Manual for facilitators (2022)

A guide for organising and facilitating the educational process of study sessions held at the European Youth Centres

The Council of Europe youth sector aims at enabling young people across Europe to actively uphold, defend, promote and benefit from the Council of Europe’s core values of human rights, democracy and the rule of law, notably by strengthening young people’s access to rights, deepening youth knowledge and broadening youth participation.

The activities of the European Youth Centres of Budapest and Strasbourg play a central role in the education and training of young ‘multipliers’ of Council of Europe values. The core of these activities is the programme of study sessions, week-long intercultural non-formal learning activities that are held in cooperation with European youth organisations and networks. These activities bring to the Youth for Democracy programme of the Council of Europe the unique experiences, expectations and concerns of young people regarding contemporary issues and challenges that affect their access to rights and of participating in all spheres of society.

The study sessions of the European Youth Centres have been trendsetters in European youth work and remain a benchmark for intercultural youth activities. This manual is published to support the quality of study sessions and other educational activities in the Youth for Democracy programme. Preparing facilitators and developing their competences is one of the essential prerequisites for enabling exchanges of views and dialogical learning, preparing the participants to act as multipliers in their day-to-day lives, and ultimately contributing to the values and priorities of the Council of Europe and its youth sector.

This Manual for Facilitators provides essential information, insights and practical tips in the planning and delivering of non-formal education intercultural activities while taking into account essential approaches of intercultural learning, human rights education and youth participation.

This manual is a contribution to the quality of intercultural non-formal education activities of youth organisations and at making those activities a truly learning experience for young people in the Council of Europe.