Call for Proposal for the “Youth in Action programme” for the period 2007 – 2013

In the Official Journal of the EU of December 23, 2009 has been published a Call for Proposals for the “Youth in Action programme”(2007 – 2013).

Objectives and priorities of the Programme:

The general objectives of the Youth in Action Programme are the following:

• to promote young people’s active citizenship in general and their European citizenship in particular;
• to develop solidarity and promote tolerance among young people, in particular in order to foster social cohesion in the European Union;
• to foster mutual understanding between young people in different countries;
• to contribute to developing the quality of support systems for youth activities and the capabilities of civil society organizations in the youth field;
• to promote European cooperation in the youth field.

The permanent priorities of the “Youth in Action programme” (2007 – 2013) are:

• European citizenship;
• participation of young people;
• cultural diversity;
• inclusion of young people with fewer opportunities.

In addition to the abovementioned permanent priorities, the 2010 annual priorities are:

• European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion (encouraging projects aimed at raising young people's awareness of everyone’s responsibility in tackling poverty and marginalisation as well as at promoting the inclusion of groups with fewer opportunities);
• Youth unemployment and promotion of young unemployed people's active participation in society (encouraging projects tackling the issue of youth unemployment and aimed at stimulating young unemployed people's active participation in society).
• Awareness-raising and mobilization of young people around global challenges, such as sustainable development, climate change, migrations,etc.(encouraging projects aimed at raising young people's consciousness of their role as active citizens in a globalized world as well as at fostering their sense of global solidarity and commitment vis-à-vis current issues).

Structure of the Youth in Action Programme

This call for proposal concerns the support to the following Actions and sub-Actions:

Action 1: Youth for Europe;

Sub-Action 1.1: Youth Exchanges (lasting up to 15 months);

Sub-Action 1.2: Youth Initiatives (lasting from 3 to 18 months);

Sub-Action 1.3: Youth Democracy Projects (lasting from 3 to 18 months).

Action 2: European Voluntary Service;

Action 3: Youth in the World;

Sub-Action 3.1: Cooperation with the Neighboring Countries of the European Union (lasting up to 15 months).

Action 4: Youth Support Systems;

Sub-Action 4.3: Training and networking of those active in youth work and youth organizations (lasting from 3 to 18 months).

Action 5: Support for European cooperation in the youth field;

Sub-Action 5.1: Meetings of young people and those responsible for youth policy (lasting from 3 to 9 months).

Eligible applicants

Applications shall be submitted by:

• non-profit or non-governmental organizations;
• local, regional public bodies;
• informal groups of young people;
• bodies active at European level in the youth field;
• international non-profit organizations;
• profit-making organizations organizing an event in the area of youth, sport or culture;
• applicants have to be legally established in one of the Programme or in Neighboring Partner Countries in the Western Balkans.

The Programme is open to the following eligible countries:

• the EU Member States;
• the EFTA States that are party to the EEA Agreement, in accordance with the provisions of that Agreement (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway);
• the candidate countries benefiting from a pre-accession strategy, pursuant to the general principles and the general conditions and arrangements laid down in the framework agreements concluded with these countries for their participation in Community programmes (Turkey);
• third countries that have signed agreements with the Community relevant to the youth field.

Award criteria

sub-Actions 1.1, 1.2, 3.1, 4.3 and Action 2:

• the relevance to the objectives and priorities of the Programme (30 %);
• the quality of the project and methods proposed (50 %);
• the profile of participants and promoters (20 %).

sub-Action 1.3:

• the relevance to the objectives and priorities of the Programme (30 %);
• the quality of the thematic concept (20 %);
• the quality of the project and methods proposed (30 %);
• the profile and number of participants and promoters (20 %).

sub-Action 5.1:

• the relevance to the objectives and priorities of the Programme (20 %);
• the relevance to EU youth policy objectives (20 %);
• the quality of the project and methods proposed (40 %);
• the profile and number of participants and promoters (20 %).

The Programme has an overall budget of EUR 885 million for the period 2007-2013.

The application must be submitted for the deadline corresponding to the start date of the project.

Further information may be found in the Youth in Action Programme Guide on the following websites:

http://ec.europa.eu/youth/index_en.htm

http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/youth/index_en.php