Youth in Action Programme
Youth in Action is the EU Programme for young people aged 15-28 (in some cases 13-30). It aims to inspire a sense of active citizenship, solidarity and tolerance among young Europeans and to involve them in shaping the Union’s future.
Youth in Action is a programme for all! It promotes mobility within and beyond the EU borders, non-formal learning and intercultural dialogue, and encourages the inclusion of all young people, regardless of their educational, social and cultural background.
Youth in Action is the successor of the YOUTH Programme (2000-2006). Building on the experience of the previous programmes for youth, Youth in Action is the result of a large consultation with the different stakeholders in the youth field and aims to respond to the evolutions and needs of young people at European level.
Programme priorities
The Youth in Action programme has four permanent 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.
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.
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.
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.
In addition to these permanent priorities, each year the focus is also placed on specific annual priorities.
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.
Action 5 – Support for European Co-operation in the Youth field
supports youth policy co-operation at European level, in particular by facilitating dialogue between young people and policy makers.
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.
Get in touch with your National Agency or Eurodesk national office for further information and advice.
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…
Fill in the official application form for the Action you want to apply for.
Make sure you respect the deadlines!
