The YOUTH programme offers young people opportunities for mobility and active participation in the construction of Europe. It aims to contribute to building a “Europe of knowledge” and to create a European arena for co-operation in the development of youth policy, based on non-formal education. It encourages the concept of lifelong learning and the development of skills and competencies, which promote active citizenship.
Three Actions of the YOUTH Programme are open to organizations and youth from SEE: Youth for Europe, European Voluntary Service and Support measures.
SEEYN and its organizations have participated in a number of projects supported by YOUTH. Some of them are:
- Multilateral European Voluntary Service project in partnership with Youth Action for Peace involving 9 volunteers from SEE and EU countries
- Multilateral EVS project with United Nations Volunteers involving 15 volounteers
- Three multilateral EVS project in partnership with International Cultural Youth Exchange involving more than 30 volunteers from SEE and EU countries
- SEE Information Project in cooperation with ICYE, Eastlinks and Eurodesk Italy
- Number of bilateral Youth for Europe and EVS projects
- Different contact making and training events held in SEE region or in some of EU countries
- Promotion of YOUTH Programme in SEE countries in cooperation with SALTO SEE Resource Centre, Slovenia
What is YOUTH Programme
YOUTH is the Community action programme (2000-2006) of European Commission DG EAC for co-operation in the area of youth policy, based on informal education and training and exchanges within the Member States and third countries.
The objectives of the programme are:
- to enable young people to acquire the knowledge, abilities and skills which may help them in their future development;
- to encourage young people's initiative, enterprise and creativity;
- to enable young people to take an active part in society and to become responsible citizens;
- to encourage young people to make an active contribution to the building of Europe, and to strengthen their sense of solidarity;
- to help to promote respect for human rights and to combat racism and xenophobia;
- to strengthen co-operation in the field of youth.
- YOUTH FOR EUROPE - YFE,
- EUROPEAN VOLUNTARY SERVICE - EVS,
- YOUTH INITIATIVES,
- JOINT ACTIONS,
- SUPPORT MEASURES.
ACTION 1 Youth for Europe
The "Youth for Europe" action promotes transnational exchanges based on joint projects between groups of young people aged from 15 to 25 for at least one week. The purpose is to enable them to discover different social and cultural environments. It supports activities designed to prepare young people for mobility in terms of linguistic knowledge and a greater awareness of other cultures.
Bilateral or multilateral exchanges which involve new organisations or youth groups, especially the less privileged or young people in difficulty, are particularly encouraged. Itinerant multilateral exchanges, i.e. where the entire group moves during the activity from one country to another, and other special events will be considered on a case-by-case basis. The exchange project should have a thematic concept, e.g. anti-racism, arts, music, fight against drug abuse, information technology, etc.
The EU Member States and the EEA countries can participate fully in the programme. The candidate countries can participate in all the actions, except in actions involving partners in countries outside the EU and EEA. Third countries can participate in this Action, but projects must at least involve two EU Member States.
ACTION 2 European Voluntary Service
The "European Voluntary Service" action is aimed at young people aged from 18 to 25 to volunteer in "host organisation" in another country for a specific amount of time. The voluntary service can before example, in the field of environment, arts, culture, activities with children, young people or the elderly, heritage or sports and leisure activities. Each project should have three partners: a volunteer, a sending organisation and a host organisation.
Activities have to conform to the following general principles: *take place in another country than where the volunteer lives, *are non-profit-making and unpaid, *bring an added value to the local community, *do not involve job substitution or job replacement *last for a limited period (max. 12 months)
The following types of projects are implicated: *one-to-one projects / Short term projects *Short term group projects *Multilateral projects *Special Event projects *Projects with third countries.
ACTION 5 Support measures
The "Support Measures" action aims to help all those involved in youth activities, or interested in youth matters to prepare and develop projects and initiatives that fall within the remit of the YOUTH programme. It supports the training of, and co-operation between, persons involved in youth work, information campaigns for your people at European level and studies on youth. Support measures are open to youth workers, trainers, support persons, mentors, project managers, youth leaders, groups of young people involved or interested in non-formal education.
The type of activities supported are seminars, training courses, visits, feasibility studies for innovative projects, production and dissemination of documentation (printed, CD-ROM, Internet), transnational partnerships and networks, practical training experience and information campaigns. All activities should be non-profit making.
Programme 