Consultation: | FYEG General Assembly 2024 |
---|---|
Agenda item: | 9. Plans |
Proposer: | FYEG EC |
Status: | Published |
Submitted: | 07/23/2024, 15:57 |
P1: Activity Plan 2024- 2025
Title
Plan text
The 2024-2025 Activity Plan for this GA will present FYEG’s work from August
2024 until June 2025. You will find the overview of all of FYEG’s activities
planned for this period below. The activities are divided into the 4th
overarching objectives of the FYEG 2022-25 Strategy.
1. Strengthening the FYEG Network and Membership
Coordination
FYEG will organise the already traditional two network activities during this
mandate to facilitate political exchanges.
The Young Green Forum, which will serve as a precursor to the annual General
Assembly (GA) of FYEG, where representatives from Member Organisations (MOs),
working groups, and other FYEG bodies convene online to exchange ideas and
discuss organisational and political issues. It is an excellent opportunity for
FYEG members to network, establish stronger connections, and provide feedback to
enhance FYEG's activities. The Forum will be held online, tentatively by the end
of January 2025, and will be mainly used as a space to present the financial
report of the fiscal year 2024, address statutory issues ahead of the GA, and
facilitate political exchanges among the Member Organisations mid-mandate.
The General Assembly, our highest decision-making body of FYEG, where MO
delegates will approve the main political lines of FYEG for the next mandate. In
this event, the delegates will also elect the organisation's leaders and approve
new potential members. The 2025 General Assembly will be held in late spring. It
will be followed by the annual public conference that brings together experts,
representatives of the federation, young activists and FYEG partners to discuss
and debate a particular political topic.
FYEG Executive Committee will hold three live EC Meetings, tentatively in
September 2024, January 2025, and April 2024.
Membership Coordination
FYEG remains committed to fostering the growth and coordination of its MOs,
which form the essence of our Federation. In pursuit of this goal, FYEG will
hold regional meetings and put in place other spaces for feedback, coordination
and update, such as 1-on-1 meetings.
As mentioned in the previous Activity Plan, the outgoing EC decided to divide
the former region Center-West into Center and West. This division will remain
unless deemed otherwise by the newly elected EC. The Executive Committee members
responsible for these regions will oversee the organisation of regional
meetings, the frequency will be decided following the recommendations from the
last mandates and the objectives established in the framework of the current
Strategy, and will foster coordination and communication across all regions.
The Executive Committee aims to provide more attention and assistance to
strategic and priority MOs. These MOs are established at the beginning of the
mandate following political criteria. Dedicated budget for MO visits is
allocated for the EC to visit these MOs (see financial plan and its attached
budget). MOs are encouraged to invite the FYEG EC to visit their activities.
The Membership Coordination will start to converge with the development of
FYEG’s digital strategy and the set up of our online space hosted in the Green
Base (Discord). With that aim, the EC and the Office will steer the
participation of the members of our network in this digital platform, with the
aim to foster more independent and bottom-up relations between the FYEGers and
their MOs.
FYEG's strategy to enhance the involvement of its MOs from the East includes
ongoing assistance and collaboration with the Cooperation and Development
Network (CDN).
Furthermore, FYEG will continue to track the participation and representation of
its MOs in its activities and structures, with special care for the MOs in
Southern and Eastern Europe and in the Balkans.
Estonian Young Greens MTÜ Noored Rohelised will be in its third year of
candidacy and should move to full membership in the next mandate, unless they
wish to revoke their membership, a Study visit should be organised before spring
2025. Romanian Young Greens Tinerii Verzi will be in their second year; the EC
is suggesting to exclude them from the network. Should the MOs not support the
recommendation of exclusion and wish to move to full membership, a Study visit
should be organised.
2. Capacity Building and Educational Activities
MO trainings
After a hiatus of one year in 2024, FYEG is bringing back the Young Greens
Decentralised Trainings (YGDT). In this edition, and with the aim to work
towards a greater incorporation of this programme into FYEG’s activities and
calendar, a number of novelties will be introduced. The programme will take
place during a period of 6 months, will focus on building the recruitment and
digital capacities of the Member Organisations, and will include a training on
Digital Organising by the European Centre for Digital Action. The trainees will
also visit Brussels and the European Parliament during the live meeting, and the
programme includes as a part of its practical exercises applying for a FYEG
grant in order to organise a strategic meeting of the national board of the MO.
The call will open in late autumn 2024. The selected participants will commit to
follow the steps of this project (online training and live meeting in Brussels)
and implement the decentralised meeting of the board through the financial
support offered by FYEG (therefore acquiring hands-on experience on grant
application and reporting).
Educational activities: Focus on social justice
The 2-year long project that FYEG implemented to prepare and implement the EU
elections campaign comes to an end in autumn 2024:
The 5-day event “Ready, Set, Go - The Green Future'' will bring together
around 40 participants from all over Europe, from FYEG MOs and other youth
organisations. The activities will focus on exploring the means of
political and activist participation, now beyond the participation in
elections. The event will take place in Baku (Azerbaijan), in parallel to
COP29; the event will therefore include activities focused on exploring
ways of sustainable environmental activism, as well as participation in a
peaceful demonstration and actions linked to the main events of COP29. The
EC and Office have put special care into considering the safety of the
participants, as well as our local young greens on the ground, to ensure
all participants are safe and that our colleagues in Azerbaijan are not in
danger after the implementation of the activity. Upon the announcement of
Azerbaijan as the host country, FYEG and CDN have been working together
for the organisation of this event.
In 2025, the participants to FYEG’s educational activities will share their
understanding of social justice and the dimensions of its evolution through the
“One for all, all for one” Annual Work Plan. FYEG will host three main
international activities:
At the beginning of the year, a 3-day event, “European Lab: Social
justice, here and now”, will bring together around 50 young people from
FYEG MOs, environmental and progressive youth movements, and young
politicians to explore the existing social justice definitions and
critically assess whether they are sufficient. In this event, participants
will develop a young green understanding of social justice that will guide
the work during the remaining two phases of the AWP.
The Annual Work Plan 2025 will expand during the mandate 2025-2026 with two more
activities:
A 6-day summer camp, “Policies of today, and of tomorrow”, will focus on
policies that function in the legal and political sphere of contemporary
Europe, both on the European and national/regional levels. This event will
gather approximately 40 young people, be it participants of the previous
event or new ones. The participants will be informed what policies are,
how to evaluate them, and will engage in activities that will allow them
to explore in detail concrete regulatory proposals related, among others,
to access to rights, environmental protection, animal rights and
migration. They will also create their own policy assessment projects, to
put their newly-gained skills into practice, and power FYEG’s social
justice informational campaign.
A 4-month long online learning academy on social justice, “Young Green
Academy: Social justice in theory and practice”, will take place in the
FYEG digital space, developed during the WP23 and WP24 on Discord. The
activity will begin with two interactive workshops led by experts who will
support the participants in discovering the realm of policies around the
topics of:Equality and youth representation;
Environmental Justice and the New Green Deal;
Food justice and plant-based revolution;
Fair and just security.
MO Grant Programmes
After two years of great successes in the implementation of the subgranting
schemes, in 2025, FYEG will fund decentralised activities through the
“Empowering the EU” Grant Programme. FYEG will support the implementation of up
to 10 decentralised projects designed to protect and promote rights and EU
values, with a particular emphasis on addressing issues of racial justice and
fostering the independent living and empowerment of European youth. The awarded
MOs will implement their projects between June to October.
In this occasion, we bring two different topics for the interested applicants to
choose from two topics:
- 1. Strengthen the MO’s capacity to protect and promote rights and EU values.
By applying to this grant topic, the MO will receive funds to organise and
implement an in-person training / strategic meeting of its structures (board,
secretariat, etc.) with the aim to develop a plan to strengthen the organisation
and its capacities to promote EU values.
The participants to the Young Greens Decentralised Training must apply for this
MO grant, and include in the programme of this strategic meeting a space to
share with their peers the learnings of the programme. Other MOs are also
eligible (selection is subjected to availability of funds and quality of the
applications).
- 2. Increase citizens awareness on EU rights and values
The MOs applying to receive funds for this topic will have to design an online
and/or offline campaign (printed material, campaign events, social media posts…)
and/or dissemination activity (conferences, educational event, creation and
publication of media…) on relevant issues connected to European rights and
values.
The call for decentralised events will be open for two months, after its launch
around february. An info session will be organised for all interested MOs.
Especially the second type of action will be specially considerate and
positively evaluated by including emphasis on topics related to racial justice
and/or youth independent living, empowerment and participation in decision-
making processes.
The actions should be implemented from June to October. The call for actions
will provide more in-depth information.
Working Groups
After several years of developing and overseeing working groups, the Executive
Committee (EC) has evaluated the process and decided to restructure and enhance
their flow. Moving forward, working groups will transition to FYEG’s digital
space (the Green Base hosted on Discord) to streamline their creation and
operation. An EC representative will be assigned to each group to ensure their
efforts align with and strengthen FYEG’s structures and plans.
The two currently existing Working Groups, the Beyond Growth Platform (BGP) and
the Racial Justice Task Force (RJTF) will therefore fully transition to the
Green Base. This move aims to make both groups more accessible to all the young
greens members of the digital community, fostering greater collaboration and
engagement and promotion of their initiatives, opportunities and work.
The RJTF will continue to serve as a safe space for young greens of racialised
and ethnicised communities to organise, with the support of the Office and the
EC, the activities and lead the projects of their preference in the field of
antiracism. To ensure the principles of racial justice are integrated into
FYEG’s formal structures, and with the conviction that antiracism and
inclusivity in FYEG is not a task that should be on the shoulders of racialised
and ethnicised young greens only, an Anti-Racism group will be established.
The EC, with the support of the Office, will monitor potential proposals for new
Working Groups as a result of exchanges and discussions among the members of the
Green Base. The EC will also empower the young greens to take part in ad-hoc
efforts, creating limited-duration groups with specific objectives, similar to
the great experiences of the teams created in this past mandate linked to the EU
elections campaign 2024.
3. Bringing forward the Young Greens perspective
General communications and campaigns; FYEG channels and
Ecosprinter
FYEG General Communications bring European and international politics closer to
our audiences. We aim to deliver clear, impactful political messages through
social media on current events and critical issues, with special attention to
the priorities of the MOs. To achieve this ,we will communicate on our political
statements and advocacy on current topics using explainer videos or slides to
raise awareness, understanding and engagement with EU news and topics.
Collaboration with our MOs, the Greens/EFA in the European Parliament, and the
European Green Party will help us expand our reach. We will also continue to
collaborate with other like-minded Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and youth-
led organisations to create joint actions and/or statements.
The Ecosprinter will continue to be independently coordinated by the Ecosprinter
Editorial Board, providing a platform for young Europeans to express their views
on various topics, and with the support and ad-hoc steering of one of the
members of the EC.
Lobbying and advocacy; influencing and collaborating with
partners and relevant stakeholders
The joint efforts of the FYEG Executive Committee (EC) and the FYEG
representative in the European Green Party (EGP) Committee will be pivotal in
2024. We will continue to work closely with the EGP to design youth-oriented
events and include young members of EGP’s member parties in these events through
engaging formats. The FYEG EC will actively participate in the EGP Congress in
December 2024, ensuring that the youth perspective is represented. We aim to
replicate the success of the 2023 Lyon Congress by increasing the presence of
FYEG members through strategic collaboration and influencing the EGP’s guest
list for the event.
We will formalise a bilateral agreement between FYEG and the Greens/EFA Group,
including both financial and political dimensions. This agreement will ensure
FYEG’s involvement in youth-related issues within the CULT Committee and other
relevant matters in the European Parliament and the Group’s campaigns. Our
participation will extend to the Greens/EFA's strategic group meetings,
including regular attendance at weekly communications meetings and ad-hoc
presence at other critical group meetings. FYEG will also ensure representation
at any Greens/EFA retreats that may occur.
We will continue to support our sister organisation in Eastern Europe (CDN). We
will continue to work closely for the creation of joint campaigns and statements
like the “Divest from Russia” or the position on the situation in Nagorno-
karabakh. In 2024, the 3rd activity of the 2024 AWP is also organised in
collaboration with CDN. Based on the great experience of having the chance to
count with the leadership of CDN in the latest EGP Congress, we will continue to
advocate for such opportunities of collaboration.
FYEG will maintain its role in the Advisory Council of the Council of Europe,
building on the efforts of previous FYEG members to prioritise climate action
and social policies in the Council of Europe’s recommendations to its member
states.
FYEG will actively participate in the European Youth Forum (YFJ) spaces,
including coordination meetings among Political Party Youth Organizations. Our
representation in these forums will help amplify the youth perspective on
various issues and foster stronger collaboration with other youth organisations.
FYEG set up a delegation to attend the COP29 in November in Baku (Azerbaijan).
Similarly to previous occasions, a group of young activists will be selected to
access the UNFCCC with FYEG’s observer NGO badges. FYEG COP delegates will work
with our partners in the Green Family, coordinate with youth-led organisations
on the ground, and meet with the participants of the educational event organised
in parallel to COP.
Disseminating FYEG’s work and ideas through digital
campaigning and the promotion of outputs
In 2024, FYEG will further develop and implement the digital strategy initiated
in 2023, which includes digital campaigning and a CRM system. This strategy aims
to expand our mailing list and volunteer base, thereby nurturing our Member
Organizations. We will focus on creating specific, engaging opportunities and
mobilising activities for our membership base to foster a stronger sense of
community among FYEGers.
FYEG's mailing strategy, supported by the European Centre for Digital Action
(ECDA), will explore new possibilities for digital engagement while also
prioritising fundraising efforts. This approach will ensure that our digital
campaigns are not only effective in disseminating our work and ideas but also in
securing the necessary resources to sustain our initiatives.
4. Organisational Growth
Strategic Framework
As the current Strategy (2022-25) approaches its end, FYEG will continue the
processes for its membership base, including Member Organizations (MOs) and
volunteers, to contribute to the development of the new Strategy (2025-30) that
started in Spring 2024. The new strategy will be approved at the General
Assembly in 2025.
Member Organizations will participate in a MO Survey, designed with the support
of external consultants, to gather diverse insights and feedback. Additionally,
a reduced group of FYEG members, advised by external experts, will engage in
Focus Group Discussions to delve deeper into specific areas of interest.
The EC, following the guidelines and insights provided by the consultants, will
lead the creation of the new Strategy. The EC will collaborate closely with the
Office to establish a robust Strategic Framework that aligns with the needs of
the FYEG community, ensuring a cohesive plan for 2025-2030.
FYEG will develop a framework to measure the Inclusion Plan 2024-2027 that
complements the Strategic Plan. Further measures included in the Inclusion Plan
will be detailed in the Activity Report or any other required document or
channel for monitoring and accountability.
Human Resources, internal management and transfer of
knowledge
To ensure seamless transitions and efficient collaboration, FYEG will prioritise
structured handovers between EC members and office staff. Allocating dedicated
time for these handovers will facilitate knowledge transfer and continuity in
the organisation's work.
Team-building activities will be an essential part of the process, aimed at
fostering a cohesive and collaborative working environment within both the EC
and the Secretariat. These activities will help build strong interpersonal
relationships, enhance communication, and ensure that all team members are
aligned with FYEG’s goals and values.
Following the recommendation of the EC, FYEG will explore the possibility of
hiring the co-spokes, allocating time and resources to thoroughly investigate
this option and potential organisational changes that should be taken to
implement this measure.
Additionally, FYEG will continue to focus on improving internal processes and
enhancing the efficiency of its operations. This includes the ongoing evaluation
of the task division within the EC, based on feedback from previous mandates, as
well as a comprehensive and updated delegation order, that is in line with our
standards of efficiency, transparency and professionalism. By maintaining a
focus on well-being and working conditions, flexibility and understanding, FYEG
will support its members and staff in achieving a healthy work-life balance.
In 2023, FYEG created two new positions, the Campaign and Events Officer and the
Community Manager. Their tasks and responsibilities were linked to the campaign,
and therefore the former has already finished their contract and the latter will
be leaving the office soon. The EC decided to create a junior part-time
position, the Community Officer, that will be responsible for the continuation
of the development of the digital community and the engagement of the volunteers
after the major efforts invested in this structure in the past months. One month
of handover is planned between the Community Manager and the Community Officer.
Diversification of funds and preparedness
Following significant growth in financial capacity due to the success of the
2019 EU elections, which also enhanced the office's grant application
capabilities and contributed to an increased FYEG budget, FYEG is now capable of
designing, planning, and implementing more events than ever before. In light of
reduced resources from the Green Family members, our focus will be on two key
areas:
Maintaining Core Grants: We will prioritize securing our primary current
grants, including the European Youth Foundation’s Annual Work Plan and the
Commission’s CERV Programme. For the latter, we plan to apply for the
Framework Agreement (2026-2030) in Spring 2025, aiming to ensure a steady
flow of funds.
Diversifying Funding Sources: We will intensify our efforts to diversify
our funding base by exploring new funding opportunities, such as Erasmus+,
with special focus on investing these funds into MO training programs,
ensuring the long-term sustainability of these activities.
In line with the development of the Digital Strategy, FYEG will further explore
the possibilities of fundraising through targeting small donors.
Amendments
- P1 A1 (Joves Ecosocialistes, Published)