Baltic Sea Youth Activities
Preliminary information as of March 2025.
What is the BSRYF?
Baltic Sea Region Youth Forum (BSRYF) Overview
The Baltic Sea Region Youth Forum (BSRYF) is a platform that empowers young people (aged 16-29) to participate in regional decision-making and policy-shaping in the Baltic Sea Region. Established in 2023, the BSRYF is a youth-led forum coordinated by the CBSS Secretariat.
Key Objectives
- Encourage meaningful youth involvement in institutions and policymaking.
- Foster cooperation between youth, organisations and regional stakeholders.
- Strengthen regional identity and societal resilience.
Main Activities
- Youth Elections & Representation: Annual elections ensure democratic representation via the Committee of Youth Representatives (CYR).
- Events & Engagement: Key initiatives include the CBSS Youth Ministerial, the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Youth Forum, EUSBSR related youth activities, BSR Hackathons, and various youth dialogue formats.
- Working Groups: Focus areas like Anti-Trafficking, Security, and Culture address regional challenges and collaborate for a longer term.
- Collaboration: BSRYF cooperates with pan-Baltic organisations, National Youth Councils, EU bodies, and regional organisations.
BSRYF enhances youth participation by providing structured democratic spaces for dialogue, fostering partnerships, and promoting innovative solutions for regional challenges.
What’s happening in 2025?
See the Baltic Sea Youth activities below (dates are subject to change):
| Month | Date(s) | Event/Task | Description |
| March | 10 | Open Call for BSRYF 2025 | Open Call for BSRYF Committee of Youth Representatives (CYR) and Steering Group (SG) |
| 21 (16:00 CET) | BSRYF Intro Webinar | Introduce BSRYF opportunities to interested youth (CYR) and organisations (SG). | |
| 23 | Close Call for CBSS Youth Ministerial | Close Call for CBSS Youth Ministerial application | |
| April | 6 | Close Call for BSRYF | Last day to apply for BSRYF CYR and SG |
| TBA | BSRYF Impact report 2023 – 2025. BSRYF EUSBSR youth report | Publish the biennial BSRYF report | |
| 11 | Brochure BSRYF Election Meeting | BSRYF members will receive the candidates’ brochure | |
| 15 (11:00 CEST) | Stakeholder Meeting | Agenda: Prepare for election meeting and youth event updates. | |
| 23 | Vote Delegation Deadline | Last day to submit vote delegation for Election Meeting – organisations only! | |
| 24 (15:00 CEST) | BSRYF Election Meeting | BSRYF Election Meeting with opening speeches, activity report and election of CYR and Steering Group; 15 – 17 CET. | |
| 26-30 | BSSSC Youth Event | Multi-day youth conference by BSSSC in cooperation with CBSS youth, focus on sustainability, security and resilience. | |
| May | 4-7 | CBSS Youth Ministerial | Multi-day youth event of the Estonian CBSS presidency to prepare a message for the CBSS Ministerial in May 2025. |
| 14 (11:00 CEST) | Stakeholder Meeting | Regular online Baltic Sea youth stakeholder engagement meeting. | |
| June | 11 (11:00 CEST) | Stakeholder Meeting | Regular online Baltic Sea youth stakeholder engagement meeting. |
| 16-19 | Biosphere for Baltic Youth Forum | Event focused on environmental topics. Supported through BSRYF contributions. | |
| July | 1 | BSRYF 2025 / 2026 term starts | Official start of the new BSRYF term for CYR and Steering Group. |
| 24-27 | BSR Hackathon 2025 | BSR hackathon “One Region – Borderless Innovation” co-organised by TH Luebeck, Land Schleswig-Holstein and CBSS. | |
| August | 1 | Open BSRYF Working Groups call | Call for participants of the BSRYF Working Groups. |
| 22-26 | ReGeneration Week and BSPC Annual Conference | BSPC Annual Conference on Åland | |
| September | 8 | Close BSRYF Working Group Call | Last day to apply for the BSRYF Working Groups led by the CYR. |
| 10 (11:00 CEST) | Stakeholder Meeting | Update on fall youth initiatives and next steps. | |
| October | 8 | Stakeholder Meeting | Update stakeholders on year-end plans. |
| TBC | EUSBSR youth Event | ||
| 28 | Day of Cities and Regions | BSSSC Annual Conference | |
| 29-30 | EUSBSR Annual Forum | Participation in EUSBSR Annual Forum in Poland | |
| November | 5 | Stakeholder Meeting | Review year’s accomplishments and future plans. |
| TBC | Baltic Sea Youth Dialogue | ||
| December | 10 | Stakeholder Meeting | Final stakeholder engagement before year-end. |
Good to know
The Committee of Youth Representatives (CYR) meets online once per month, currently on the third Friday of the month at 18:00 CET. Any cooperation requests can be sent to [email protected].
The Steering Group meets at least three times per year, while the BSRYF Working Groups meet as needed. For organisational questions or requests to attend a meeting, please contact [email protected].
The CBSS and the BSRYF also organise Baltic Sea related webinars with experts. If you would like to suggest a topic or recommend an expert to invite, please reach out to us via [email protected] or attend any of the BSRYF stakeholder meetings.
BSRYF Stakeholder Meetings are open to representatives of youth and other organisations in the Baltic Sea Region. These meetings aim to facilitate exchange among actors in the field of youth participation and empowerment. Please register via the link in the table above.
Further information
Want to become a member and receive our youth newsletter? Join the BSRYF
CBSS update: CBSS newsletter sign-up
BSRYF and CBSS youth activities: https://cbss.org/youth/
CBSS and CBSS events: https://cbss.org/event/
General inquiries: [email protected]