Preamble
Youth Panel (hereinafter referred to as the Panel) is an independent consultative and advisory body within the Education and Youth Section of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (hereinafter referred to as Section II of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports). Its activities are based on the principle that young people have the right to participate in the creation of policies that directly affect their situation and position in society and should be fully respected in their expert role in their own lives. The aim of the Panel is to enable young people from a wide spectrum of Czech society to contribute to the creation, monitoring and evaluation of youth policy through interactive cooperation with Section II of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports. The role of Section II of the Ministry of Education is to process all opinions and suggestions arising from the Panel's meetings into clear outputs, analyse them and, to the maximum extent possible, take them into account when working on the creation, development, monitoring and evaluation of youth policy.
Article 1: Basic Principles
1. The Panel operates on the principles of mutual cooperation and constructive discussion.
2. All participants provide sufficient space for others to participate in the discussion and show respect for different opinions.
3. The voice and opinion of each member has equal weight and are taken into account equally.
4. The Panel is a safe environment in which participants can freely express their opinions without the risk of being judged, ridiculed, discriminated against or otherwise subjected to inappropriate and disrespectful reactions.
5. The work of the Panel is coordinated, ensured and supported by Youth Department of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports.
6. The Youth Department, through the Secretary of the Panel, provides the Panel members with feedback in a comprehensible manner on how the suggestions from the Panel have been/will be used in the field of youth policy and youth support.
Article 2: Scope
1. The Panel focuses its activities on user-friendly issues that have an impact on them and that relate to youth policy (its development, monitoring and evaluation). For this purpose Youth Panel in particular
a) provides its opinions, suggestions and recommendations on thematic areas of youth policy;
b) reflects opinions of wider groups of young people whom young panelists represent;
c) proposes its own topics for discussion that are important for all-round support of youth;
d) proposes suggestions and proposals for solutions to improve the situation of young people in the Czech Republic;
e) enriches the Youth Department's professional view of new trends in the lives of young people through its experience and discussions;
f) helps to develop and cultivate intergenerational dialogue in addressing youth policy on the principle of intergenerational solidarity and justice.
Article 3: Composition of the Panel
1. The Panel consists of appointed members and a designated secretary from the Youth Department of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports.
2. The number of members is determined by the Director of the Youth Department within the range of 15 to 25 members for each term of office of the Panel. There is one secretary.
3. The Secretary of the Panel represents the Youth Department of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports and is appointed by the Director of the Youth Department of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports without limitation of term of office.
Article 4: Activities of the Secretary of the Panel
1. The main role of the Secretary of the Panel is to provide support services to the members of the Panel
a) convenes and organize the meetings of the Panel;
b) proposes the program and content of the meetings of the Panel;
c) prepares the materials needed for the Panel members to debate the issue;
d) leads the Panel meetings, or ensures that another person from the Youth Department is authorized to lead the meetings;
e) ensures the process of selecting new Panel members and, in consultation with the Panel members, proposes the resulting number of the Panel members;
f) ensures communication between the Panel and the Youth Department of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports;
g) informs the Panel members about how the outputs of their work were processed and used;
h) informs all interested parties about the outputs of the Panel's work;
i) is authorized to propose changes to the text of the Charter based on consultations with the Panel members and the Youth Department of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports
Article 5: Panel members
1. They are representatives of youth between 15 and 26 years of age, who are selected from a public selection procedure and/or nominations from organizations active in the field of youth.
2. They are selected by the Youth Department of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports
a) when selecting new members, emphasis is placed on maintaining the diversity of youth representatives, in terms of age, gender, region of origin and with special regard to the representation of young people with limited opportunities and in vulnerable situations;
b) at least one half of the members are selected from a public selection procedure that is open to all young people aged 15-26.
3. The mandate of the members and the term of office of the Panel lasts 2 years.
4. Young panelists have the right
a) to speak at meetings, contribute to the debate and freely express their opinions and suggestions on the topics under discussion;
b) to propose agenda items for upcoming meetings, or at the beginning of the meeting to request additions to the meeting items;
c) to propose amendments to the Charter;
d) to use consultations with voluntary mentors.
Article 6: Termination of mandate
1. The mandate of a member shall terminate
a) upon his/her own request delivered to the Secretary of the Panel in writing (by post, e-mail);
b) by a joint decision of the members of the Panel to terminate the mandate due to long-term unexcused inactivity, or due to repeated violation of the principles of Article 1 of the Panel Charter, which would significantly disrupt the functioning of the Panel.
2. When a member reaches the age of 26 during the term of the mandate, his/her mandate shall continue until the proper end of the mandate.
3. When the mandate of a member expires, the Secretary shall propose, taking into account the circumstances, to carry out a selection for the vacant position, or if the vacant position is not filled by the end of the term of office.
Article 7: Agenda and content of the meeting (agenda)
1. The agenda of the meeting shall be proposed by the Secretary of the Panel at least 10 days before the start of the meeting and shall be communicated to the members of the Panel within the same period.
2. The Secretary shall communicate the submitted agenda to the members of the Panel at the beginning of each meeting.
3. The proposed agenda may be amended or supplemented by the members of the Panel, both before the start of the meeting by a proposal delivered to the Secretary of the Panel (by email, SMS, telephone call or other means), and during the meeting.
Article 8: Meetings
1. The meeting shall be chaired by the Secretary of the Panel.
2. The Panel shall meet twice a year at regular in-person meetings convened by the Secretary of the Panel at least one month before the start of the meeting.
3. The Panel may meet beyond this number if the Secretary requests the meeting, online.
4. In the event of a member's prior non-participation in the Panel's meetings, it is desirable to send the Secretary (by email, SMS, phone call or other means) information about their non-participation.
5. The Secretary shall take minutes of each meeting.
6. Panel members will be provided with free participation in the in-person meetings of Youth Panel. The provision of free participation is addressed in the internal document of the Youth Department of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports.
Article 9: Adoption and Amendments to the Charter
1. The Charter and its revisions are discussed by the Panel.
2. Panel members may propose amendments to the Charter during their mandate.
3. The Charter and its revisions are approved by the Director of the Youth Department of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports.
