"I was lucky enough to be in the last year of Erasmus. It had a really significant impact on what I felt was available to me," says a participant in the youth focus group of the British Council's Stronger Together programme. "I was the first generation in my family to be able to go, work and live abroad. I met so many wonderful people, it really helped my education and my outlook on life," the participant adds.
Young people in the UK have a clear message. They want a closer relationship with the EU and are calling for the creation of a common network of youth organisations. They also want to pave the way for the UK to rejoin the EU's Erasmus+ programme, to have more opportunities for youth cultural exchanges and to be involved in the dialogue on the future of UK-EU relations.
A new report representing the voice of the UK youth sector aims to set out key recommendations for the future of EU-UK relations in the youth field. The report has been informed by a consultation with 120 youth organisations and young people across the UK, as well as sector experts and the support of British Council’s Youth Advisory Board. Youth organisations from across the EU also took part in the consultation, contributing their perspectives and supporting the final recommendations. This consultation is part of the Stronger Together programme, delivered by the British Council and co-funded by the European Commission between February 2023 and January 2025.
According to the report, young people want the UK to build a relationship with the EU and are concerned about the consequences of the referendum vote to leave the EU, such as increased intolerance and discrimination. Only 5% of young people in the UK believe that politicians have listened to their views on Brexit (Jack Petchey Foundation, 2019) and there are currently few opportunities for meaningful engagement.
One of the key recommendations of the consultation was the establishment of a network of UK and EU youth organisations. The network is a practical, effective way of supporting ongoing EU-UK dialogue and acting in support of the other youth recommendations:
● Advancing negotiations on UK-EU youth learning mobility
● Strengthening opportunities for cultural exchange and mutual understanding
between young people in the UK and the EU
● Strengthening youth participation in public debate and policy dialogue on the future
of EU-UK relations.
The aims of the network are to build a sustainable community of EU and UK youth organisations, to enable youth organisations to support and advocate for increased access for young people to quality opportunities for EU-UK youth exchanges and intercultural education, and for the involvement and participation of young people in shaping EU-UK relations. The principles for setting up the network include maintaining a balance between UK and EU organisations, representation from across the UK, inclusivity, linking to the wider ecosystem and focusing solely on young people.
Furthermore, young people propose that UK-EU negotiations on youth learning mobility should be launched with a view to reaching an agreement on the UK's re-entry into the Erasmus+ programme, and that support and resources should be made available to youth organisations and youth workers on both sides to enable the development of high quality UK-EU learning mobility projects for and with young people. Young people also call for increased opportunities for cultural exchanges between young people in the UK and the EU, and for increased youth participation in dialogue and policy-making on the future of UK-EU relations.
You can read the report here
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