GoFor works in a democratic, participatory, inclusive, transparent, rights-based, civil, and independent manner, grounded in universal values.
GoFor representatives work with the belief that:
- Young people should be equally included in decision-making mechanisms;
- The issues faced by both organized and unorganized young people should be identified and their rights defended;
- The representation of young people who are excluded from society, face discrimination, or whose rights are violated due to differing views or ways of life should be ensured;
- All young people should be represented in local, regional, national, and international policy-making processes;
- A strong umbrella structure in the youth field is needed to ensure that young people’s voices are heard collectively and effectively;
- Young people should be actively involved in decisions and policy-making processes that concern them;
- Solidarity, cooperation, and coordination among youth organizations should be strengthened, and youth organizations should be supported and empowered;
- A shared understanding of governance and cooperation between young people and decision-makers should be fostered;
- There is a need for a National Youth Council in Turkey to promote a culture of organization among young people, and GoFor actively works toward this goal.
The Youth Organizations Forum is structured in line with the following priorities.
A Democratic Youth Organizations Forum;
- GoFor is structured as a model that ensures the effective and meaningful participation of diverse youth groups at the highest level.
- GoFor is built on an understanding of participatory democracy.
- Within GoFor, different fields of work are defined, and democratic participation is ensured through internal bodies such as working groups, commissions, and committees.
- Decision-making power within GoFor is distributed in a horizontal and inclusive manner.
- The youth organizations that make up GoFor are also expected to operate in a democratic manner.
A Transparent Youth Organizations Forum;
- GoFor is transparent. All decisions and decision-making processes, as well as all activities carried out, are documented and shared with internal and external stakeholders.
- The structures that make up GoFor including youth organizations, initiatives, councils, and communities are expected to operate in a transparent manner.
- All knowledge, tools, and policies produced by GoFor are open to participation and feedback, and are accessible, clear, and traceable. Suggested channels include the website, email groups, and social media platforms.
- In decision-making processes, the effective participation of all those who may be affected by the decisions is ensured.
- All bodies within GoFor act in accordance with the rules governing GoFor’s functioning, and compliance with these rules is ensured through internal monitoring mechanisms.
- GoFor is financially and administratively accountable, transparent, and open to monitoring and oversight.
A Rights-Based Youth Organizations Forum;
- GoFor identifies the challenges and needs of diverse youth groups, including differences in religion, language, ethnicity, culture, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic status, disability, and other forms of disadvantage, and works to understand the underlying causes of these issues.
- Based on these findings, GoFor contributes to the development of public policies that respond to young people’s needs and carries out advocacy efforts to support these policies.
- GoFor is grounded in universal human rights, drawing on international human rights conventions, documents, and declarations.
- It interprets universal human rights norms with a focus on young people’s needs, works to advance youth rights, and advocates for youth rights within this framework, including areas such as young people’s rights to health, housing, and education.
- At both national and international levels, GoFor monitors policies that affect young people as well as public institutions that provide services to youth, and seeks to influence these policies in line with young people’s rights and needs.
- GoFor monitors the share of public resources allocated to young people and advocates for these resources to be used in ways that respond to young people’s needs.
- GoFor works to identify and remove barriers that limit young people’s active participation in social life.
A Participatory Youth Organizations Forum;
- GoFor is open to the participation and/or contribution of all youth organizations.
- The participation and equitable representation of diverse youth groups including differences in religion, language, ethnicity, culture, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic status, disability, and other forms of disadvantage are ensured within GoFor.
- The criteria for participation in or contribution to GoFor are defined by GoFor and are shared openly and transparently with all.
- To enable the inclusion of unorganized young people and those without formal representation, research and working groups, committees, commissions, and similar structures are established, ensuring broad and inclusive participation and decision-making processes.
- Various channels are used to gather opinions and input from young people who are not formally part of GoFor, enabling them to share their perspectives.
- GoFor is recognized as a joint and equal stakeholder in all decision-making and policy-making processes, action plans, and strategies that concern young people.