youthHansa

The youthHansa is the youth organization of the HANSE and thus an integral component of the HANSE. Every year Hanseatic cities send young delegates ranging from 16 and 25 years of age to take part in the delegation meetings of the youthHansa and the Hanseatic Days. Our aim is to

• promote the exchange of views and experiences concerning youth issues
• develop specific youth projects between the Hanseatic cities
• promote school partnerships and youth exchanges
• improve the mutual understanding between young people from the Hanseatic cities
• bring non-organized young people and youth groups together in order to strengthen the sense of community between the Hanseatic cities and their young inhabitants.

The concept of the youthHansa was introduced for the first time in 1998 when the Hanseatic city of Visby, Sweden invited young delegates to a youth forum. On account of the positive resonance, the HANSE decided to invite the young delegates on a regular basis and this resulted in the founding of the youthHansa. They developed their own statute, which was incorporated into the statute of the HANSE only two years later. Since then, a network of young people developed that makes an essential contribution international understanding within Europe.