Bodies

History of the ENGSO Youth Committee

Background
In 1996, the ENGSO General Assembly set up a working group “ENGSO Youth Policy and Activities”. The main task for this group was to formulate and prepare guidelines for children and youth work within the member countries of ENGSO. This work resulted in the approval of the “Guidelines for Children and Youth Sport” at the 6th ENGSO General Assembly held in Iceland in 1998. The General Assembly also decided to establish a working group, led by Norway, to start the work on the implementation of the Guidelines. At the General Assembly in Finland in 2001, the Chair, Kristin Berthelsen, reported from the working group “Youth for European Sport” achievements and their recommendations for the future within sport for children and youth. The General Assembly approved the report.

European Youth Conferences has been a success providing young people, together with grown-up leaders from all over Europe with the opportunity to share ideas and discuss children and youth sport issues. The conference has been arranged two times, in Bergen in 1997 and in Nymburk in 2000.
No1
Guidelines for Children and Youth Sport document circulated to all ENGSO members and other bodies dealing with children and youth.

No2
Guidelines document translated and published in a number of languages.

No3
Ideas of good practice collated together in the form of a “Book of good ideas”.

No4
Supported the initiative of the German Sports Youth to develop a Network project – Sport Youth goes Europe, www.youth-sport.net.

No5
Information about the work of the Working Group was made widely available and presentations were made at a number of important conferences including European Sport Conference in Tallinn in June, ENGSO Forum in Vienna in October 2001 and in the ENGSO Executive Board.

No6
The Chair of the group is co-opted as a member of the ENGSO Executive Committee.

No7
Members of the group have regularly exchanged information about on-going developments in each country on matters relating to Children and Youth Sport.

No8
Contribution to the work with the proposed amendments to The Statutes of ENGSO and proposed Standing Orders to Youth Committee/Youth Assembly.

No9
In conjunction with the Network project held meetings with representatives from the European Youth Forum to identify opportunities for closer links between the Forum and organisations representing youth sport.

No 10
Election of the first Youth Committee in April 2003 in Stockholm at the first Youth Conference/Assembly.

Poster of ENGSO Youth history