Brief history

The Network was initiated during the first long-term training course “Participation and Citizenship” organized by Council of Europe’s Youth Directorate in Budapest and Strasbourg in 1997. Representatives of minority youth organizations from Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia made decision to create the network in order to strengthen co-operation between minority NGOs in the Baltic and Nordic regions. The network was called “Nordic-Baltic Minority Youth Network”.

In 2004 members of the Network decided to broaden the area of its activity and to change name of the Network on “European Minority Youth Network”. Members of the Network are organizations working with minorities issues: integration and participation in society, recognition and acceptance of cultural and social identity, equal opportunities and access to education, employment and other social rights, resisting to discrimination and racism, gender equality and women participation, etc.

Since 1998 the Network provides qualified training courses for youth workers, volunteers and civil servants. Young people from Finland, Italy, Latvia, United Kingdom, Ireland, Luxembourg, Sweden, Portugal, The Netherlands, Poland, Germany, Estonia, Lithuania, Russia, Moldova, Ukraine, Armenia, Macedonia, Norway, Czech Republic, Belarus, Greece, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Romania and Kyrgyzstan have participated in our activities.