Kadri Vanem was elected in November 2008 on the YFJ General Assembly in Rotterdam to be a bureau member of the YFJ in the period 2009-2010.

Her main responsibilities during her mandate fall under youth policy where she is responsible for participation in particular and under social affairs where she is responsible for health. Furthermore Kadri also works on Youth in Action programme.

Next to her voluntary work in YFJ, she is currently completing Theology studies at the University of Tartu and Eastern European studies at the Free University of Berlin. Kadri also works in the European Parliament. She has been engaged in international youth work for ten years, through the organisation Active - Sobriety, friendship and peace, and within the YFJ, has been an official delegate for Active since 2004, also serving as a member of the YFJ European Union Affairs Commission (EUACOM) until autumn 2008.

The European Youth Forum (YFJ) is an independent, democratic, youth-led platform, representing 99 National Youth Councils and International Youth Organisations from across Europe. The YFJ works to empower young people to participate actively in society to improve their own lives, by representing and advocating their needs and interests and those of their organisations towards the European Institutions, the Council of Europe and the United Nations;

The ‘European Youth Capital’ is a title designated to a European city for a period of one year, during which it will be given the chance to showcase its youth-related cultural, social, political and economic life and development. The ‘European Youth Capital’ initiative encourages the implementation of new ideas and innovative projects in regards to the active participation of young people in society and portrays a role model for the further development of other European municipalities.

The first and current European Youth Capital is Rotterdam, Netherlands. The European Youth Forum (YFJ) has already launched the call for the second and a third European Youth Capital, EYC 2010 and 2011. The jury, composed of several relevant European institutions, civil society organisations, the current EYC, the YFJ and the media, awarded the title EYC 2010 to Torino (Italy) and EYC 2011 to Antwerp (Belgium).

The main aim is to strengthen the relationship between European institutions and the local level and thus pay attention for the common European objectives regarding youth policy. Further the YFJ considers it as important to focus on youth participation at the local level as well as the European level and to strengthen the European citizenship, complementary to local, national and other citizenships.