The new multiannual financial framework of the European Commission for the years 2021 - 2027 has brought unprecedented opportunities and growth in some key initiatives and programmes in Europe, also relevant for involvement of youth in global issues.

Erasmus+ will remain a key programme for youth mobility and involvement in European and global issues also in the upcoming years, with 26 billion euros budgeted for the programme between 2021 - 27.

Erasmus+ remains one of the most important momentum builders for materialization of pathways towards reaching the current European Youth Goals, agreed upon through European Youth Dialogue in 2018 - 19. Eleven key goals for youth in these years are:

1. Connecting EU with Youth

2. Equality of All Genders

3. Inclusive Societies

4. Information & Constructive Dialogue

5. Mental Health & Wellbeing

6. Moving Rural Youth Forward

7. Quality Employment for All

8. Quality Learning

9. Space and Participation for All

10. Sustainable Green Europe

11. Youth Organisations & European Programmes

More about European Youth Goals is available here: https://youth-goals.eu/. 

Another programme, which will give opportunities to youth to be active in global issues, in the upcoming MFF period of 2021-27, will be the new Development Education and Awareness Raising programme, which is planned to have a budget total of 1.8 billion euros. The programme will support NGO projects and campaigns on topics such as climate change, active citizenship, human rights and global justice, giving youth an opportunity and a number of tools to be actively engaged in shaping the future of Europe, which is facing number of challenges. More about the DEAR programme can be found here: https://dearprogramme.eu/.

At the national level, in Slovakia, the key basis for reform and current debate about involvement of youth in global issues is the global citizenship education mapping, which took place in 2018 and 2019, conducted by a group of member organizations of Ambrela.

The key results of the mapping have shown us, that:

• Global education has not been systematically implemented in Slovakia

• Definition of global education among schools and teachers is vague and the term many times refers to different activities of schools

• Global competences of students in Slovakia are average (with very unequal distribution between privileged and disadvantaged segments of young people) - which was confirmed by PISA Global Competence Test results in 2020

• There is a full market of quality global education resources already in Slovakia

• Actors providing most value in the area of global education to schools are NGOs and civil society, with very low support from the state and ministries.

Upcoming steps for the agenda of global education in Slovakia lie with the Ministry of Education, which has for year 2021 signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Global Education Network Europe and will be the lead body in Slovakia in the process of drafting new National Global Education Strategy (the last one was active in years 2012 - 2016).

Other key actors which will be involved in this process will be:

• Ministry of Education (and its agencies and organizations)

• Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs

• Office of the Plenipotentiary of the Government for the Development of the Civil Society

• Ambrela - Platform for Development Organisations

• Global Education Network Europe

• North-South Centre of the Council of Europe

The process of drafting the strategy shall include debates about potential shape of sustainable model of development, including financing of quality global education and global opportunities for youth. The process should conclude by the end of 2021.