National Youth Councils

This project tells the story of the presence (or, in some cases, absence of), history, evolution, mandate, and purpose of a group of National Youth Councils (NYCs). National Youth Councils exist in many forms and in many countries around the world, serving as coordinators of youth organizations on the national level, contacts with similar organizations in other countries, and the nexus of youth-government relations. The methodology of carrying out this research project on NYCs included an electronic survey distributed to NYCs around the world. With the NYCs that responded, personal interviews were conducted. This reports aims to synthesize the information gathered. It is intended as a tool to look back and learn from the experiences of existing NYCs, while looking forward to future cooperation among NYCs, and perhaps to inspire their creation where they currently do not exist. Part 1 of the report is entitled “Country-based findings.” After a discussion of some of the forms a NYC can take, it provides objective information based on survey responses from the 22 participating youth councils or equivalents. These summaries include information on the history, membership, governance structures, work methodology, and areas of work of each of the NYCs. Part 2 is entitled “Cluster-based findings”. Here, convergences and divergences in the work of NYCs are identified and analysed. These are presented under the following headings: Evolution of National Youth Councils; Membership Structure; Work Objectives and Challenges; Staff, board members, and volunteers; Government and National Youth Council Relations; Funding; International Cooperation; and Outreach and Communication Strategies. The concluding section, “Conclusions and Recommendations,” synthesizes the information presented in Parts 1 and 2 into recommendations and considerations, from which existing NYCs might learn, and which are hopefully useful for active youth organizations seeking to create or reform a NYC in their country.