Youth

Working with institutions at all levels, youth civil society organizations, young people and international partners, the Mission implements activities that aim to develop the capabilities and skills of youth in the areas of public leadership, volunteerism, confidence building, critical thinking, media literacy, social cohesion and dialogue.

The Mission engages young women and men from mixed communities in public participation. Its initiatives include using technology as an enabler through IT projects such as the Digital Platform for Public Participation and supporting European Youth Awards, organizing mixed community sporting events, and introducing alternative ways to bridge community gaps and encourage youth structures in countering violent extremism and radicalization that leads to terrorism. Since 2015, it trained over 2,000 young people from different backgrounds on human rights education, facilitation skills and inter-cultural learning, and identified a core group of over 20 participants who were ready to become non-formal educators, paving the way to the creation of a Pool of Trainers.

The Mission advocates for the establishment of additional local public safety committees, and the inclusion of more young people in these mechanisms. It places special emphasis in strengthening the operational capacity and professionalism of their young members to assist in professionally addressing crime and safety concerns in their areas. Particular focus in this regard is given to preventing violent extremism, youth-related crimes, trafficking in human beings, hate crime, drug abuse, cyber security, and domestic violence.

Additionally, an emphasis is placed on empowering youth through inter-ethnic dialogue and collaboration. By bringing together young people from all backgrounds, the Mission aims to promote the sharing of human- and community-rights experiences that the participants can take back to their respective communities.