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Focus: European Developments
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#ThisTimeImVoting Campaign: the EU needs YOU!Join YES Forum to raise awareness and improve political participation in May 2019!
To prepare the next European elections (23-26 May 2019), the European Parliament is putting a focus on encouraging young citizens to have their voices heard. But rather than only a “traditional” top-down media campaign, this time it is seeking your help as well.
As a citizen or an organisation, you can simply join the #ThisTimeImVoting Campaign here to get involved any way you want, and spread the word about the upcoming elections at your own level. To encourage them, participants get regular updates but also more concrete perks: ready-to-use Social Media visuals, free posters, flyers, infosheets etc.
YES Forum is combining efforts with the European Parliament in this campaign: Why not join us as well? |
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The new European Solidarity Corps is finally here!Following its final adoption in late September, the new legal basis for the European Solidarity Corps (ESC) entered into force in early October. Its ambition is to involve 100.000 young people by the end of 2020. Besides individual volunteering, traineeships and jobs in the solidarity field, the ESC also allows:
- Short-term projects for teams of volunteers;
- Projects led by young people themselves: at least 5 participants can now set their own youth-led solidarity activities.
For more information, please check the ESC Guide and first Calls for proposals here. |
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Erasmus+ beyond 2020: YES Forum Position Paper To provide feedback on the proposed budget for the Erasmus programme beyond 2020, currently examined by the European Parliament, YES Forum wrote a Position Paper. It was sent to the European Commission and relevant MEPS.
Based on the network’s experience, needs and concerns, it provides targeted recommendations on how to strengthen Erasmus within the next EU Multiannual Financial Framework (2021-2027), with a specific focus on how to make it more inclusive and accessible. To read the whole Position Paper, please click here. |
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European Social Fund beyond 2020: ESF+For the next long-term EU budget (2021-2027), the European Commission proposes to strengthen the Union’s social dimension with a new and improved European Social Fund, the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+).
The ambition is to make the ESF+ more flexible and simpler by merging a number of existing funds and programmes. Specifically, the ESF+ will merge the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Youth Employment Initiative (YEI), Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD), EU Programme for Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) and EU Health Programme.
Among other new features, the ESF+ will have a bigger focus on youth: Member States with a NEET rate above the EU average will be required to dedicate at least 10% of ESF+ to support youth employment. More information can be found here. |
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European Youth Event – Have your say on the #EYE2020!The preparation of the next EYE edition in 2020 is already starting! Have your say on the future #EYE2020 by 5 November here.
Meanwhile, following the publication of the EYE2018 Report, young EYE participants have started presenting its content to Members of the European Parliament in October. MEPs are presented the results of the EYE, 100 ideas for the future of Europe shared by young people, during hearings organized until the end of November. A calendar and access to their live stream can be found here. |
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YES Forums´activities and members´ activities
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YES Forum's Events and Activities in 2019To help the network prepare for next year, a "YES Forum 2019 Calendar" is now online.
It gives an overview of the main events planned next year, with dates and locations when already available. Check it out on our website! |
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Upcoming - YES Forum 2018 Policy Event, 21-22 November, Brussels – Last days to register!This year’s Policy Event will be organised on 21-22 November in Brussels under the theme "Why so serious? EU politics can be fun!”.
The event will conclude our #YourEPsimulation project, which focused on using an extremely potent method for political education – a simulation of the European Parliament – to make it inclusive and accessible to youngsters facing any kind of difficulties and/or with no prior interest in the European Union.
Participants will discover our results, engage with young participants and policy-makers, and discuss how such “political games” can contribute to bridging the gap between the EU and youth! |
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Upcoming - PROMISE European Policy Network, Brussels, 21 November On 21 November, the PROMISE project will hold its European Policy Network (EPN) meeting in Brussels.
PROMISE is a major EU funded youth research project exploring young people’s role in shaping society, focusing specifically on young people in conflicted situations. The meeting will present and discuss the project's first results with EU stakeholders, and address the transfer of this knowledge to policy and practice.
For more information, you can check the first PROMISE results here, consisting of 22 ethnographic case studies, or the EPN meeting programme here. |
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"YES to Volunteering!" - Staff Training 2, Groningen, 9-11 OctoberOn 9-11 October in the charming Groningen (NL), the “YES to Volunteering!” Strategic EVS led by YES Forum held its 2nd event.
“YeToVo!” will implement 19 European Voluntary Services by mid-2020, ensuring accessibility to young people facing additional obstacles compared to their peers. In Groningen, to foster ideal conditions for the exchange of European Volunteers, the partnership focused on how to provide the best support to volunteers.
Moreover on 11th October, YeToVo partners and additional YES Forum members strengthened YeToVo’s promotion of volunteering and European mobility through an International Internships & Volunteering Market. Thanks to the collaboration with the Hanze University, they met local young people, social work students, and even youth/social workers! They discussed available opportunities to experience European mobility like the new European Solidarity Corps, but also concrete internship opportunities within the network!
For more information on the project or details on the event, have a look at the report here! You can also find all our pictures here. |
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YourEP at BAG KJS’ “Brüsseler Club”, Köln, 11 OctoberOn 11 October, YES Forum was invited to present its work to the "Brüsseler Club", involving member organisations of BAG KJS.
A great opportunity to discuss our YourEP Project's results, what to take out of it to raise awareness on the #2019EUelections, but also to promote the European Parliament’s #ThisTimeImVoting campaign! In that framework and to help encouraging participation in the May 2019 EP elections at your own level, join YES Forum here!
For some pictures, you can also check here. |
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“Gender-Sensitivity in Youth Work” Kick-Off Meeting, 20-21 September, Stuttgart“Towards more Gender-Sensitivity in Youth Work!” is the title of a new project which started with a successful Kick-Off Meeting on 20-21 September in Stuttgart.
Led by YES Forum’s member BAG EJSA, the project gathers partners from Spain, Greece, Sweden, Germany and the Netherlands. Together they discussed how to work together to fight gender stereotypes and encourage young people to find their own way! For more information, check for updates on the project webpage. |
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A look back at “Kinderstadt Goes Europe”! Bernburg, 4-9 JulyIn last July, YES Forum took part in the first meeting of the “Kinderstadt Goes Europe” new project, coordinated by its member St. Johannis Bernbug.
A Kinderstadt (“Children´s town”) is a mini-city, a simulation of a modern society to experience complex relationships and processes of social life for children and youngsters. The partners attended different workshops with the goal to prepare the development of their own Kinderstadt in order to spread the concept to their own country. For more information, check the project webpage here! |
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Call for Proposals, Conferences and Trainings
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Erasmus+ - 2019 Programme Guide and DeadlinesThe 2019 Erasmus+ Programme Guide is out, including next year’s deadlines!
In the youth field in particular, the following types of activities will fall under the same deadlines: 5 February, 30 April, 1 October.
- KA1 Youth Exchanges & Mobility of youth workers (NB: EVS is now replaced by the European Solidarity Corps)
- KA2 Strategic partnership for youth
- KA3 Youth Dialogue Projects (formerly “Meetings between Young people and Decision-makers in the field of youth”)
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European Solidarity Corps – Next Calls!The first Call for proposals under the newly adopted European Solidarity Corps closed on 16 October. The next round of call for proposals will be announced end of November.
One specific deadline is already known however: applications for" Volunteering Teams in high priority areas" should be submitted by 18 February 2019.
For more information, please check the ESC Guide and first Calls for proposals here. |
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#DiscoverEU – New free Interrail Passes on 29 November!After a first round in June, 15 000 young Europeans received a free Interrail Pass from the EU to explore Europe over the summer. Young citizens who are 18 years old will soon get a new chance thanks to #DiscoverEU: a new round is planned and registrations will open here on 29 November!
Encourage young people around you to join the adventure! Because a key question remains: Will all 18 year old EU citizens really get a chance to #DiscoverEU? Or only some?
Indeed, distributing free Interrail Passes does not mean all young people eligible are able to travel, especially those facing difficulties in life. This question was addressed at the European Commission’s DiscoverEU Stakeholder Meeting on 17 October in Brussels, attended by YES Forum's Project Assistant Sophie Brandes: making sure that inclusion of all youth stays a top priority in talks about the future of DiscoverEU is our goal! Read on about YES Forum’s position on DiscoverEU in our latest Position Paper! |
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New European Large Family Card to provide discounts to large families A new European Large Family Card will launch on 1 November.
The objective of the card is to give members of large families access to a range of discounts and special offers when booking accommodation, transportation, eating out and accessing tourist attractions, such as museums and theme parks, across the European Union.
For more information on its implementation, please check here. |
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Youth2030: The United Nations Youth StrategyOn 24 September, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres presented the new UN Youth Strategy.
In a step forwards for youth rights, the Strategy recognises young people as rights-holders and envisions a world in which the human rights of every young person are realised. This commitment should focus on rights across the UN system and ambitions to inspire Member States to advance youth rights around the world. |
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Youthreporter.eu - EU Volunteers get a new design to share their experiences!Youthreporter.eu, the portal for all European Volunteers - EVS as well as the new European Solidarity Corps – to share their experiences, has a new design!
Have a look at it to read through the blogs of interesting young people in diverse European countries ... or even encourage your own volunteers to use it! |
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