2012 - 2013

The project implemented in 2012 – 2013 with the support of Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation fund was one of the many initiatives of the Young Leaders Forum, established in 2010. The overall goal of the project was to establish a dialogue between young leaders and high level decision makers from different countries, and engage youth in public control over democratic reforms in their countries by facilitating an open discussion and allowing young leaders to freely express their opinions on the issue of democracy building. The objectives were to (i) increase participation and representation of young leaders with different backgrounds – civil society, diplomacy, politics, social activism, and so on - at all levels of the Community of Democracies (Governmental, Civic, and Parliamentary), (ii) ensure transparency of CoD processes among youth and encourage youth feedback in official CoD proceedings and activities (iii) strengthen and institutionalize the Youth Dimension of the Community of Democracies, especially the Young Leaders Forum. These objectives were met through providing an international forum of networking and exchange of ideas. Within the framework of the project a ….-day international conference was organized in Yerevan with the participation of both decision makers and young leaders. It was followed up with a publication of Conference Proceedings, a collection of keynote speeches and presentations. The participants of the project supported the idea of creating a practical platform for young leaders and decision makers to discuss and debate on various issues related to youth engagement in the process of democracy building.