Submitted by Emilie on 16 February, 2006 - 14:47.
Youth participation in society can contribute to fighting structural discrimination and promoting diversity. The practice of participation of the individual is an effective means for finding one’s place in society.
"Nothing about us, without us" is a basic principle for ensuring participation.
To build a fully-fledged participative society needs volunteers, committed citizens and politicians, who are convinced of democratic decision-making at all levels of the political process. And it needs the recognition of PARTICIPATION as the very centre of democracy and as the decisive indicator for its quality. There is an active associative life in Europe, there are volunteers everywhere, non-governmental organisations perform excellent work, with more success than is publicly recognised. Yet still not all citizens have the same access, particularly those from weak social backgrounds and minorities, but also children, women, workers and employees, pupils, students, immigrants and refugees...
