Promoting Youth Civil Space through Youth Work and Human Rights Education

Background This project, proposed jointly by two international organisations - Amnesty International and Human Rights Education Youth Network -, addressed the issues of “Shrinking Spaces” such as measures by national governments and authorities limiting freedom of expression, assembly and association, specifically impacting youth civil society in Europe. The proposal was based on a participatory needs assessment among sections of Amnesty International led by the Italian Section and the European and Central Asia Unit at the International Secretariat in London. The HRE Unit of Italian Section selected Amnesty Sections from European countries where shrinking spaces conditions were particularly critical, based on data collected and CIVICUS ranking in 2018-2019 (Hungary, Poland, Moldova). The cooperation with HREYN – Human Rights Education Youth Network and its member organization XELI from Georgia was defined through a similar process (the network’s member organizations identified the need to be better equipped at responding to “Shrinking Spaces” in their respective contexts) in the framework of a structured partnership between Amnesty International Itay and HREYN established in 2018 (JHREP – Joint Human Rights Education Youth Network). Objectives The project aimed to use rights-based youth work as a solution against the "shrinking space" phenomenon, and to build resilience capacity of the organisations to maintain and enhance youth work and HRE praxis in restrictive environments. The pedagogic basis of activities aimed to increase the quality of youth work for meaningful participation of young people through training and exchange of practices, while taking into account the evolving problematics faced by each partner organization. To reach these goals, the following objectives were set: O1 - improve programmes and practices of HRE in Amnesty International and HREYN by creating a youth work know-how and training youth workers on supporting and expanding civil society space, maintaining high-quality praxis; O2 - engage partners in a meaningful exchange of non-formal education, human rights and youth work practice, which includes learning, feedback, identifying challenges and solutions, integrating results into youth work curricula; O3 - review existing youth work tools provided by HREYN and Amnesty International, ensure the good use of project outputs into youth-oriented HRE programmes and disseminate the project results into the network and other sections. Implementation 0. Management and coordination (throughout the project) 1. Monitoring and evaluation (throughout the project) 2. Baseline study 3. Online meetings - bringing together representatives and project coordinators 4. Transnational Project Meetings. 5. Training Activity 1 - bring together youth workers to develop competences on human rights, HRE, democracy, map problems, exchange tools and practices, identify solutions and start creating the youth work curricula. 6. Local actions planning – youth workers further developed the curricula in their organizations, engaging peers and young people to have a say in the process. 7. Training Activity 2 / Blended Mobility – bring together youth workers and young people - Online sessions were based on beneficiaries learning needs, in the physical mobility participants exchanged views, tried NFE activities and reinforced roles to become peer-educators and implement local actions. 8. Local actions - participants implemented activities in their contexts. 9. Output development – throughout the project trainers, youth workers and young people co-designed the training toolkit to address “shrinking spaces”. 10. Dissemination and communication. Achievements The project improved competences of youth workers on reaching young people in restrictive environments and engaging them through HRE and youth work and empowered young people to act in their contexts. Through exchange and mutual feedback on respective practices, partners delivered high-quality trainings on “shrinking spaces” affecting young people in diverse contexts and revised existing tools and approaches. The project contributed to the creation of the publication – “Reclaiming Youth Civic Space – Promoting Youth Civic Space through Youth Work and Human Rights Education” and online modules on human rights, human rights education, youth work and youth activism to expand youth civic space. During the project beneficiaries implemented local actions, multiplying impact of the initiative both in quantitative and qualitative terms, involving local communities (local youth groups, schools, human rights organizations etc.). The project strengthened capacities and spread the notion of “shrinking space” phenomenon among partners and relevant stakeholders. Finally, the project laid the groundwork for follow-up initiatives between Amnesty International, HREYN and relevant stakeholders such as the Youth Department of the Council of Europe.