Publications
COYV Report - Why Vote?
The general decline of voter turnout in recent decades worries policy-makers and intrigues researchers. Some speak of it as a ‘crisis of democracy’, others of a ‘democratic deficit’. The decline is sharper amongst young people. The EU is not immune to this trend - in 2019, for the first time since 1994, voter turnout for European Parliament (EP) elections climbed back up reaching 50% of the total eligible voters in the EU (European Parliament, 2022). Hailed as a success, a small majority of eligible citizens voting poses a problem of legitimacy of both national and supranational political systems. But why is it that young people vote, on average, less than other cohorts?
Research report Erasmus in Schools
International Mobility programmes such as Erasmus+ have been, since their conception, a way to foster European integration and to equip young European citizens with a set of skills and competences to deploy both in their personal development and in the labour market. Yet, the impact of Covid-19 raised questions about the programme’s accessibility and internal diversity. This research report aims to fill a specific gap in the analyses of the main international institutions, by providing descriptive data relating to the International Mobility of secondary and VET students in Europe.
Decolonising School Curricula 101: a guide to oppression-free societies
In May of 2022, the Organising Bureau of European School Student Unions, together with the Global Student Forum, organised a week-long Study Session at the European Youth Centre in Strasbourg with the support of the Council of Europe. Around 30 participants, student representatives, and activists from all across the world took part in discussions on decolonising school curricula as a way to build more inclusive, less oppressive societies.
ENABLE: Guide to inclusive youth activities
One of the most significant challenges of today’s society is fostering inclusive and quality education for all. This challenge has become more and more prominent in the last decades with cuttings in education funding and significant social issues that have arisen. For the Organising Bureau of European School Student Unions - OBESSU, inclusive education sits at our organisation’s heart. We try to envisage a society and an education where one’s rights are respected equally through our efforts.
Annual Report 2021
2021 has been an interesting year, between adapting to new ways of student activism and representation and looking back at the old ones.
Europe@Home Digital Education Tools: Opportunities vs Practice
In the scope of the project "Europe@Home: European Civic Education through the Mobile", the current document presents the results of an extensive reflection about digital learning, with a particular focus on youth organisations, inevitably impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The reflection developed in the Output 1 is based on state-of-the-art research, which provided a theoretical framework, plus findings collected from 33 youth organisations in over 10 different countries in Europe.
Output 1 will take the reader through a journey that aims to elucidate the critical points in the design, implementation and evaluation of digital learning activities or more sophisticated protocols, with a particular focus on how digital methodologies, approaches to learning and tools can be applied in the area of European Civic Education.
Europe@Home European Civic Education through the mobile - Resource Manual
The COVID-19 pandemic has moved many professional and civic activities into the online sphere, highlighting the importance of online education. It has also shown numerous technical and competence gaps even though the new technologies have been available in the educational sector for many years. This change has demonstrated that the implementation of online activities, through competence development and online adaptation of educational tools, can be done in a professional way and provides a chance to complement face-to-face activities.
Assembly Toolkit - Generation D-liberation
This is a toolkit to help you discuss your ideas for the future of Europe. It can be used by classes, in large groups of up to 40 people, or just by a few students who want to discuss together. We’ve tried to make it as flexible and adaptable as possible.
Find the full English version here>>
THROUGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’ EYES: Impact and Challenges of COVID-19 on Education Systems in Europe
The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic represented, for many EU countries, the biggest disruption to educational continuity since the Second World War. School closures impacted over 17 million students. National governments set their priorities: reducing the number of deaths, managing borders, alleviating the pressure on strained public healthcare systems, protecting the economy. Yet a consensus is building that this crisis is and will disproportionately affect young people, if only for the sole fact that they are going to live the longest through its consequences.
This report seeks to amplify school students’ voices bridging the last two academic years disrupted by the pandemic. It focuses on the instruction they received, its contents and modalities, students’ overall well-being, and their views on the actions to take in order to “build back better”.
#Ecofighters A Guide For School Students Into Environmental Activism
#EcoFighters - A Guide for School Students into Environmental Activism was created based on the input gathered from OBESSU member organisations via a survey, focus groups with OBESSU member organisations, young activists and youth organisations on European and global level, inputs and guidance from the preparatory team, as well as. interviews with young people active in the field of environmental activism.
This publication was produced by the Organising Bureau of European School Student Unions (OBESSU) with the support of the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe. It does not necessarily reflect the official position of the Council of Europe.
#PeerPower: Guidelines on Peer Education
This document - Guidelines on Peer Education - provides school student activists and staff supporting them, with an overview of what it takes to organise an activity related to peer education and an activity implementing peer education.
The Guidelines are an outcome of the OBESSU Work Plan 2018-2020 #PeerPower - Peer education as tool to empower school students that has been financially supported by the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe.
Download the Guidelines
International Officer Welcome Guide
Turnover of people in our organisations is quite high. To make the handover period a bit easier for you, we prepared a welcome guide for international officers.
The guide includes:
- expectations from the board
- basics to get the new IO started
- common IO tasks
- explanations of our communication tools
- links to videos made by OBESSU which explain different aspects of our work
Read more
The school student guide to the universe of democratic participation: Planet European Parliament Elections
In May 2019 the elections for the European Parliament will take place, however, they are still not accessible to all young people either due to their age or their citizenship status.
With this guide, we would like to provide some opportunities and give ideas to young people who cannot take part in the democratic processes on different levels, and especially on the EU level as the elections are approaching by suggesting some activities that can be organised to familiarise oneself more with the EU, election process or just a general democratic processes that exist. These activities can be adapted and adjusted to feet the needs of the group or to fit to a specific process (eg local elections).
All Included: Toolkit for Migrant Student Empowerment
This toolkit is made in the framework of the OBESSU project called “Seeds for Integration” that aims at building an inclusive school environment for all school students, regardless of their ethnicity, nationality, country of origin or mother tongue. This toolkit is a collection of different project templates for you to take inspiration. You will also find some tips and guidelines on how to run a project, from the writing phase to the management and the reporting.
European School Student Cooperation
This publication is aimed for use by school students who wish to become more involved on a European level. It was created by participants of OBESSU’s “European School Students’ Cooperation” event from 3-8 March 2018 in Gdansk, Poland. This event and publication were financed by the VISEGRAD fund.
Coloured Glasses - Manual for Intercultural & Global Citizenship Education
The Coloured Glasses - Manual for Intercultural & Global Citizenship Education is a publication created by European Educational Exchanges - Youth for Understanding (EEE-YFU), with whom OBESSU was cooperating in a two-year project (2017 – 2018) called “Coloured Glasses: Expanding Intercultural Education”.
Read the Coloured Glasses - Manual for Intercultural & Global Citizenship Education here >>
The Manual for School Students
The Manual, written BY and FOR school students, is a journey throughout the creation of a democratic school student organisation, imagined as a space trip in the “school student universe”. Readers will jump on a “space rocket” and travel through communication strategies, democratic decision-making, policy influencing and mobilisation processes, as well as through networking, economic sustainability and event organising. The 4 chapters are simple and easy-to-read, adapted to every student and accompanied by examples, powerful pictures and graphics.
This Manual has been printed thanks to a successful crowdfunding campaign!
The Manual has been translated into German by the City School Council of Magdeburg. Find it here.
EU Education Policy - A short guide
Many young people, and specifically school students, feel very far from the European Union Institutions. Attempts and efforts are being done to bring both parts together, but with difficult results. This booklet aims at helping young people and school students to understand the European Union structure and decision-making, as well as identifying what are the spaces where they can influence and participate.
A Joint Vision for Secondary and Higher Education for All in Europe
OBESSU, together with European Students’ Union (ESU) and Education International (EI) developed a joint statement in relation to the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and its 17 related goals, which the United Nations adopted in September 2015. Now the result of this work is here!
Toolbox for young campaigners on Vocational Education and Training
In 2012 OBESSU launched a campaign called “Claim your Voice!” which tackled aspects of Vocational Education and Training (VET). In the framework of the campaign, due to the relevance of the topic, OBESSU also coordinated a Youth in Action project for young campaigners on VET, called “YOUVET Training”. The project aimed to raise awareness and promote activism between young people in order to run advocacy and lobbying campaigns for and with VET students. During the training, student activists shaped contents and shared best practices which were then processed and gathered in this toolbox: a collection of practical ideas, information and concrete tools each school student activist or trainer can use when dealing with Vocational Education and Training.
Guidelines for Inclusion Education - Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Gender Expression
This publication was developed and updated during a joint IGLYO-OBESSU study session. Standing together: action and advocacy against bullying took place at the Council of Europe’s European Youth Centre in Budapest in March 2014, bringing together over 35 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) youth and student activists and school student activists from across Europe to develop strategies and methods to create the most inclusive educational environment possible.
The Declaration of School Student Rights
OBESSU proclaims this Declaration of School Student Rights as a common standard for all educational systems. As a matter of educational and social justice, the Declaration shall promote the end that all actors in the educational community and wider society uphold their duty to ensure the effective observation and recognition of school students’ rights. The declaration of the inalienable rights set forth herein shall promote respect for school students and further the cause of school students in their struggle to realise and maintain their rightful place in school and in society. The declaration was adopted in July 2006 by the General Assembly of OBESSU held in Ohrid, Macedonia.
A Manual for school students translated in Macedonian
This is the translation into Macedonian of the Manual for School Students that has been written in 2006 to introduce school students to the work of a school student union with all its different aspects.
Educational Roadmap
School Students' Europe 2019 OBESSU asked four parties, currently holding the most seats in the European Parliament to share their vision when it comes to education. With this overview we want to give a non-partisan insight on European Parties positions in education.
Case study: Hidden costs in education
As “Education, we have a problem!”, the OBESSU campaign on social inclusion, looked at hidden costs in education (among other topics), OBESSU decided to conduct a case study on exactly this to show how hidden costs affect school students' access to quality education in European countries.
Education at 360 Guidelines
Guidelines for evaluation and quality assurance of education.
Toolkit#1 for EPEP
Practical toolkit including: How to plan a campaign for the European Parliament elections 2014? What about the EU?
Toolkit#2 for EPEP
Practical toolkit including national advocacy, EU strategies, voting systems and relevant links!
