Youth in Action programme
Youth in Action in figures : - Duration: 2007-2013
- Budget: 885 million euros for seven years
- Geographic reach: EU Member States, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Turkey, the EU neighbours (Eastern Europe and Caucasus, the Mediterranean region, South-East Europe) and other partner countries in the world
- Age brackets: 15-28 (in some cases 13-30)
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Programme Actions
The Youth in Action Programme aims to achieve the following general objectives:
- promote young people’s active citizenship in general and their European citizenship in particular;
- develop solidarity and promote tolerance among young people, in particular in order to foster social cohesion in the European Union;
- foster mutual understanding between young people in different countries;
- contribute to developing the quality of support systems for youth activities and the capabilities of civil society organisations in the youth field;
- promote European cooperation in the yout field.
To this end, the Programme is structured around 5 Actions:
Action 1 - Youth for Europe
encourages young people's active citizenship, participation and creativity through youth exchanges, youth initiatives and youth democracy projects. Action 2 - European Voluntary Service
helps young people to develop their sense of solidarity by participating, either individually or in group, in non-profit, unpaid voluntary activities abroad. Action 3 - Youth in the World
promotes partnerships and exchanges among young people and youth organisations across the world. Action 4 - Youth Support Systems
includes various measures to support youth workers and youth organisations and improve the quality of their activities.
Youth in Action programme
1. Youth for Europe
Action 1 of the Youth in Action Programme offers a stimulating way for youth to become involved in debating and promoting active citizenship and democracy.
Youth for Europe is geared towards the specific needs and expectations of young people. The aim is to promote a sense of ‘Europeanness’ among young people from every strata of society and encourage them to participate in the democratic process.
Pilot Projects on Thematic Networking can also be supported as a means to better structure projects of a similar nature, to pool experiences in a specific thematic field and to increase the visibility of project results. Criteria on how to obtain funding for this type of projects are specified in a specific call for proposals. Youth Exchanges
The aim of Youth Exchanges is to get groups of young people from different countries together so they can explore their social and cultural differences and similarities. Youth Exchanges are targeted at young people between the age of 13 and 25. They receive the unique opportunity to experience significant mutual learning situations and to strengthen their feeling of being Europeans.
Each exchange must have a theme that is relevant to the daily experiences of the young people involved but also has a clear European dimension. Themes could cover numerous issues, such as young people in society, racism and xenophobia, local heritage, drugs, the environment, etc. Click here to view examples of past projects! In accordance with its inclusion strategy, the Youth in Action programme particularly encourages youth exchanges involving young people with fewer opportunities. By participating in a youth exchange, young people go through a non-formal learning experience, which is recognised through a specific certificate called Youthpass. Youth Initiatives
Youth Initiatives are projects entirely devised, planned and implemented by young people at local, regional or national level. The goal of these important non-formal learning experiences is to stimulate young people’s creativity, enterprise and initiative. Youth Initiatives are aimed primarily at 18-30 year olds, but 15-18 year olds can take part if accompanied by a coach or youth worker. There are two types of initiative: National Youth Initiatives, which are developed by single groups in their own countries; and Transnational Youth Initiatives where two or more groups from different European countries are involved. The themes that groups choose to work on must be relevant to the young people themselves and to the local community. Possible topics include art and culture, social exclusion, homelessness and unemployment, youth sports and leisure, media and communications, etc. The European dimension is crucial. This could be highlighted by ensuring that a chosen theme is examined in a European context. Project teams could also choose a specific European theme, such as enlargement and its cultural impact on young people. These strategies offer the chance to promote common European values like equal opportunities, human rights and democracy.
Youth Democracy Projects
Youth Democracy Projects aim at boosting young people’s involvement in the democratic process at local, regional and European level.
The objective is to provide young people with ideas about and experiences of democracy, to spark new national and transnational networks and exchanges of good practice. Youth Democracy Projects improve young people’s understanding of how democracy works, helping them to make the most of their right to participate in the decision-making structures of a democratic society.
Among other things, projects could aim at developing actions to support a structured dialogue between decision-makers and young people. Aimed at 13 to 30 year olds, Youth Democracy Projects should focus on such themes as European citizenship, active participation, cultural diversity, social inclusion, the future of Europe or other priorities identified in the field of European cooperation in the youth field.
Youth in Action programme
How to participate
Want to get involved?
There are two main ways to get involved in the Programme:
1. You are …
… a young person aged between 13-30 or a youth worker…
… full of energy, creativity and ideas and would like to find a way to develop them…
… looking for opportunities to meet and exchange ideas and practices with other young people or youth workers from different countries…
… interested in volunteering in another country…
As an individual you can be a participant in one of the activities supported by the Programme.
If you would like to get involved, find out more about the opportunities offered by the Programme by browsing through the different sections of this website. You will get a general overview of what Youth in Action can offer you as well as some useful information on its Actions and features.
Want to know more?
Take a look at the Youth in Action Programme guide – it will give you a deeper insight into the Actions and types of activities that can be supported by the Programme. 2. You are …
… a non-governmental youth organisation,
… an informal group of young people,
… a local or regional public body,
… a body active at European level in the field of youth …
… willing to develop a project and submit an application for funding under the Youth in Action Programme…
Become a promoter of an activity to be supported by the Programme!
If you would like to get involved and submit a project application for funding, the first port of call for additional information after this website is the Youth in Action Programme Guide. Read it carefully!
It will help you understand the Programme's objectives and criteria, and to identify the types of projects that can be supported by the Programme.
Think through your project idea and make sure it respects all the criteria and conditions described in the Guide…
Make sure you respect the deadlines!
Remember!
Depending on the type of organisation, promoters may submit their application to their National Agency (national level) or to the Executive Agency (European level). For projects submitted to a National Agency there are five application deadlines per year:
Projects starting between | Application deadline |
1 May and 31 October | 1 February |
1 August and 31 January | 1 May |
1 January and 30 June | 1 October |
For projects submitted to the Executive Agency there are three application deadlines a year
Projects starting between | Application deadline |
1 August and 31 December | 1 February |
1 December and 30 April | 1 June |
1 March and 31 July | 1 September |
Once your application is submitted, it will go through a selection process to make sure that it fulfils all the Programme criteria. At the end of this process, your National Agency or the Executive Agency will inform you of the results. If your application is successful, you will have to sign a grant agreement before starting your activities.
Get support!
At every stage of the process, whether you are looking for additional information or for advice on how to develop your project ideas, whether you need support in partner-finding or help to fill in your application form, during or after your project implementation, you can get assistance, training and advice from various support structures (your National Agency or the Executive Agency, the Eurodesk network, SALTO Youth Resource Centres). Do not hesitate to contact them at any stage!
Youth in Action programme
Programme priorities
The Youth in Action programme has four permanent priorities and additional annual priorities which potential projects will have to be aware of as they frame their bids for support:
European Citizenship: A key goal of the programme is to raise awareness in young people that they are citizens of Europe, as well as citizens of their own countries. The aim is to get youth actively involved in shaping the future of the European Union. Projects will have to show a strong European dimension if they are to receive programme backing. The Youth in Action programme aims to raise awareness among young people that they are European citizens. To that end, the programme will support projects that have a strong European dimension, and that reflect on the continent’s shared values and culture.
The Programme aims at encouraging young people to reflect on their role in European society and on how they can contribute to the Union’s future peace and prosperity.
The desire to promote active European citizenship is now a key priority of the EU across the board, as reflected in Commission Communication,
COM (2004) 154 final: ‘Making citizenship work: fostering European culture and diversity through programmes for youth, culture, audiovisual and civic participation.’
Time to join the chorus
The bid to instil active citizenship in Europe’s youth along these lines could not be more timely: the EU now has 27 Member States and more than 70 million young people between 15 and 25 years of age, many of whom have differing social and cultural backgrounds. The cohesion of the Union depends on actively engaging Europe’s youth in the European project.
The Youth in Action programme promotes solidarity among young people, allowing them to experience other cultures and work across borders on issues of mutual interest.
The aim of building European citizenship runs through all the Actions of the Programme.
Participation of young people: Youth in Action promotes and supports young people’s involvement in democratic life, spurring them on to be active citizens who care about their communities and understand the value of representative democracy. The Youth in Action programme supports and encourages young people to participate more actively and get more closely involved in democratic life. This links closely with the aim of promoting active citizenship among the young.
The EU outlined its goals in a
Council Resolution of November 2003, which “sets common objectives to develop and improve young European’s effective participation in democratic life and their access to information”.
This is instilled in the Youth in Action programme priorities, which aim to:
- Increase the participation of young people in the civic life of their community
- Increase the role of young Europeans in representative democracy
- Provide greater support for various forms of learning to participate.
Meeting the challenge
The general EU consensus was further refined in a more recent
Council Resolution of May 2005, which seeks increased “participation by young people in the system of representative democracy”. Youth in Action answers this challenge through its Actions which offer scope to:
- Encourage regional and National Authorities to support young people’s participation in the democratic process
- Raise general awareness among young people of the importance of democracy, its institutions and processes
- Strengthen dialogue between young people, politicians and policy-makers
Cultural diversity: Respect for people’s cultural origins is at the heart of the Youth in Action programme, as is the desire to fight against racism and xenophobia – forces that undermine European values and people’s solidarity.
The EU is seeking to develop a sense of European citizenship based on common values, but it is acutely aware of the need to respect and nurture the continent’s vast cultural diversity.
Respect for diversity and the fight against racism and xenophobia, is at the heart of many EU initiatives, including Youth in Action. The programme supports projects and activities in which young people from different cultural, religious and ethnic backgrounds can work together.
The aim is to promote “intercultural learning” that encourages tolerance, mutual respect and understanding between participants but also in society in general. Projects should harness intercultural working methods that reflect on the potentially diverse nature of participants, allowing them to take part on an equal footing.
The need to address cultural diversity issues cuts through the Youth in Action programme.
Inclusion: The focus is on ensuring that young people with fewer opportunities get access to the Youth in Action programme, as well as on encouraging projects with a thematic focus on inclusion.
Inclusion is a key priority for Youth in Action. The Programme encourages the full involvement of young people with fewer opportunities, while contributing to social cohesion in general.
The emphasis is on an inclusive approach that ensures fairness and equality of access to Youth in Action’s range of activities. The approach will also give the Programme greater reach, as young people will get to meet and work with peers from diverse backgrounds.
The Commission has worked with National Agencies, the
SALTO Resource Centres and inclusion organisations to draft an
Inclusion Strategy to ensure that young people with fewer opportunities and those from less-privileged backgrounds find a role in the Programme. This further fosters a significant impact of the programme on social inclusion, active citizenship and the employability of those young people.
That means Youth in Action must encourage participation by young people from all educational, socio-economic, cultural or geographical backgrounds, as well as disabled youngsters, and also support projects with a clear thematic focus on inclusion.
Youth groups and organisations that apply for funding for their projects will be expected to ensure that the above target groups – including youngsters with special needs – are not excluded from their planned activities.
All aboard
The
SALTO Inclusion Resource Centre provides relevant training for international youth workers, along with a range of publications and other resources designed to ensure that no young people are excluded from the Youth in Action programme because of their circumstances.
In 2007, the SALTO Inclusion Resource Centre organised a
training course for European youth workers to help them create opportunities for rural and isolated young people, and also helped to organise an
event in a French
banlieue (suburb), where 40 experts swapped good practice on how to work effectively with urban youngsters from less privileged backgrounds.
Annual priorities: In addition to these permanent priorities, each year the focus is also placed on specific annual priorities. Annual priorities of the Youth in Action Programme are aimed at better defining the context of implementation of the Programme by clarifying the scope of the permanent priorities (promoting young people's European citizenship, active participation in democratic life, cultural diversity and the inclusion of young people with fewer opportunities) and by better anchoring the Programme to topical issues at European level.
In keeping with the past, the underlying idea is to ensure continuity in certain priorities in order to achieve more sustainable results, while adapting to the main priorities of the year and those retained at political level in the youth field. In line with this approach, in 2010 priority will be given to project proposals taking into account one or more of the following priorities:
European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion
This priority is intended to encourage projects aimed at raising young people's awareness of everyone’s responsibility in tackling poverty and marginalisation as well as at promoting the inclusion of groups with fewer opportunities. This concerns in particular, projects aimed at stimulating young people's reflection on the prevention, ways out and consequences of poverty; projects tackling the issue of marginalisation and various forms of discrimination, such as those based on gender, disability or ethnic, religious, linguistic or migrant grounds. In this context, particular attention will be paid in particular to projects promoting the active involvement of: a) disabled young people, encouraging exchange between young people with and without disabilities, as well as projects focusing on the issue of disability in our society; b) young people from migrant backgrounds or ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities. In this context, projects involving Roma young people shall be encouraged wherever relevant.
Youth unemployment and promotion of young unemployed people's active participation in society
This priority is intended to encourage projects tackling the issue of youth unemployment and aimed at stimulating young unemployed people's active participation in society.
Awareness-raising and mobilization of young people around global challenges (such as sustainable development, climate change, migrations, the Millennium Development Goals).
This priority is intended to encourage projects aimed at raising young people's consciousness of their role as active citizens in a globalized world as well as at fostering their sense of global solidarity and commitment vis-à-vis current issues.
