You, the expert: an invitation to Strasbourg

Edgeryders is a think tank: it lives mostly online, it is a lot bigger than most (we are pushing 500 registered users), but still a think tank. And we do what all think tanks do: we gather evidence and analyze it in depth. As I write this, there are 90+ mission reports and 500+ comments of astonishingly high quality on the platform, and that’s a lot of evidence. There is a risk to lose the overview. So, we are doing what all think tanks do: we are calling a meeting. We need some face-to-face discussion to draw a synthesis. And you are invited. We have decided to select two or three members of the Edgeryders community, based on the brilliance and policy relevance of their mission reports, and invite them to participate as experts in a two day miniconference in Strasbourg on March 15th and 16th. That could be you! We will cover your travel costs and a per diem, and engage you in a conversation that promises to be very interesting with Council of Europe and European Commission staff members, independent youth policy researchers, and of course us of the Edgeryders team. There are a lot of very good stories in Edgeryders already, but we will wait a little while more to make the decision on who to invite. This to give a chance to all of you who have great stories but have not gotten down to writing them yet. So, if you have not done it already, this is a good time to sign up and join our quest for making Europe a better place for the young. I am proud of the degree of openness we are achieving with this project, and I am sure the smarts and the depth of the community will bring a lot of wisdom to the table. See you in Strasbourg!

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I love this comment: « Obviously, the first step is to have the explicit support of the government’s main politic person involved. Only a clear and explicit political support can lead to carry out initiatives.» (Marc Garriga, Spain)

No political will? No policy… No-Thing.

There is a pre-requisite step to good, insightful policy-making. In several countries, this pre-requisite simply isn’t there. How can the necessary political will be achieved? Furthermore, a lack of Listen and Observe can lead to the dark side of leadership.