The Roma Youth Action Plan is a response of the Council of Europe to challenges faced by Roma young people in Europe, particularly in relation to their empowerment, participation in policy decision-making processes and structures at European level, and multiple realities of discrimination. The Action Plan is based on the outcomes of the first Roma Youth Conference organised in 2011, and complements the Council of Europe Strasbourg Declaration on Roma by associating Roma youth to its implementation.
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The Action Plan includes activities of the Youth Department and of other sectors of the Council of Europe, particularly some of the activities of the Team of the Special Representative of the Secretary General for Roma issues (for example, the RoMed programme, the work of the Ad-Hoc Committee of Experts on Roma Issues), the Directorate of Human Rights and Anti-discrimination, along with activities proposed by other partners.
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The partners of the Roma Youth Action Plan include, first and foremost, youth organisations: the Forum of European Roma Young People (FERYP), ternYpe – International Roma Youth Network. Phiren Amenca – a network of Roma and non-Roma volunteers and voluntary service organisations and the European Youth Forum; the Open Society Foundations, the European Roma Rights Centre, the Roma Education Fund, Salto Youth Network and OSCE – ODIHR also take part in the plan. The project is also open to other interested stakeholders.

An Informal Contact Group co-ordinates the partners in the implementation and evaluation of the programme of activities.

Resources for the implementation of the Action Plan are being mobilised by the various partners, the Youth Department of the Council of Europe, and the Roma youth networks.

The Roma Youth Action Plan gives priority to human rights and intercultural dialogue as responses to discrimination and antigypsyism, together with the development and capacity building of Roma youth organisations and movements. Training and capacity building has, thus, an important role in the Roma Youth Action Plan, not only because of what individual Roma youth leaders may learn and develop individually, but also and especially by what they will experience and do together.
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• Read the Roma Youth Action Plan
• Read the Roma Youth Action Plan Brochure
• Read “The Strasbourg Declaration on Roma”

The Joint Council on Youth, the co-managed political body of the Council of Europe’s Youth Sector, has defined three strategic priorities for 2018-2019:

• Access to rights
• Youth participation and youth work
• Inclusive and peaceful societies

​When submitting a grant application, you are asked to indicate how your project is linked to the Youth Sector’s priorities. Before preparing your international activity or work plan application for 2018 (deadline for applications: 1 April 2017), please consult the guidelines containing the priorities (expected results) and programme orientations for 2018-2019.
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Note: The 2016-2017 priorities are still valid for pilot activity applications in 2017.

The active participation of young people in decisions and actions at local and regional level is essential if we are to build more democratic, inclusive and prosperous societies. Participation in the democratic life of any community is about more than voting or standing for election, although these are important elements. Participation and active citizenship is about having the right, the means, the space and the opportunity and where necessary the support to participate in and influence decisions and engage in actions and activities so as to contribute to building a better society.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (commonly abbreviated as the CRC, CROC, or UNCRC) is a human rights treaty which sets out the civil, political, economic, social, health and cultural rights of children. The Convention defines a child as any human being under the age of eighteen, unless the age of majority is attained earlier under national legislation.
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Nations that ratify this convention are bound to it by international law. Compliance is monitored by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, which is composed of members from countries around the world. Once a year, the Committee submits a report to the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly, which also hears a statement from the CRC Chair, and the Assembly adopts a Resolution on the Rights of the Child.

​Young people have been hit particularly hard by the economic crisis of 2008 and its aftermath and increasing numbers face long-term unemployment, discrimination and poverty. This new strategy aims to make sure that Erasmus+ tackles the challenges facing young people effectively

The European Union is taking active measures to help some of the most vulnerable people in society: young people who lack the opportunities of their peers. 

Targeting young people with fewer opportunities has long been a pillar of the European Union's work in the field of youth, notably through project funding for organisations working in this area.

Within the heritage of Don Bosco, the partners of Don Bosco Youth-Net strive together to realize the following aims:

1. At first it is important for us to bring young people across Europe and the world together, to take part in youth activities that are linked with the style of working through the spirit of Don Bosco.  We want to organize international initiatives that contribute to the full development of young people.  It is necessary thereby to broaden the opportunities for young people who are, by reasons of various kinds, excluded from these kinds of activities. 
2. Furthermore we strive for a profound exchange of information, ideas and experiences between the different partners. We want to facilitate contact, and deepen the understanding between the member organisations so more joint activities can take place. This is realised through weekends, the development of a website and coordination from the international office.
3. And last, but not least, we want to represent the voice of the Don Bosco young people and defend their interests at an international level. 

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To put these aims into practice, we develop Master Plan for the period of 3 years.  The current master plan determines our strategy for the period 2015 – 2017 .  Under the 4 strategic actions we are focussing on 4 fields of work: Education, Inclusion, Growth and Synergy.