Exploring the European Youth Mosaic. The Social Situation of Young People in Europe

Document is an Information document for the 6th European Youth Ministers Meeting, held in Thessaloniki, in November 2002. This report is an overview of the social situation of young people in Europe. It is the first to try to include all the member and signatory countries of the Council of Europe, and so takes a global view against the background of rapid social change. Education, training and employment, family life and living arrangements, and social and political participation are the key themes. Achieving a balanced overview of patterns and trends across and between eastern, northern, southern and western Europe is a priority. Encompassing diversity is the key problematic for European youth studies, but there are practical barriers along the way. Firstly, intercultural and comparative research is technically complex. Secondly, much more information is available for western Europe than for CEE/CIS countries. Thirdly, channels of communication and dissemination on youth issues are underdeveloped throughout Europe. This report provides an interpretive overview of the social situation of young people in Europe. It offers a selective synthesis of research-based information and knowledge on key topics, drawing on a very wide range of source material. It is the first time that a report of this nature covering the whole of Europe has been prepared.