Handbook for Advocacy and Lobbying within Youth Projects

Youth work is a vital component in functioning democracies and contributes to social equality and inclusion. However, its success is not automatic. To establish more sustainable youth work structures across Europe, we require both self-confident, courageous advocacy and direct lobbying efforts from within the work field.

Advocacy is necessary for civil societies, empowering organisations and individuals to express everyone’s needs, voice concerns, influence decision-making processes, and contribute to positive change in their communities, cities, regions, countries, and throughout Europe.

This handbook is comprehensive guide to advocacy and lobbying. We begin by clarifying the distinction between these two practices and by exploring the various types applicable in real-world scenarios. It offers practical insights on creating a strategy for your project, whether it’s a single action or a full-fledged campaign. We are providing methods for practical application. Learn about the theory of change for planning and evaluating, structured stakeholder mapping, risk analysis and self-reflection tools. Find ideas to boost your confidence for speaking in front of stakeholders and benefit from the experience of others, helping you avoid typical mistakes.

Template Downloads

1. Introduction to Youth Work
   To make clear the benefits of youth work for youngsters and society, to give a very short overview of what is youth work and to explain the importance and necessity of youth work for society
2. Needs of Organisations and the Young People (.docx)
   Requesting a specific need from a concrete public institution, agency, or organisation in order to develop a youth work programme or project Use this template to outline your requirements for delivering high-quality work. It gives stakeholders an understanding of how they can support you or your organisation. It is best utilised after establishing contact with a stakeholder and before offering them a declaration of support.
3. Declaration of Support (.docx)
   To have the municipality (or other stakeholders) show their commitment in their support. The declaration is a symbolic agreement which states concrete things about how the municipality (or another stakeholder) has agreed to support the project/action. It’s important to clarify that this template is not a legally binding document but a symbolic gesture.
4. Letter of Support (.docx)
   To have written proof of general support from the municipality (or another stakeholder) for your project/action. It does not outline specific ways they will support you, but shows that your goals, as outlined in the letter, have their support. It can be used to demonstrate support from individuals in power when working toward a specific goal, such as securing funding for a project.

This product is a result of the KA2 Strategic Partnership [2021-2-DE04-KA220-YOU-000048388] “Network for Active Improvement of Youth Work – NAIYW” funded by the EU Erasmus+ programme, co-funded by Stiftung Mercator and the European Cultural Foundation (ECF). Thank you very much!

Also have a look at our series of booklets on “how to create and motivate a youth group for Active Citizenship”, “strategic youth work for inclusion”, “how to support wellbeing of participants and youth leaders”, “how to facilitate engagement of youth in participatory processes at local level”, and “how to connect young people with their local communities”. As this handbook, they aim to be a support and resource for the whole community of practice.