Youth council

A Child and Youth Parliament, - (city ) council or forum provides a concrete implementation of youth participation dar.

In youth parliaments representatives perceive interests for children and adolescents compared to the respective communities. It questions the schoolyard design to bike paths or recreational facilities shall be treated as well as problems of environmental protection. Possible solutions will be presented to politicians in the form of applications. It is also possible that the Youth Parliament has available its own budget over which can dispose it free.

In contrast, a child and youth forum is a low-threshold participatory form of a Youth Parliament. Here, every young person to get involved in project teams or working groups and create our very own.

The advantage of elected councils or parliaments is the possibility of a long-term and truly authentic work. Furthermore, children and young people gain an insight into the politics of the adults. A disadvantage is the complicated electoral process and the fact that not everyone is given the opportunity to participate.

States

Germany

Youth councils or similar have been increasingly promoted in Germany and other European countries since the 1980s. As a common form of youth participation, they have not yet been enforced.

Example, have been meeting since 2004, the youth panels from North Rhine -Westphalia in Herne. In the so-called " workshop under the palm trees " ( enterprises and individuals ), young people learn at two different days on youth policy. 2005, the first national youth council has been created.

2006, the five speaker of the Child and Youth Council NRW were elected. This initiated the first meeting in January 2007 in family ministry. Minister Armin Laschet opened the three-hour meeting in which many youth committees attended by two representatives (one voter and one representative ).

In Bavaria has been tried several times to find a national umbrella organization. Main initiators were the Youth Parliament Oberpfaffenhofen and the Youth Dachau. Since March 2012, the " Association of Bavarian youth participation platforms " is after a new initiative from Oberpfaffenhofen to establish such an association, was successfully carried out.

The Goethe-Institut has organized in collaboration with various partners, international youth parliaments, in the years 2007/2008 a German-Russian Youth Parliament and Youth Parliament 2010, the Latin America - Europe - Africa: a connecting dialogue.

Switzerland

In Switzerland, children's and youth councils created with the support of child and youth work. The task is the responsibility of each community and can not be set by the canton. Therefore, different shapes and vessels arise. The Swiss Federation of Youth Parliaments support the individual members on a voluntary basis.

At the national level there is the Federal Youth Session in Switzerland. It is an annual event taking place, in which 200 young people at the Federal Palace elaborate political demands and hand it over to the President or the President of the National Council. The claims shall be forwarded to the parliamentary commissions in the form of petitions. The Federal Youth Session is organized by the Swiss Federation of Youth Associations.

Liechtenstein

In Liechtenstein, the Liechtenstein is youth participation ( JUBILEE ) as a participation model for young people of compulsory school age. To close the gap between the exit from the compulsory school and the official voting age, a youth council Liechtenstein was founded by young people.