Youth in Action Programme 2007 - 2013

The Youth in Action Programme makes an important contribution to the acquisition of competences and is therefore a key instrument in providing young people with opportunities for non-formal and informal learning with a European dimension. The Youth in Action Programme is a programme for all. It encourages the involvement of young people with fewer opportunities and addresses young people aged between 13 and 30.

Its general objectives are:

• 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.

These general objectives shall be implemented at project level taking into consideration the following permanent priorities.

1. European citizenship
   Making young people aware that they are European citizens is a priority of the Youth in Action Programme. The objective is to encourage young people to reflect upon European topics including European citizenship and to involve them in the discussion on the construction and the future of the European Union. On this basis, projects should have a strong European dimension and stimulate reflection on the emerging European society and its values.
   
2. Participation of young people
   A main priority of the Youth in Action Programme is the participation of young people in democratic life. The overall objective for participation is to encourage young people to be active citizens. This objective has the three following dimensions, laid down in the Council resolution on the common objectives for participation by and information for young people
   - to increase the participation by young people in the civic life of their community
   - to increase participation by young people in the system of representative
   democracy;
   - greater support for various forms of learning to participate.
   
3. Cultural Diversity
   The respect for cultural diversity together with the fight against racism and xenophobia are priorities of the Youth in Action Programme. By facilitating joint activities of young people from different cultural, ethnic and religious backgrounds,
   the Programme aims to develop the intercultural learning of young people.
   
   As far as the development and implementation of projects is concerned, this means that young people participating in a project should become aware of its intercultural dimension. Intercultural working methods should be used to enable project participants to participate on an equal basis.
   
4. Inclusion of young people with fewer opportunities
   An important priority for the European Commission is to give young people with fewer opportunities access to the Youth in Action Programme. Youth groups and organisations should take appropriate measures to avoid exclusion of specific target groups. The Youth in Action Programme is a programme for all and efforts should be made to include young people with special needs.
   
   In close cooperation with the National Agencies and the SALTO Resource Centres, 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.

Who is eligible?
Young people between the ages of 13 and 30 are encouraged to get involved (main target group: 15 to 28 years), subject to the requirements of specific projects, and special attention is given to individuals with fewer opportunities. The Programme is open to all young people independently of their level of education or social and cultural background.

Most types of project co-financed by the Youth in Action Programme require a partnership to be established between two or more partners. A distinction is made between Programme Countries and Partner Countries:

• Programme Countries
  27 EU Member States
  Participating countries of the EFTA members of the EEA: Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway
  Candidate countries for accession to the EU: Turkey
  
• Neighbouring Partner Countries (under Actions 2, 3.1 and 5.1)
  South East Europe
  Eastern Europe and Caucasus:
  Mediterranean Partner Countries:
  
• Other Partner Countries of the World (under Actions 2 and 3.2.)
  

Structure of the Youth in Action Programme
Activities supported by the YOUTH IN ACTION programme are divided into five Actions:

ACTION 1 – YOUTH FOR EUROPE

Action 1 aims to increase mobility of young people by supporting Youth Exchanges and to develop their citizenship and mutual understanding by supporting Youth initiatives, projects and activities concerning their participation in democratic life. Action 1 supports the following measures: Youth Exchanges, Youth Initiatives and Youth Democracy Projects. At centralised level, you can apply for the following actions:

• Action 1.1 – Youth Exchanges
• Action 1.3 – Youth Democracy Projects
• Multi-measure financial agreement
• Pilot projects on thematic networking: annual call for proposals

ACTION 2 – EUROPEAN VOLUNTARY SERVICE

European Voluntary Service (EVS) supports transnational voluntary service of young people, both within and outside the European Union. The activity takes place in a country other than volunteers' country of residence. It is unpaid, non-profit making and full-time during a given period. It serves the benefit of the community. EVS is open to all young people between 18 and 30 years old, regardless of their background, legally resident in a Programme Country or in a Partner Country.

• Volunteer Helpdesk

ACTION 3 – YOUTH IN THE WORLD

Youth in the World's main aim is to promote exchanges and cooperation in the field of youth and non-formal education with other regions of the world. It supports projects involving young people and organisations from the so-called "Partner Countries":

• Action 3.1 – Cooperation with neighbouring countries of the European Union: n
• Action 3.2 – Cooperation with other Partner Countries of the world: annual call for proposals:

ACTION 4 – YOUTH SUPPORT SYSTEMS
Action 4 contributes to develop the quality of support structures, to support the role of those active in youth work and youth organisations, to develop the quality of the Programme and to promote civil participation of young people at European level by supporting bodies active at European level in the field of youth. At centralised level, you can apply for the following actions:

• Action 4.1 – Support for bodies active at European level in the field of youth: annual call for proposals:
• Action 4.3 – Training and networking of those active in youth work and youth organisations:
• Multi-measure financial agreement:
• Action 4.4 – Projects encouraging innovation and quality: annual call for proposals:
• Action 4.8 – Adding the value of the Programme
  

ACTION 5 – SUPPORT FOR EUROPEAN COOPERATION IN THE YOUTH FIELD

The aim of Action 5 is to contribute to promote European cooperation in the youth field by encouraging the exchange of good practice, cooperation and structured dialogue between administrations, policymakers and young people at all levels. Specific sub-actions are implemented to improve knowledge and understanding of youth and to contribute to the cooperation with international organisations active in the field of youth. At centralised level, you can apply for the following action:

• Action 5.1 – Meeting of young people and those responsible for youth policy: More information

Deadlines
At national level (NA): 5 application deadlines a year

At centralised level (EACEA): 3 application deadlines a year

Warning: eligibility period
Project dates: from initial preparation to final evaluation
Activity date: period during which the activity takes place

Contact Details

Postal address:
Education, Audiovisual & Culture Executive Agency
Youth Department
BOUR 01/01
Avenue du Bourget 1
B-1140 Brussels
Fax number: +32 2 29 21330

Websites:
Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency – YOUTH unit
Volunteer Helpdesk

Email addresses:
General information: youth@ec.europa.eu
Youth Helpdesk (crisis management, visa support,...): youthhelpdesk@ec.europa.eu
Volunteer Helpdesk (volunteers/EVS organisations): volunteers@ec.europa.eu

Phone numbers:
General information: +32 2 29 97824
Youth Helpdesk (crisis management, visa support,...): +32 2 29 68724
Volunteer Helpdesk (volunteers/EVS organisations): +32 2 29 68724

Further information
You can find more information about the YOUTH IN ACTION programme on:

• FAQ
• European Commission
• National Agencies

Useful links

• European Youth Portal
• Eurodesk
• White Paper on Youth
• SALTOResource centres (Support for Advanced Learning and Training Opportunities within the European YOUTH programme)