General

Young people in the Baltic Sea Region are active citizens in various ways. The CBSS connects these young movements and politically active young people and thereby provides a structure to ensure continuity and a greater impact of their ideas on regional policy-making.

Overview

The CBSS fosters active and meaningful youth participation and representation in institutions and decision-making processes in the Baltic Sea Region through intergenerational dialogue on topics affecting young people. The CBSS functions as a forum for policy dialogues and supports actors in aligning ongoing processes. 

Furthermore, the CBSS as an intergovernmental structure provides relevant educational resources for young people and decision makers to support the implementation of the Vilnius II Declaration and the CBSS Action Plan.  

Objectives

Young people and their interests are underrepresented in decision-making, and the Baltic Sea Region unfortunately is not an exception to this phenomenon. The CBSS connects young people, movements and youth structures in the member states and elevates their voices to decision-making bodies to ensure every generation is reflected in decisions affecting them.

As an intergovernmental organisation, the CBSS holds a unique position in facilitating an intergenerational dialogue in the Baltic Sea Region and connecting various organisations to support young people’s active citizenship and create a meaningful impact on decisions to foster sustainable and resilient societies.

Background

The CBSS has been working with young people for decades. The topic of youth, youth participation and education has always been one of the priorities of the organisation.  

In recent years the Baltic Sea Youth Dialogue, established in 2014, and the Baltic Sea Youth Platform project, implemented between 2020 and 2022, have been important cornerstones to establish the Baltic Sea Region Youth Forum (BSRYF) in 2023.  

Documents

Find our latest publications of policy recommendations and background papers at the Resources tab

Partners/Members

Project partners are mentioned in the specific activities and project tabs. You can become a partner or member of the BSRYF by signing up here.  

Facts & Figures

  • The Baltic Sea Youth Dialogue was first organised in 2014, and since then more than 150 young people from the Baltic Sea Region and beyond have taken part in workshops, discussing identity, culture and history. 
  • The Baltic Sea Youth Platform was an idea that sprung out of the Baltic Sea Youth Dialogue in 2018 and was further developed at the Baltic Sea Youth Camp in 2019. It is breaking ground through being a coordinated and youth led effort to increase the involvement of young people in Baltic Sea Region politics. 
  • The Baltic Sea Youth Declaration presented at the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region Annual Forum in Lapppeenranta in 2022 was developed through contributions of more than 200 young people in various formats the CBSS (co-)organised.