Created by the

Assembly of European Regions The Assembly of European Regions (AER) is the largest independent network of regions in wider Europe. Bringing together regions from 35 countries and 15 interregional organisations, AER is a forum for interregional cooperation. Histori ...

(AER), the Youth Regional Network (YRN) is a platform of regional-level

youth Youth is the time of life when one is young. The word, youth, can also mean the time between childhood and adulthood ( maturity), but it can also refer to one's peak, in terms of health or the period of life known as being a young adult. You ...

organisations, councils and parliaments from across wider

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

. The platform works as a forum where young people can influence regional and European policy while exchanging experiences and good practice. At the general Assembly in Vojvodina on 7 May 2017, YRN members elected their presidium, which is composed as follow: * YRN President, Gloria VITALY, Oppland (NO) * Vice-President, Grete KESKULA, Saaremaa (EE) * Vice-President, Katalin ARANY, Csongrad (HU) * Vice-President, Sander Delp HORN, Nordland (NO) * President of the Committee for Economy and Regional development Vahram VARDANYAN, Yerevan (AM) * President of the Social and Health Committee Paula HOLST, Varmland (SE) * President of the Cultural and Education Committee Giovanni BRIGANTI, Wallonia (BE)

Background

AER's Youth Regional Network was established on 25 November 2008 in

Wiesbaden Wiesbaden () is a city in central western Germany and the capital of the state of Hesse. , it had 290,955 inhabitants, plus approximately 21,000 United States citizens (mostly associated with the United States Army). The Wiesbaden urban area ...

(

Hessen Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major historic cities are Darm ...

region,

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

), where a founding meeting of ninety young people representing 55 European regions launched Europe's first platform of regional youth councils, parliaments and organisations. They adopted the Wiesbaden Resolution, in order to define their main priorities and goals. The YRN was founded on the idea that

decision-making In psychology, decision-making (also spelled decision making and decisionmaking) is regarded as the Cognition, cognitive process resulting in the selection of a belief or a course of action among several possible alternative options. It could be ...

should be based upon the principle of

subsidiarity Subsidiarity is a principle of social organization that holds that social and political issues should be dealt with at the most immediate or local level that is consistent with their resolution. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' defines subsidi ...

. This means that, on the one hand, youth policy at European level should reflect the diversity of the regions and of the young people that live in those regions. On the other hand, youth policy within the regions should maintain a European dimension so that the common challenges faced by all young people can be tackled in co-operation with the sharing of ideas, knowledge and experiences. 2010 In order to ensure that YRN functions as a genuine platform linking regional youth Councils/parliaments/NGOs with AER and its activities, the AER General Assembly agrees to adopt the Declaration on Enhanced Cooperation with YRN, which marks the recognition of its role and commitment within AER, among AER member regions & at the European level. 2013 YRN adopted its statutes, rule of procedures and strategic priorities. From May 2013, YRN got a seat in th
AER Executive Board

Mission

The mission of the YRN is to provide young people the opportunity to exchange views with other young people in order to get them more involved at the European and regional democratic processes.

Objectives

There YRN has four main objectives: networking, influencing policy, exchanging

best practice A best practice is a method or technique that has been generally accepted as superior to other known alternatives because it often produces results that are superior to those achieved by other means or because it has become a standard way of doing ...

and experience and promoting sustainable governance.

. The concept of the AER Summer Academy evolved in 1996 as a response to the increase in AER member regions coming from the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The Summer Academy was therefore designed as a tool to facilitate the exchange of experience and information. The Summer Academy has since evolved into an annual forum for exchange of experience in the area of regional development in Europe. '
AER Youth Participation Report:
'' The AER Youth Participation Report aims at promoting the involvement of young people in regional and national political processes and public life, by promoting the work done by regional and national youth councils, parliaments and organization across wider Europe and identifying good practices in this field.

Awards

''

competition: this annual public speaking and personal expression contest gives teams of young people aged between 14 and 18 the opportunity to answer the question "What does

mean to you?". The competition's European-level final is preceded by regional and national heats that take place across the whole of Europe.
The Most Youth-Friendly European Region (MYFER) Award
in 2001, AER launched an award for the Most Youth-Friendly European Region. The award is presented every two years to the region that submits the most outstanding project or other initiative promoting youth issues. Th

of the Most Youth Friendly Region award (MYFER) will seek to underpin the topic of youth participation in democratic life with examples of best practice from the European regions.

Other

'

'': The forums aim to engage young citizens and regional politicians in a debate with representatives of the European Union on the future of Europe. '

'': Eurodyssey is an interregional programme promoting vocational training and the

mobility Mobility may refer to: Social sciences and humanities * Economic mobility, ability of individuals or families to improve their economic status * Geographic mobility, the measure of how populations and goods move over time * Mobilities, a contemp ...

of young people across Europe. '
Promoting Youth Employment
'': The ‘Promoting Youth Employment’ (PYE) project aims to foster best practice and facilitate youth employment through the exchange of best practice at regional level.

External links

"Assembly of European Regions"

Events

2013

Sfantu Gheorghe (RO): This meeting focused on the "Role of Education in Inclusive Society"

6 May 2013, Brussels (B)

"Youth as a source and a lever of regional growth in times of crisis", 8 March 2013, Warsaw (PL) 2012

8–9 October 2012, Strasbourg (F): "Youth Democracy: Engagement & Influence in European Policy"

7–9 May 2012, Vienna (A): "Equal Rights for all" 2011

27–28 October 2013, Wroclaw (PL)

21 April 2011, Orléans (F)

21–22 February 2011, Strasbourg (F) 2010

7–9 June 2010, Donja Stubica (HR): "Empowering youth through subisdiarity" 2009 * YRN's Take on Youth Employment & Autumn Plenary, 10–12 December 2009 in Paris (F)

and Spring Plenary, 20–22 May 2009 in Krzyzowa (Dolny Slask, PL) 2008

on 23–25 November 2008 in Wiesbaden (Hessen, D): "The future belongs to us - but how should we handle it?"

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Aer Youth Regional Network International organizations based in Europe Youth organizations based in Europe