YOUTH LEADERSHIP FORUM 2014 IN WARSAW

Description

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) is organizing a two-day Youth Forum on 16 and 17 June 2014 in Warsaw.  The Youth Forum will bring together 35 youth leaders to discuss challenges to youth political participation in the 21st century and ways to overcome these. The final outcome of the Youth Forum will be a number of recommendations on how the OSCE and its institutions can better assist participating states to meet their commitments and obligations on the inclusion of youth in democratic processes.

The Youth Forum will involve three categories of young leaders, representing the following categories:

   - Voice: This relates to informal forms of political participation and focuses on online activism. Ideal candidates include representatives of
     social media groups and bloggers.
   - Influence: This relates to semi-formal forms of political participation and focuses on civil society organizations active in advocating and
     lobbying for changes to policies. We are looking for leaders who want to influence politics but do not want to do so through formal
     structures.
   - Governance: This relates to formal mechanisms of political participation such as political parties and governance institutions. Ideal
     candidates are leaders such as young politicians and members of parliaments, government representatives, city councilors, policy and
     political advisors.

The Youth Forum will exploring different forms of political participation and how these complement each other thus including youth in democratic policy work. Participants will be offered an opportunity to discuss good practices and challenges in youth political participation in the OSCE region. The Youth Forum will also offer a unique opportunity to explore and discuss the unique approach that the OSCE offers – its comprehensive cross-dimensional approach to security. The participants will be asked to actively participate during the Youth Forum in various working groups. Moreover, selected participants will be asked to actively participate in moderated online discussions ahead of the Youth Forum. The OSCE/ODIHR reserves the right to withdraw the invitation should a selected participant fail to engage in online discussion, on a weekly basis, ahead of the seminar.


Eligibility

   - Young leaders aged 25 to 35;
   - English language competency;
   - Minimum 2 years of experience and proven track record of involvement and engagement within their social community (i.e. involvement in
     the NGO sector, student’s unions, local and national political parties, online democracy and human rights associations);
   - From Canada, USA, Western and Central Europe and the Balkans.


Costs

Accommodation and travel costs for the event will be covered by the OSCE/ODIHR.


Deadline: 12 May 2014

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