your europe

One time Europe, please!

Since January 2007 exists the seven-years youth programme Youth in Action of the European Union. This is the follow-programme to the related YOUTH Programme. Behind this name lies a lot of money that’s waiting to be spent on your ideas. So you’ll find under this program the European Voluntary Service that gives you the chance to spend half a or one year in an organisation in another country. But also youth exchanges, youth initiatives or seminars organised by European non-governmental organisations find financial support.

The thought behind all this is that the projects shall make Europe closer. Sure, a person who’s been abroad has a better vision of the whole idea of Europe, becomes more tolerant and feels more as a European citizen than before. And this you’re not supposed to learn during long school lessons, but through informal education activities. You’ll learn something that you can’t get a certificate for, but you will profit even more from it.

Main criteria for a project that’s supported by Youth in Action are for instance, that the project deals with antidiscrimination, the mainstreaming of man and woman or the European citizenship. Since 2007 is the European Year of Equal Opportunities for All, projects with this theme will be prioritized, but also those that are about physical activities and healthy behaviour of young people.

And the very best thing is that really everyone can participate. Most of the actions are open for people between 13 and 30, but the main target group are 15- to 28-years old. The level of education doesn’t play any role as well as the social or cultural background. If you want to know more about how you can use the possibilities of the programme, ask your National Agency – they’re the ones who inform about Youth in Action in your country and handle your project applications.

Find your National Agency and more about the Programme here http://ec.europa.eu/youth/yia/index_en.html