The current communication strategy for the Campaign arose from the results of one of the technical working groups at the Symposium that was held at the EYC Strasbourg in October 2005, following immediate and on-going consultation and co-operation with the Directorate of Communication of the Council of Europe.
The primary vision is that there will be multiple target groups, meaning that the Campaign is not directed exclusively at young people but also, for example, at the business sector and public authorities, as the topic involves all people and, not just the young.
A large impact is sought through a transparent and participative process involving a variety of accessible technology. The communication aims to be horizontal, systematic, extensive, consistent, multilingual, assessable and measurable in its results.
The website of the Campaign is accessible and easy to browse, and it has been developed using free software. Users can upload all kinds of information, write comments and hence be actively involved in composing the content of the web portal. Special sections of the website are designed to fulfil the needs of young people who could join the campaign, people already actively involved in the campaign, multipliers working with young people in different fields, policy-makers in the youth field, and professionals working in different media.
The communication tools also include printed documents and various “gadgets” that could be exchanged between countries, produced both by the Campaign team and on a national level. Throughout the campaign the communication technology should be developed further in various fields as for example mobile telephone/SMS technology; radio and video broadcasts with the support of the network of the national campaign committees. The content should be appealing, informative and effective.
The overall goals of the communication strategy are:
• to deliver information about the Campaign and its activities,
• to motivate people to join the campaign
• to raise awareness in the target groups,
• to build up a common Europe-wide network
• to gather resources (financial, human and "in kind").