EUSALP Youth Council

EUSALP Youth Council
Shape the future of the Alpine region

Context information

EUSALP is implemented by nine Action Groups under three action-oriented pillars and one cross-cutting policy. The EUSALP Youth Council will provide a platform for institutional involvement of young people in all EUSALP bodies to make sure that their ideas and viewpoints are heard and considered. It allows young participants, thanks to a legitimate position due to the official nature of their mandate, to discuss the objectives of the global EUSALP strategy and to contribute ideas. 

You want to make the Alpine region a world-renowned science location? Promote innovative jobs and companies? Find the best education and the best job in the Alpine Space? Make transport in the Alpine region more sustainable? Use digitalization to connect the Alpine regions? Preserve the natural and cultural heritage of the Alps? Create green connections in the Alpine space? Prevent natural hazards and climate change? Make the Alps a model region for renewable energies? So do we! All these topics are addressed by the nine EUSALP Action Groups. The EUSALP Youth Council will work together with us to implement these issues.

Why a Youth Council? 

In the framework of the youth.shaping.EUSALP workshops, young people raised the demand to have the opportunity to directly contribute their viewpoints and ideas in the EUSALP institutions. Young people should not discuss separated from the EUSALP bodies, but sit at the same table with the EUSALP decision-makers. The EUSALP regions and states agreed to create a Youth Council as an official instance to represent the youth in the Alpine region. Once again convinced that in this time of global change, youth play a key role in the decision-making process, they felt it necessary to include this participatory opportunity in their general organization.

The EUSALP Youth Council is financially supported by the European Commission and the Land Tyrol as lead partner of “youth.shaping.EUSALP”.

What are the aims? 

When young people join the EUSALP Youth Council, they are part of an official body of EUSALP. Representatives of the Youth Council can participate in the Executive Board and the General Assembly and work together with the Action Groups and the presidency. This gives them a unique opportunity to discover new tools for acting democratically and legitimately in their daily environment. They get new tips on how to communicate, decide, debate and share ideas while working together despite language or cultural differences. The Youth Council will offer a space for exchange, interaction, learning and joint work on ideas. In return, EUSALP gets the opportunity to receive new ideas from those who will live in the Alps in the future. In this way, the EUSALP decision-makers want to make EUSALP fit for the future

What is it? 

The Youth Council is composed of about 28 members, 4 members from each Alpine country (Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Slovenia, Switzerland), and can:

  • propose concrete actions and projects and suggest topics to the Executive Board, General Assembly, Presidency and Action Groups within the scope of the Action Plan of EUSALP
  • contribute to EUSALP priorities and policies with the presidency
  • participate in all youth activities of EUSALP (Pitch your project jury, Youth Camp, Online Platform)
  • participate in events (Team Building events, Annual Forum, EUSALP events and workshops)
  • optional: implement small projects or events (support by EUSALP bodies to find funding; necessary: coordination with Action Group(s) and Executive Board)

Mentors within the EUSALP bodies will accompany and support the Youth Council members. The EUSALP states and regions cover travel and accommodation costs for meetings and events.

Who can participate? 

This project targets young people from 18 to 29 years old living in the 48 EUSALP member regions. Participants must be interested in shaping the future of the Alpine space and have a basic understanding of English. However, there is no need to be proficient in English – we are a multi-lingual team and help you find your way in EUSALP. Moreover, young participants must be ready to commit for one year to the EUSALP Youth Council and available to participate at the teambuilding event in summer 2023, exact date and location is to be confirmed. The third term will be between July 2023 and July 2024. This commitment includes the participation in 4-5 physical meetings, virtual exchanges, the work in small groups on proposals and projects and the voluntary participation in events, institutional bodies and further youth activities, e.g. the Pitch your project competition.

The members of the Youth Council are selected at random. As the Youth Council wants to reflect the diversity in the Alpine region, attention is paid to a balance of young people from the seven EUSALP states, from different EUSALP regions, of different genders, with different educational or professional backgrounds and with or without experience in youth organizations or projects.

As an active citizen, this youth council gives you the chance to have a real position to contribute to the strategic decisions in the Alps in which you are living.