ACTIVITY / Projects

“Supporting Youth Voting Activities”-Summer Camp in Shaki.

Azerbaijani-American Youth Social Association is implementing the last phase of the project which is being funded be the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Baku and the Eurasia Foundation through USAID. Within the project Organization has already conducted 6 trainings in Fizuli, Qusar, Lankaran, Barda, Zaqatala districts and in Baku with the local young people and with the active NGO and civil society representatives from Azerbaijan regions.

Within the project Organization has organized Summer Camp in Shaki city on 26-30 August, 2005. The participants of summer camp were 40 better equipped and educated young people on the project topic. Summer camp was 3 days and during the camp the selected participant involved in building the Azerbaijani Youth Parliament by practical actions and work. During the summer camp used special voting modules which created a condition for the young people to feel themselves as the active participants of political process during the pre-parliamentary election in the country and established their Azerbaijani Youth Parliament for discussing and debating each other on the issues around the voting process for parliamentarians. The Azerbaijani Youth Parliament members from different parts of Azerbaijan will be able to gather and work together by lobbing interest of their local youth communities through stimulating their active participation in the upcoming parliament elections by preparing alternative suggestions, legislation materials to the Parliament of Azerbaijan Republic after the elections as well. The Azerbaijani Youth Parliament will work with Azerbaijani Parliament deputies, International Organizations and Donors, with the European Youth Parliament and Government by lobbying the youth interest in Azerbaijan Parliament and by contributing into the democratization process and free elections in Azerbaijan.

During the Summer Camp the participants confirmed the initial structure of the Azerbaijani Youth Parliament. According to the initial structure, all Summer Camp participants are selected to the membership of the Azerbaijani Youth Parliament and from each region including Baku has been selected the regional coordinators. Twice a year are planning the gathering of coordinators in annual sessions and from each next session will be the selection of the Chairman to the Azerbaijani Youth Parliament according rotation system.
According to the first activity plan the regional coordinators will be engaged in involving the local young people from the regions to the Azerbaijani Youth Parliament and will conduct the surveys on the regional needs and problems of the youth aimed at expressing them to the public. Afterwards, survey results will be collected for the Azerbaijani Youth Parliament legislation suggestions package and projects to the Azerbaijani Parliament.