to contribute to building a better society.”

In other words, to participate means having influence on and responsibility for decisions and actions that affect the lives of young people. And as the Charter states, participation applies to ALL young people, from all walks of life, regardless of their social or ethnic origins, without discrimination.

The Congress’ Charter does not treat young people as victims or as a vulnerable group that needs protection. They are also not treated as objects of adults’ intervention, with the adults assuming they know what is best for young people – a common misconception. Young people are now seen as active players in organisations or in community life. They are seen as partners with lots of potential, talents and strengths.

 

Youth participation is a sort of youth-adult partnership in which everyone’s voice is heard and taken seriously, in which aims, objectives, roles, responsibilities and decisions are negotiated and agreed upon collectively. The skills and talents of young people and the experience and wisdom of adults come together in a mutually supportive atmosphere: no one instructs the other.

It is in this spirit of partnership that this Youth Parliament has been organised. We are looking forward to your contribution, as our partners in governance, and I wish you every success this week.

Thank you.