YOUTH IN ACTION Non-formal education for all young people

Youth in Action  Information meeting on YiA attended by Hafsteinn in Brussels october  Jens Mester from the EC introduced the newly approved program  Adopted on 25. october 2006  Budget of 885 million € (EC proposal 915, YFJ proposal 1.200)  ECYC have been involved in the consultation process through YFJ since 2004

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 youth field.

Who implements the programme?  European Commission (EC)  Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) – YOUTH Unit  National Agencies (NA)  National Authorities  Other structures: SALTO-YOUTH Resource Centres, Eurodesk, Partnership between European Commission and Council of Europe

New elements  “YiA” integrates the activities of the “YOUTH” and “Youth NGO support” programs  New actions and measures  Extended geographical scope  Extended age access (13-30 years)  One additional target group: youth policy administrations/policy- makers

Age brackets  Youth Exchange: (exc )  Youth initiatives: (exc )  Youth democracy projects:  EVS: (exc )  Support systems: no age limits  Youth seminars: 15-30

Programme Countries  EU member states: 27  European Economic Area: 3 (ISL, LI, NO)  Accession candidate: 1 (TR)  Other Switzerland will be a Programme Country upon conclusion of a bilateral agreement between the EU and Switzerland. Total of 32

Extended geography: Partner countries Neighboring Partner Countries:  South East Europe  Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia  Eastern Europe and Caucasus  Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Russian Federation, Ukraine  Mediterranean Partner Countries  Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestinian Authority of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Syria. Tunisia  Other Partner countries on the world who have agreements with the European community relevant to the youth field (action 2 and 3.2)

Openness to ALL..  “The European Commission has established a strategy for the inclusion of young people with fewer opportunities in the Youth in Action Programme, targeting in particular young people from a less- privileged educational, socio-economic, cultural or geographical background, or with disabilities.”

Priorities - permanent  European citizenship  Participation of young people  Cultural Diversity  Inclusion of young people with fewer opportunities

Priorities – annual  2007: European Year of Equal opportunities (addressing discrimination with emphasis on discrimination from a gender perspective)  2007: improving young people’s health (through physical and outdoor activites as tools to achieve the Programme’s objectives)  Structured dialogue  2007: Social inclusion and diversity  2008: Intercultural dialogue

Actions Action 1 - Youth for Europe (exchanges) Action 2 - European Voluntary Service Action 3 - Youth in the World Action 4 – Youth support systems Action 5 - Support for policy cooperation

Action 1: Youth for Europe  Subdivided into three sub-Actions and a call for proposals. It supports:  1.1 Youth Exchange  1.2 Youth Initiatives  1.3 Youth Democracy Projects  Pilot projects on thematic networks Budget: €

Action 2: EVS Individual or group project involving up to 100 young people in a non-profit-making unpaid activity for the benefit of the general public in a country other than the country of residence. Budget: €

Action 3: Youth in the World Type of activites: Youth Exchanges (1.1) Training and networking (4.3) Subactions:  Action Cooperation with the neighbouring countries of the European Union  Action Cooperation with ‘other Partner Countries of the world’ (priority will be given to projects involving countries in Latin America, Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific, and Asia.) Budget: €

Action 4: Youth support systems  4.1. Support for bodies active at European level in the field of youth (call for proposals)  4.2. Support for the European Youth Forum  4.3. Training and Networking of those active in youth work and youth organisations  4.4. Projects encouraging innovation and quality (call for proposals)  4.5. Information activities for young people, youth workers and organisations  4.6. Partnerships  4.7. Support to the structures of the Programme  4.8. Adding the value of the Programme Budget: €

Action 5: Support for European cooperation in the youth field  5.1. Meetings of young people and youth policymakers  5.2. Support for activities to bring about better understanding and knowledge in the field of youth  5.3. Cooperation with international organisations Budget: €

Application deadlines On national level: 5 deadlines a year Projects starting betweenApplication deadline 1 May and 30 September1 February 1 July and 30 November1 April 1 September and 31 January1 June 1 December and 30 April1 September 1 February and 31 July1 November

Application deadlines On European level: 3 deadlines a year Projects starting betweenApplication deadline 1 July and 30 November1 February 1 November and 30 March1 June 1 January and 31 July1 September

Multi -Measure Financial Agreements (in regards to 4.3) A beneficiary who organises several Training and Networking (4.3) projects over a period of 18 months can present one single project proposal characterised by the following structure:  The proposal may combine between two and five activities of the same type (for example Training Courses over the course of a year) or  The proposal may combine between two and five activities of different types (for example one Evaluation meeting, two Seminars and one Partnership-Building activity). The aims of the Multi-Measure Financial Agreements are to:  reduce the administrative burden on beneficiaries;  shift efforts on quality aspects;  elaborate wider dissemination and visibility strategies.