The National Council of Swedish Youth Organisations - LSU


President: Ms. Hanna Hallin
Secretary General: Mr. Per Olsson

Brief history and legal status
The National Council of Swedish Youth Organisations, the LSU, was founded in 1948 to increase contacts between young people in the Eastern and the Western Europe. Today the LSU operates as a platform on different matters, on international as well as national topics. Through this cooperation, all our member organisations can share experiences, run projects and influence society. The LSU is a coordinating body for 82 Swedish youth organisations. The members come from all kinds of organisations, from the party political youth organisations, student movements, religious organisations, environmentalists to chess players.

Objectives
The National Council of Swedish Youth Organisations is a coordinating body, and the aims are: 

 - Constitute a forum for matters of common interest in youth organisations  - Provide a network for national as well as international organisations dealing with youth cooperation  - Work on the basis of the UN declaration on Human Rights, as well as the UN declaration on Children's Rights" (extract from the LSU constitution, §1)
To reach these aims, the LSU work in 2 areas, at a national as well as international level. 

 - Organisational development/leadership - Lobby on youth issues/youth policy work

Structure
Our highest decision making body is the representative assembly, gathered annually in December. Every member organisation has one vote. In this meeting, the guidelines for future activities are decided upon. The president and board members are also elected. The board consists of 11 members from different member organisations, each of which have personal deputies. The president and the two vice presidents constitute the executive committee.

Staff
Presently the LSU office has 15 employees. None of them work on voluntary basis.

Main activities
The work of the LSU at national level is concerned with issues of common interest of our member organisations. Ideas and experiences are exchanged, seminars on topical issues presented, and the importance of youth work in society is promoted. The LSU also coordinates larger campaigns on xenophobia and anti-racism, hosts seminars, and provides training opportunities for representatives of member organisations. We are also monitoring the field of youth policy in order to assist our members with vital information and lobby towards the government, parliament and other official bodies on different issues.

The LSU's global network involves activities from Nordic and European matters to third world and UN issues. The LSU tries to coordinate information, knowledge and experiences with the use of seminars and intercultural exchange. We help smaller organisations that don't have international networks of their own to obtain knowledge about youth issues in other countries. We provide young people with the opportunity of studying the possibilities and problems of developing countries. Upon their return, the participants arrange follow-up activities in their own organisations as well as in the LSU, in order to further spread the knowledge gained.

Global Networks
Since the mid-90s, LSU has had formalized cooperations with youth networks and youth councils all over the world. In 2004 extensive new contacts were established and deepened between LSU and number of progressive youth councils/ networks in Eastern Europe, Balkans, Lebanon, Uganda, Ghana, southern Africa, Cambodia and the Philippines. Through visits in respectively countries common denominators were identified and co-operations have been set up. The extent and character of the co-operations differ, but the common ground is the strive for a strong civil society where young people are active participants. LSU has identified a common frame for these co-operations: GALE - Global Action Local Empowerment. The vision of GALE is a strong civil society where young people are active participants. This society is built on democratic values and we believe that increased youth participation in civil society and in decision-making structures is closely linked to the development of democracy and consequently to the struggle against poverty.
The overall aim of GALE is to develop stronger national youth councils/associations/network and to support youth lead organisations. We see this as the best way of increasing the youth participation in society and to establish closer contacts between youth structures on the international level.

Public funding
Approximately one third of our funding are provided through the Ministry of the Culture and the National Board for Youth Affairs. Only a smaller part comes from membership fees and other contributions. The other two thirds of the funding are given on project basis by different funds.

Our relationship with our governmental interlocutor
Our governmental interlocutor is the National Board for Youth. There has for several years been a bit of a dispute between us, over what part the National Board for Youth Affairs should play in the field of leadership and organisational development. We believe that the government and its agencies should not interfere with the aims and objectives of non-governmental organisations. Now it seems as if this to a larger extent than before is the view also of the National Board for Youth Affairs.

All Different, All Equal
The Swedish All Different, All Equal campaign Alla olika alla lika is coordinated by the LSU. Learn more about the Swedish All Different, All Equal campaign Alla olika alla lika at www.allaolikaallalika.se.