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Focus: European Developments
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Update on the European Solidarity Corps: Changes in Erasmus+ for the transition period Due to delays in adopting the legal framework for the new European Solidarity Corps (ESC), a transition period was put in place while waiting for this new initiative to be adopted later this year.
Note that the European Voluntary Service (EVS) as a brand is discontinued: from January 2018, "Erasmus+ Volunteering Activities" replaced EVS in the Erasmus+ Programme Guide.
The corrigendum to the Erasmus+ Programme Guide and Call for Proposals for 2018 indicates important changes to Erasmus+ Youth: the European Solidarity Corps volunteering activities, which will eventually replace EVS, are brought back into the Erasmus+ programme for the 2018 Call, affecting youth volunteering projects under Key Action 1.
This means it will be ‘business as usual’ for organisations which would have previously applied for an EVS project. In the second half of this year, after the adoption of the ESC legal framework, the situation will be re-assessed.
For more information, please check here. |
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European Commission to provide travel opportunities for young peopleThe European Commission announced its intention to launch a new initiative, following the European Parliament's proposal for a "Free Interrail pass for Europeans turning 18".
With a budget of EUR 12 million in 2018, this action is expected to give an estimated 20.000-30.000 young people a travel experience that would help foster a European identity, reinforce common European values and promote the discovery of European sites and cultures.
Young people aged 18 years old will be able to apply for a free travel pass, allowing them to explore Europe between July and end of September 2018.
More information, and the link to applications, will be published soon on the European Youth Portal! |
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Youth Guarantee: EC acknowledges that outreach to young people is still a challenge Even though youth unemployment figures in the EU are improving, the European Commission recognizes that outreach is still a challenge in many Member States. Less than 40% of young people not in Employment, Education or Training (NEETs) are registered with the EU Youth Guarantee scheme in the EU.
On 14 March the European Commission therefore invited Youth Guarantee coordinators as well as relevant stakeholders to discuss how outreach is working on the ground. Fore more information, please check here. |
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Erasmus+ Virtual ExchangeErasmus+ Virtual Exchange is part of the Erasmus+ programme, providing an accessible, ground-breaking way for young people to engage in intercultural learning.
Working with Youth Organisations and Universities, the programme is open to any young person aged 18-30 residing in Europe and the Southern Mediterranean. Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange will connect young people through moderated discussions, transnational project groups, open online courses and advocacy training.
It offers a safe online community to participate in discussions, increasing intercultural awareness and building 21st Century skills through Virtual Exchange. The programme strengthens the youth dimension of the EU neighbourhood policy.
Visit the official Website. |
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YES Forum’s activities and members’ activities
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Upcoming: YES Forum's Annual Event in Athens, 14-15 JuneNew year, new location! In 2018, YES Forum's Annual Event will be organised in collaboration with YES Forum member and partner organisations Nostos and IEKEP in Athens.
The 2018 General Assembly itself will be organised on 14 June. Among many other issues to be discussed, YES Forum members and partners will review the latest activities of the network, the progress made towards achieving its Strategy 2020, welcome new member organisations, and prepare the future of the network.
An additional programme, related to European mobility through volunteering, will follow on 15 June.
To have a look at the Draft Programme, Invitation or simply register, follow this link! |
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YourEP - Getting ready for Strasbourg! 2nd Project Meeting, Pitea, 8 March On 8th March, the 10 partners of the Erasmus+ YourEP project met in Piteå, Sweden for their second Transnational Project Meeting.
With this second Project Meeting, partners focused on the second phase of the project: the online preparation of the future inclusive YourEP simulation, and the planning of the actual simulation in Strasbourg! All participants' ideas, gathered in Brussels and online earlier in the project, have now turned into concrete plans, which will be implemented online until all participants meet again to conduct the actual simulation in Strasbourg in late May.
In addition, YourEP partners also prepared for the European Youth Event following the implementation of the YourEP simulation itself in Strasbourg, not only will the YourEP group also take part in the EYE2018, but it will also organise its own EYE Workshop on political education through games!
For more information about the project, please check the dedicated webpage. |
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DIVE 2nd Project Meeting, April 2018, DubrovnikThe DIVE project (Diversity in Pan-European Networks) held its second Transnational Partners Meeting in Dubrovnik on 6-8 April.
Through this project, the YES Forum is supporting the European youth networks JEF Europe, ESN International and AEGEE Europe with its expertise in view of making their sections more inclusive towards disadvantaged youngsters.
The 2nd meeting gathered all partners to plan the details of the 2nd DIVE Training, which will address the communication activities of the project partners and how to make them more accessible to a wider, more inclusive and diverse audience. For more information, you can check our Pictures Gallery here, and the Project Webpage here. |
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H2020 PROMISE - Work under progress!From 28 February to 2 March, the YES Forum met all H2020 PROMISE partners in Portugal to hold a public conference in Cascais, and a Project Meeting in Porto.
On 28 February, PROMISE partners held a conference with an international and local audience of policy makers, practitioners and academics in Cascais, Portugal. The one-day conference on “Youth Social Engagement – opportunities and challenges for ‘conflicted’ young people across Europe” discussed the project’s early results, and was held in collaboration with the City Council of Cascais, which is also the European Youth Capital of 2018!
On 1-2 March, PROMISE partners also met to review the project’s progress. All PROMISE partners presented the state of the art of their own research within the consortium, and planned the next steps, including the upcoming dissemination activities to guarantee the project’s future impact on civil society as a whole.
For more information, please visit the Manchester University’s website. |
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Understanding Europe – Erasmus+ KA2 Project Results The Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership “Understanding Europe”, in which YES Forum’s member EU WAREHOUSE is involved, is publishing its final results.
“Understanding Europe” is based on the idea that education has a key role in the current immigration to Europe. Ideas, hopes, opinions and the knowledge with regards to Europe differ widely among refugees, which is why "Understanding Europe" produced a comprehensive learning module with two parts:
- "Understanding Europe - A guide to European Citizenship" and
- A guide to German / Austrian / Bulgarian / Polish /Romanian, Belgian citizenship
The project aim is based on the idea that only well-informed people can make a sound decision about how they want to settle in in Europe and create their future. The consortium of "Understanding Europe" also endeavors to support the migrants in this complex integration process.
For more information or read the project results, please check here. |
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Calls for Proposals, Conferences and Training
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Erasmus+ KA3 – Special call “Social inclusion and common values” A new Call for proposals has been published under Erasmus+ Key Action 3, funding projects contributing to Social Inclusion and Common Values in the education, training and youth fields.
In general, Projects submitted under this call should aim at:
- Disseminating and/or scaling up good practices on inclusive learning initiated in particular at local level.
- Developing and implementing innovative methods and practices to foster inclusive education and/or youth environments.
In the youth field, project applications should in particular aim to:
- Promote civic participation of young people by developing the role of volunteering for social inclusion;
- Prevent marginalisation and radicalisation leading to violent extremism of young people.
Deadline: 22 May! For more information, please check the Call for proposals. |
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Erasmus+ KA3 – Special call “European Youth Together”A new Call for proposals has been published under Erasmus+ Key Action 3. The “European Youth Together” Call for proposals will support initiatives from at least five youth organisations from five different eligible Erasmus+ programme countries to share their ideas about the EU, encourage wider civic participation and help foster a sense of European citizenship.
The thematic priorities are active citizenship, network-building, European values and European citizenship, democratic participation, democratic resilience and social inclusion related to youth.
Deadline: 25 May! For more information, please check the Call for proposals. |
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Rights, Equality and Citizenship ProgrammeThe REC (Rights, Equality and Citizenship) EU Programme offers several funding opportunities relevant for the youth & social fields.
The current relevant calls are, among others:
- Call for proposals on capacity-building in the area of rights of the child - putting in place robust national or regional integrated mechanisms to support children ageing out of/leaving alternative care (Deadline: 31 May)
- Call for proposals to prevent and combat gender-based violence and violence against children (Deadline: 13 November)
- Call for proposals to support national or transnational projects on non-discrimination and Roma integration (Deadline: 9 October)
- Call for proposals to prevent and combat racism, xenophobia and other forms of intolerance (Deadline: 4 October)
For more information and to get a complete overview of open Calls under the REC Programme, please check here. |
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“Nantes Creative Generations 2018” ForumOn 24-27 October, the “Nantes Creative Generations 2018” Forum will be organised in Nantes, France, to gather over 60 young Europeans with projects promoting the notion of citizenship in their city.
Young Europeans aged 18-30 years old and who have a project in their city strengthening citizenship can apply for a chance to be invited to Nantes for the Forum and share their ideas with other young Europeans, participate in workshops, festive and cultural moments.
Deadline: 3 June 2018! For more information, please check the Call for Applications here. |
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Consultation: European Heritage LabelAll citizens and stakeholders interested in culture and history of Europe are welcome to respond to the European Heritage Label consultation.
The aim of this public consultation is to gather the views of all interested citizens and organisations on the role that cultural heritage can play in bringing European citizens closer to the Union, specifically through the European Heritage Label action. A second aim is to receive additional information about the operation and results of the action during the first six years since its creation (2011-2017), which could not be gathered through desk research.
Fill out the online questionnaire. |
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Publication – “Social Inclusion: Inspiring Trends in European Funded Projects”Following a Cluster Meeting organised by the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency, the EACEA published its conclusions on "Social Inclusion: Inspiring Trends in European Funded Projects ".
This report highlights the main discussions and ideas that emerged during this event, focusing on four areas:
- Intercultural dialogue and mutual understanding
- Giving voice and taking an active part in society
- Educators, workers, professionals, coaches, volunteers
- Solidarity in times of crisis - new models of social Inclusion
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11 European Youth GoalsThe participants of the EU Youth Conference that took place on 16-19 April in Sofia, Bulgaria endorsed 11 Youth Goals which will inform and shape youth policy at European and national level for the years to come.
The EU Youth Conference is the main event of the Structured Dialogue with young people and the EU. On this occasion, 250 young people and several institutional representatives gathered to elaborate the 11 Goals based on consultations undergone among over 50.000 young people in Europe in the previous months.
Although popular outrages rose regarding the way the EU Bulgarian Presidency organised an EU-sponsored youth event, pointing out a perfunctory approach, mismanagement and inappropriate behaviour on the part of government officials, the Youth Goals are likely to be considered in the new European Youth Strategy.
Have a look at the 11 Goals! |
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Foto Competition “My Social City”Amateur or professional photographer older than 18 years and resident in one of the 28 EU Member States get the chance to win photo equipment and a trip to Brussels by joining a photo competition.
The theme of this year is "My Social City”. Photos might depicte social projects and/or social relationships in your town or city.
A jury will select 3 winners that will be awarded with prizes, including a trip for two persons to Brussels in the week of the award ceremony, which is scheduled to take place between October and December 2018, and photographic equipment.
Deadline is 30th June 2018.
Find more information here. |
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