CNJ's candidacy to the
Advisory Council on Youth of the Council of Europe

José Francisco Silva, 2025

Candidate’s Message

Throughout my path in youth organisations, I’ve been deeply committed to promoting participation, inclusion, and youth rights — not just as an abstract concept, but as empirical reality young people live in. From volunteering within ESN, being elected to the Permanent Commission of the Municipality of Coimbra Youth Council, to serving on the board of the Portuguese National Youth Council (CNJ), I’ve worked across local, national, and European levels to ensure that youth voices are not only heard, but actively shape the policies that affect them.

My motivation to join the Advisory Council on Youth is rooted in this experience and in the belief that meaningful youth participation is vital to a more democratic and cohesive Europe.

I belong to a generation with urgent and interconnected challenges: from climate change to the digital revolution, from increasing inequalities to threats against democracy. And still, I want to think I also see a generation full of creativity, resilience, and drive for change. My hope is to harness that force to the Advisory Council and contribute to making youth not just subjects of policy, but also collaborators in shaping the future we hope for.

I also see this role as an opportunity to build a bridge between young people and institutions, and between national realities and European frameworks. As an elected representative, I will be fully committed to support the Advisory Council’s mission, while ensuring that young people across Europe are represented, included, and empowered to shape the world around them.

Focal Points

Cooperation with the North-South Centre

At CNJ, we believe that cooperation between nations is the most effective path to bring cultural understanding, as well as, to support, beyond Europe, the upholding of the democratic values, rule of law and human rights.

By emphasizing the importance of bringing cultures together to the Council of Europe, we aim to strengthen ties between European countries and its neighbouring regions, promoting cooperation and valuing cultural and linguistic diversity within Europe. We envision this by expanding the membership, with a particular focus on the Portuguese-speaking community nations.

Inclusive and peaceful societies, North-South centre and its universities

Promotion of Dialogue & Inclusion

At the Council of Europe, we, as young people, have the Joint Council on Youth as a space of dialogue and co-decision that fosters our pursuit for public policies that will continuously shape our future. Youth represents agents of change in our societies, striving for a progression of their rights as a way to build a more equitable society for all.

Particularly, based on the European Social Charter, as a counterpart to the ECHR, we will emphasize on advocating for an active role of young people in political decisions, particularly in crucial areas such as education, employment, and social rights.

With this in hand, following the Reykjavik Declaration and the implementation of the reference framework for the Youth Perspective, that benchmarks youth policies and youth work, we will aim to include youth voices in discussions outside the bonds of conventional youth policy.

Access to rights, ECHR and European Social Charter case law

Mid-term review of the Youth Sector Strategy 2030

The Council of Europe youth sector exists to support and develop the effectiveness of youth civil society, youth work, youth policy, youth research and youth-focused ‘communities of practice’ in their efforts to facilitate young people’s active engagement in upholding and benefiting from the Council of Europe’s core values. This must comprise commitment from all the stakeholders involved, as well as, cooperation between the institutions to forward youth policies.

In order to address the needs of European youth, we are committed to contribute to the mid-term review of the Council of Europe’s Youth Sector Strategy 2030, focusing on protecting youth rights, promoting democratic participation, and fostering social inclusion.