UNESCO Youth Club of Thessaloniki
Recherche partenariat
UNESCO Youth Club of Thessaloniki (UNESCO-YCT) is a non-profit local youth NGO that was founded in 2004 in Thessaloniki. Its establishment was approved by the Hellenic National Commission for ;
The Organisation is a member of the Greek Federation of Clubs, Centers and Associations for UNESCO, the Greek National Youth Council, the Network of Voluntary Organisations of Thessaloniki, the Greek Network of the Anna Lindh Foundation, the Network Select Respect for Human Rights and the Hellenic Platform for Development. It is also a registered organization in the General Secretariat for Youth in Greece and a member of the Network of the European Youth Capitals.
Based on the fundamental principles and objectives of UNESCO and the EU, the Club’s activities can be mainly categorized in the fields of youth, education and human rights, culture and communication. The main goal is to deploy the youth priorities and strategies of the EU, the Council of Europe, the United Nations and UNESCO in order to support young people, fostering their engagement within the local and European societies. UNESCO-YCT plays a leading role in youth activities in its region, promoting youth participation, inclusion and education initiatives. Youth employment and social inclusion, active citizenship, non-formal education, volunteerism and the EU Youth Strategy are listed among the Club’s main priorities when implementing its activities in local and regional level.
Recently the Organization has been authorized by the Office for Greece and Cyprus of the United Nations Regional Information Office in Brussels (UNRIC) as a national promoter of the UN Youth Strategy 2030. Within this framework, the Organisation has provided the United Nations with the official Greek translated version of the UN Youth Strategy 2030. In addition, the Organisation organised during October 2019 the 1st Balkan Forum on the UN Youth Strategy 2030, elaborating on the priorities and challenges of the young people in the Balkan area, promoting youth-led advocacy.
Among the Organisations major priorities are:
- To undertake thorough research and documentation on political and social issues with an emphasis on youth inclusion, human rights, diversity, education, youth participation and active citizenship.
- To develop thematic expertise to inform public debates in a responsible and accurate manner, and to participate in policy making concerning youth issues.
- To apply new ways and methodology to tackle discrimination and boost youth inclusion.
- To raise awareness of the importance and benefits of youth participation and engagement.
- To support public debate so as to address social challenges focusing on youth, such as the case of NEETs (persons Not in Education, Employment or Training), young migrants and refugees, intercultural dialogue and social cohesion.
- To engage in political and civic education and participation.
In its fifteen years of existence, UNESCO-YCT has implemented various activities at a local, regional and European level, promoting cross-border cooperation and dialogue between young people. The Club has envisioned and initiated the international youth project “Contacts for the Common Future”, that aims to bring together young people and youth workers from the neighboring countries (since 2010). It has been a partner in various EU funded mobility trainings, giving the opportunity to hundreds of young people to gain the experience of non-formal education. Further, the Club was authorized by the Greek Office of UNRIC as a national promoter of the International Year of Youth (IYY) of the United Nations (2010-2011).
During the last years, the Organisation develops educational activities concerning the ERASMUS+ opportunities for high-school students in cooperation with the teachers and the regional directorates of secondary education. In addition, efforts have been made to support the young refugees to integrate into the formal education system.
The means to achieve the foregoing objectives, priorities and actions are mainly the following:
- The organisation of courses, lectures, seminars, conferences and various types of events.
- The establishment of cooperation and synergies with other Greek and European organisations and institutions such as civil society organisations, local governments, universities, research centres, associations, institutes and scientific bodies cultural centres, secondary schools and communities which share the same or similar scientific objects and research interests.
- The connection and interaction of the civil society with the local authorities in terms of capacity building in decision-making, policy designing and advocacy on fundamental human rights and human dignity.
- The cooperation and synergies with the academia, especially with the University of Macedonia in Thessaloniki and the academic staff of the offered Master's Degree in European Policies on Youth, Education and Culture, as well as the long-lasting cooperation with the UNESCO Chair in Intercultural Policy of the same University.
- The collaboration with UNRIC and the General Secretariat for Youth in Greece.
- The collaboration with the UNESCO associated Schools Network.