For a holistic aproach to education – YFJ COMEM
From the 22nd to the 23rd of November OBESSU was represented by Board Members Ida Kreutzman and Dejan Bojanic in Thessaloniki, Greece at the Council of Members (COMEM) of the European Youth Forum (YFJ). The event resulted in two adopted policy papers and a resolution, outcomes that OBESSU was very pleased to see.
The adopted policy paper on Quality Education was a result of a longer process conducted by the YFJ. OBESSU OBESSU was an important part of this process through a taskforce on quality education last spring and as members of the YFJ Working Group on Education. On the spot in Thessaloniki, OBESSU worked on improving the paper once more in the Policy Commission organised before the discussion in plenary, and was happy to see it being voted through as an official policy document of the Forum! This paper means that the European Youth Forum now has an official position in education, and a holistic approach to education covering both formal and non-formal education. The paper talks, among other things, about education as a human right and how it should be accessible for all, the importance of a learner-centered approach and how education should never exist as a tool for the labour market. These are all demands that are shared by OBESSU, which is why we have worked on including them in this policy paper.
The second adopted policy paper is a revised policy paper on citizenship education. After our work in the YFJ Working Group and in Thessaloniki in the Policy Commission, this paper already reflected a lot of OBESSU’s views of citizenship education, democracy and participation. OBESSU was happy to see how the paper especially mentions the role of school democracy and the promotion of active citizenship as an important aspect of formal education.
Apart from this, OBESSU also took part in two different thematic squares at the COMEM to share our expertise in areas we work in: the upcoming European Parliament elections and the Structured Dialogue process.
During the days in Greece OBESSU also took the chance to present the campaign on social inclusion called ”Education, we have a problem!” at a youth fair. This was organised in the city hall of Thessaloniki on Thursday the 21st, together with both international and national youth organisations.
Picture by the European Youth Forum
Written by OBESSU Board Member Ida Kreutzman
