Sharing experience

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Youth Exchanges respond to young people's natural desire to explore the world. The experience of multicultural Europe at a local level broadens the mind, and is a trigger for developing tolerance and mutual understanding. This practical engagement in European integration offers young people a sense of being a European citizen rooted in something that they have done themselves. They also acquire a broad range of skills and knowledge about the world of work, which can help them to improve their job prospects later on. Exchanges focus on a theme relevant to the participants' daily lives, such as young people in society, racism and xenophobia, understanding between different cultures and religions, women in society, local heritage, or the environment. This fact-sheet presents some examples of the thousands of projects completed so far.

Young people are naturally inventive, creative, and enterprising. Youth Initiatives build on this sense of adventure, and encourage young people to become involved in all aspects of their daily lives, at local level, and also in the wider world. The aim is to provide them with a platform for developing their own suggestions, proposing their own improvements and finding their own solutions. This gives them the opportunity to develop their experience in responsibility, autonomy and involvement, in the context of a common interest. In a world of constant change, Youth Initiatives helps young people to try out their own ideas, to devise their own projects and to carry them out in their own way and so to develop entrepreneurial skills. This fact-sheet presents some examples of the thousands of projects completeda

Youth Democracy projects aim at boosting young people’s involvement in the democratic process at local, regional and European level. The objective is to provide young people with ideas about and experiences of democracy, to spark new national and transnational networks and exchanges of good practice. Youth Democracy projects improve young people’s understanding of how democracy works, helping them to make the most of their right to participate in the decision-making structures of a democratic society. European cooperation in the youth field promotes continuous dialogue between young people and policy makers, encouraging the exchange of good practice and supporting structured dialogue.

European Voluntary Service enables young people to go abroad to provide unpaid service for a maximum one year. This is a true learning process in which young people face challenges in an unknown environment, and learn to exploit their own potential and abilities, developing self-confidence and independence that is useful at any stage of their subsequent lives. Through first-hand experience of other cultures right around the world, the young people involved broaden their perspectives, develop tolerance, understanding, and a sense of a common identity and responsibility. The awareness of diversity also helps young people to form decisions on their own next steps – including in professional terms – in a more informed fashion, and employers too value the skills and maturity that participants acquire. This fact-sheet presents some examples of the thousands of projects completed so far.

The Youth in Action programme provides the opportunity for those involved in youth work to come together and compare experiences, and helps improve the quality of their work – and get better results out of the programme. It funds training for youth workers and people working in youth organisations. The benefits include widened understanding among the participants of the challenges facing young people – and notably those suffering disadvantage, or in minorities. Projects have boosted the expertise of youth workers in areas ranging from structured dialogue to effective communication skills, and to teamwork. All this has proved a valuable method of securing quality levels across the Youth in Action programme and of assuring better recognition of non-formal education.

European good practice projects: Focus on youth employment [3 MB]

One in five young people in Europe cannot find a job. The lack of quality employment opportunities threatens an increasing number of young people with a sense of exclusion.

There is no single remedy, but there is a need for wide-ranging efforts to seek solutions. The EU programme Youth in Action is a valuable part of these efforts, with its focus on learning through experience. The brochure 'Youth Employment' gives some examples of how non-formal learning and Youth in Action contribute to building up young people’s knowledge and skills, and give them a glimpse of what it requires to seek and hold down a job or to become an entrepreneur. It makes them more employable. It also shows how this sector is countering youth unemployment and helping young people get back on track — particularly those who for one reason or another are marginalised or discriminated against, who lack confidence in themselves, or who have little sense of engagement in society.

European good practice projects: Focus on Inclusion

Youth in Action has had a demonstrable impact on the hundreds of thousands of young people it has involved. The programme has enabled many of them to experience other countries first hand, thus developing a greater sense of openness and understanding of other cultures. And it has provided the young people who have taken part with new skills and confidence. This is all the more important since for many of the projects, the participants are deliberately selected from communities and social groups with fewer opportunities. The whole programme has a strong social dimension. It makes special provision for involving young people from disadvantaged groups (with disabilities, health problems, or social, economic or geographic obstacles, unemployed, with educational difficulties, such as early school leavers, or from different cultural backgrounds). The engagement of many different social groups is important in insuring that the European integration project is not restricted only to elites in European society.

European good practice projects: Focus on International cooperation & Development

In today’s increasingly interconnected and interdependent world, global cooperation and solidarity are very important values. P romoting such values amongst young generations across the globe is a key step to pave the way for more open and cohesive societies. Encouraging exchanges among young people and supporting the development of their skills and capacities as future leaders is fundamental to enhance mutual understanding and lay the basis for constructive dialogue and solid relationships with our partners around the world.

European good practice projects: Focus on Innovation and Creativity

Young people are naturally inventive, creative, and enterprising. The Youth in Action programme builds on this sense of adventure and provides a variety of opportunities for supporting creativity and innovation of young people and youth workers; they can participate in projects that enable them to make a change, not only in their personal and professional lives but also in their local communities. Projects presented in this booklet demonstrate this thrill of creative effort among young people. The examples are intended to encourage others to undertake innovative initiatives and to perceive the world in an original and creative way.

European good practice projects: Focus on Participation and Information of young people [18 MB]

Active participation of young people has been an EU priority. An important step in this direction was the adoption of the EU youth strategy, creating more opportunities for young people in education and employment, stimulating their participation in society, and promoting solidarity between young people and society. This publication presents a selection of projects funded under the Youth in Action programme that supported information activities related to the 2009 European Parliament elections, improved young people's access to information and communication services and enabled them to prepare and disseminate user-friendly, targeted information products. The brochure could inspire readers to engage in future initiatives that foster the active participation and self-development of young people. Our society needs young people who care passionately about Europe and who are willing to get involved and make a difference.

Volunteering promotes solidarity and social inclusion, Europe's core values. It gives people the opportunity to build knowledge, skills and social networks – stimulating personal, social and professional development. Since 1996, the EU has promoted voluntary work by young people across Europe and beyond, through the European Voluntary Service (EVS), which is part of the Youth in Action programme. The EVS has so far helped 50 000 young Europeans to become volunteers. The experience they gain in meeting and working with people from different countries and cultural backgrounds opens their eyes to other ways of life which can have a lifelong impact on them. Volunteering can also improve people's job prospects; employers value skills such as the ability to work in a team, to communicate effectively in a multicultural environment and to be able to speak foreign languages.

Compendium of projects selected on European level

Description of all the projects selected and funded at centralised level