Last week in Budapest CESI Youth celebrated 10 years of activity, since its creation at the Balaton Lake in Hungary. In 2013, CESI created its own youth platform, CESI Youth, to support trade union activity among young people within the CESI network and to give young workers a dedicated voice at the European level.

As CESI Youth celebrates its 10^th anniversary, its leadership reflects on its accomplishments. CESI Youth started with big dreams and a passion for youth political representation. CESI Youth worked tirelessly to build something that would make a difference in the way youth policies are pursued at the EU level.

Over the years, CESI Youth faced many obstacles but, together with the CESI General Secretariat, it has remained resilient and committed to its mission. Looking back at CESI Youth’s activity in the last 10 years, two main achievements stand out:

• First, CESI Youth has actively contributed to improving youth membership in CESI’s member organisations. It has directly addressed young workers to join trade unions, to become assertive about their rights and obligations as employees. From the specific perspective of the youth, it has developed new ideas to improve quality employment conditions (including for traineeships and apprenticeships), faster digitalisation, increased labour mobility, enhanced recognition of professional skills and an intensified management and prevention of mental health.
• Second, CESI Youth has been working intensively to increase its presence towards the EU institutions and within the European youth stakeholder community. It has developed strong partnerships with the European Commission and European Parliament and contributed to a wide array of consultations, legislative proposals and EU-funded projects on topics such as mental health, the Youth Guarantee, skills-mismatches, labour mobility, a quality framework for traineeships, and improved school-to-work transitions. It has become a part of the European Youth Forum, the European Apprentices Network and the EU Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition. CESI Youth has also pursued issue-specific cooperation with like-minded partners such as StartNet (the European platform on young people’s transition from education to employment) and OBESSU (the Organising Bureau of European School Student Unions). The development of joint events and position papers has consistently anchored CESI Youth in the Brussels policy arena.

During the current state of perma-crisis in Europe – fallout from a pandemic, a war in Ukraine, soaring inflation, energy and climate challenges and uncertain financial prospects for citizens – CESI Youth raises alarms concerning a backsliding rule of law in some of Member States of the European Union, increasing living costs especially for young persons, and consequence about adverse impacts of the past Covid pandemic on people’s mental health.

CESI Youth believes it is important to advocate for more inclusive democratic societies through better political education in schools, more societal participation and particularly an enhanced investment in trade union representation.

This goes hand in hand with the imperative to further empower the youth by giving them more participation opportunities in political processes and decisions.

CESI Youth stands today as a proud entity, with a team of talented youth members who are passionate about what they do.

CESI Youth has made a difference in the way youth policies are put forward at EU level.

CESI Youth remains committed to a rights-based approach to work for young people and enhanced youth rights in political processes. CESI Youth will continue its work with integrity, hard work, and a commitment to excellence.

As the European Year of Youth 2022 has come to an end, CESI Youth looks forward to the European Year of Skills 2023 to engage in debates on the ongoing skills shortages in Europe and the large need for skills to achieve the green and digital transitions. Mental health at work, a reinforced Youth Guarantee, strengthened apprenticeships schemes, and a full implementation of ALMA will continue to be on CESI Youth’s radar.

To another ten years of success, growth, and making a difference in the EU bubble!