Working Group on Youth Policy - WGYP

Youth policy was on the BEAC agenda for the first time at it’s sixth meeting in Bodø in 1999. An ad-hoc Working Group on Youth Policy (WGYP) was established, and made permanent in 2002. In May 2002 the BEAC Ministers for Youth Policy adopted a Plan of Action with the aim to promote increased co-operation within the youth field in the Barents Region. In order ro realise this a Barents Youth Co-operation Office staffed by a co-ordinator was established in Murmansk in December 2002.

Here is a full list of documents related to WGYP.


The Swedish Chairmanship 2009-2011

  Sweden took over the chair after Russia at the Barents Euro-Arctic Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth Policy 23-24 September 2009 (see below), and will be chairing the working group for two years.

Overarching priorities of the Swedish Chairmanship in the WGYP is to further promote young people’s active citizenship and strengthen the networks and international contacts of young people and youth

The Swedish Chairmanship will work to implement the recommendations from the Conference of Ministers of Youth Policy held in Murmansk in September of 2009. Important tasks will be:

• to develop a new Plan of Action for the work of the WGYP
• to enhance cooperation with relevant working groups within the Barents Euro-Arctic Council and the Barents Regional Council, as well as with other cooperation structures in the region

During 2010 the work of the WGYP will be to develop a new Plan of Action.

During 2011 focus will be on the implementation of this new plan of action and investigating the possibilities of an event to promote the themes of the new Plan of Action. This will be planned in close cooperation with the Barents Regional Youth Council (see below) and the Regional Working Group on Youth Issues. 

Activity report of the Swedish WGYP chairmanship 2009-2011 


Swedish Chairmanship Event 2011

The Swedish chairmanship of the Barents Euro-Arctic Youth Policy cooperation arranges the conference “Barents Euro-Arctic Conference on Youth issues – From Passion to Action” which will take place in Umeå, Sweden 11-12 May 2011. For more information about this event, follow the related link in the right margin.


Barents Regional Youth Council - BRYC

The council was established in Kirkenes, February 2004 and have the mission to strengthen the youth cooperation in the Barents region and empower young people to actively participate in the shaping of the Barents region and the society  in which they live.

BRYC consists of one youth representative from each county, oblast, republic and okrug in the Barents region and one representative for indigenous youth, altogether 14 members.

To learn more about BRYC, please see their website.


Barents Youth Co-operation Office - BYCO

The BYCO provides information and guidance for youth groups, organisations and networks on national and international resources for funding of projects, possible co-operation with partners and ongoing youth projects and meetings in the Barents Region.


Barents Euro-Arctic Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth Policy, Murmansk, 23-24 September 2009

The Barents Euro-Arctic Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth Policy was arranged in Murmansk the 23-24 September 2009. For conference documents, please follow these links:

Conclusions of conference   | Programme/agenda of conference  | List of participants of conference

Members of WGYP

Ms. Eva Theisz., Director of International Affairs
The Swedish National Board for Youth Affairs
Box 17801
SE-118 94, Stockholm, Sweden
Tel: +46 8 566 219 41(00)
Fax: +46 8 566 219 98
E-mail: eva.theisz@ungdomsstyrelsen.se

Ms. Nadia Epifanova
Ministry of Sports, Tourism and Youth Policy
Moscow, Russia
Tel +7
Fax +7
E-mail: epifanova@minstm.gov.ru
 

Mr. Bjørn Jaaberg Hansen, Senior Adviser
Ministry of Children, Equality and Social Inclusion
P.O.Box 8036 Dep
NO-0032 Oslo, Norway
Tel: +47 22 24 26 12
Fax: +47 22 24 94 15
E-mail: bjh@bld.dep.no

Ms. Sanna Puura
Ministry of Education
P.O.Box 29
FIN-00023 Government, Finland
Tel: +358
Fax: +358 
E-mail: sanna.puura@minedu.fi

Mr. Einar Jensen Saga
Ministry of Children, Equality and Social Inclusion
P.O.Box 8036 Dep
NO-0030 Oslo, Norway
Tel:+47 22 24 26 15
Fax:+ 47 22 24 94 15
E-mail: einar-jensen.saga@bld.dep.no