Applications are open – participate in the Youth Sounding Board for International Partnerships!

The Commission today launched a call for applications to participate in the Youth Sounding Board for International Partnerships. The board will advise the Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen on the relevance and effectiveness of EU external action when it comes to youth.

Commissioner Urpilainen said: “From climate change to digitalisation, and education to jobs, young people have hopes and ambitions. They really want to engage, and should be encouraged and empowered. There is no future without youth. It’s time we give young people a seat where it counts: at the decision-making table.”

The Youth Sounding Board for International Partnerships will be a space where young people can meaningfully be involved in EU external action and international cooperation.

It will be composed of 25 members, aged from 18 to 30 years old, from Africa, Asia, the Pacific, the Middle East, Latin America, and the Caribbean, as well as from the European Union. The aim is to bring together young people with a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, areas of interest and expertise, and – of course – opinions.

During their two-year term, the members will advise on topics of EU external action, including education, employment, the environment, climate change, and digitalisation. They will also have their say on issues such as human rights and democracy, gender, social inclusion and health, as well as media, culture and the arts.

In addition to giving young people a platform to influence EU external action, the Youth Sounding Board aims to create opportunities for young people and youth organisations from the EU and partner countries to connect and exchange.

Applications are open until 26 April 2021. Further information can be found on the Youth Sounding Board webpage.