The Future of Youth in Action
A campaign for a strong and independent European programme for youth
What is Erasmus for All?
The Youth in Action programme , (YiA), Europe's largest source of funding for youth organisations and activities, will not be renewed after it comes to an end in 2013. 'Erasmus for All' is the European Commission's proposal for its replacement, combining all current programmes in training, education, youth and sport, with 19.5 billion euro allocated for 2014 -2020.
Erasmus for All will prioritise co-operation between formal education and business, policy reforms, and individual student mobility to promote innovation, entrepreneurship and employability in Europe.
Two thirds of the budget is set aside for mobility: nearly five million students will benefit from EU grants to study and train abroad, of which only 9% are planned for volunteers and youth exchanges.
How has the Youth in Action programme enabled EEE-YFU have an impact on youth work?
- Projects for multipliers
Every year, EEE-YFU conducts projects, ranging from training courses to volunteer exchanges, all of which target multipliers. Youth workers from across the European YFU network participate in these projects, learn new competences, share practices and are inspired to increase the quality of their work at national and local levels.
For example, in 2010 the Training Course for Leaders of Post-Exchange Seminars targeted about 25 young youth workers who help exchange participants re-integrate into the home countries. After their training course where they learned about facilitation skills, psychological development of adolescents as well as the development of intercultural sensitivity, they returned to their countries and conducted follow-up trainings with their peers. Their new competences were then put into practice with hundreds of exchange participants who returned home in 2010. The skills and knowledge acquired by the original 25 youth workers continue to be spread and put into practice today, providing a real impact on the quality of YFU educational exchanges on countless young people.
- Sustainable long-term support for impact on a European network of mobility providers.
Not all ideas and initiatives can be packaged into short projects and the Youth in Action programme has enabled the leaders of EEE-YFU to think big and plan for the future through the sustainable funding of administrative costs through its Action 4.1 , “Support for bodies active at the European Level in the field of youth.” This sustainable support is offered in 3-year cycles with a partnership agreement between the Youth in Action programme and EEE-YFU.
For example, one of EEE-YFU’s fundamental missions is to promote the mobility of young people through long-term secondary school exchanges in Europe. Sustainable funding has enabled EEE-YFU to engage in long-term advocacy processes to help create the Comenius Individual Pupil Mobility programme. More recently, it has provided vital support to increase the quality of strategic planning and in 2010, to embark upon the goal of doubling the number of young people participating in YFU exchanges between European countries by 2020.
What does a strong European youth civil society sector need?
EEE-YFU and the European Youth Forum are asking for a strong and independent European programme for youth that supports non-formal education, youth work, youth organisations and independent youth policy. This will help the youth sector build on past successes, ensuring a greater impact and added value to the next programme in youth, education and sport.
A programme that can:
- Support the recognition of non-formal education and informal learning: youth work provides leadership opportunities for young people, enabling them to develop employability skills, complementing formal education.
- Secure funding for youth organisations: it is not clear how youth organisations will receive funding under Erasmus for All, and so are asking for clear long term support through administrative grants.
- Youth friendly: the youth sector will be a small component of the education programme, reducing the importance of 'youth' in the future direction of the programme.
- Participation of young people in democratic life and citizenship: Youth led, volunteer based organisations are a vital channel for supporting active citizenship as set out by the Lisbon treaty (2009).
- An inclusive name that increases the visibility of non-formal education: 'Erasmus for All' capitalises on the success of the Erasmus program, widely associated with learning abroad and European cooperation. But it does not reflect the identity and recognition of non-formal education which may be drowned out by the emphasis on formal education.
Key Dates
EEE-YFU is closely monitoring the evolution of the future programme for youth, and working with advocacy partners for a strong and independent youth programme:
How can you be involved in 'Where are you going?'
The YFJ needs support in order to influence the European Parliament before they take their final decision. Participation and support from member organisations and people involved in youth work is critical:
- Visit the European Youth Forum (YFJ) 'Where are you going' campaign page and help the campaign go viral.
- Use the campaign's resolution to lobby your leaders and MEP's
- Use the campaign's press release to raise awareness in your networks
- Share the campaign on your social networking sites
- Contact your National Youth Council to support their lobbying efforts
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