Young people should have access to affordable, youth-friendly and accessible information and counselling service

What is the situation?      

Young people living in disadvantaged neighbourhoods:

  • Have limited access to information and counselling services.  This can be because of a lack of resources and their isolation from public services.

What should public authorities do?

  • Invest in setting up or improving comprehensive, accessible, youth-friendly and up-to-date information services for young people (if possible, through information and communication technologies (ICTs)). These services should provide information on social rights, civil and social participation and mobility
  • Ensure that staff involved in counselling and other professionals that engage with young people in disadvantaged neighbourhoods are trained in inter-cultural and gender-sensitive awareness
  • Ensure that information and counselling services are widely available through existing locations within the community, such as in schools, youth centres, health centres and public libraries
  • Put in place measures to ensure that for youth information and counselling services meet recognised standards of quality and effectiveness

Examples from the Enter! Project

SOS Children's Village Association of Belarus worked with over 30 young orphans from foster families and a care home to prepare them in their transition to independent living. The young people involved in the project participated in training sessions, workshops and created personal development plans that aimed to raise their awareness on their social rights in the areas of education, housing, employment, and health. The project aimed to support these young people to gain the knowledge, skills and confidence they needed to live independently.

In “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”, the Association of Citizens Sumnal worked with young Roma aged 13-19 from three neighbourhoods in Skopje. Through community outreach, needs assessments, and workshops, the project improved their access to employment and health services. The participants met and communicated with other young people from different communities with Skopje, learnt how to develop projects and programmes and learnt about the range of services available in their local area. As well as improving community cohesion in the local neighbourhood, 50 of the participants obtained scholarships from the Roma Education Fund and the Ministry of Education; 10 were registered for social security benefits that they had not previously received; and, through partnership with the Employment and Social Services Agency, 15 gained employment.