Youth in Action is the EU Programme for young people aged 15-28 (in some cases 13-30). It aims to inspire a sense of active citizenship, solidarity and tolerance among young Europeans and to involve them in shaping the Union's future.
Youth in Action is a programme for all! It promotes mobility within and beyond the EU borders, non-formal learning and intercultural dialogue, and encourages the inclusion of all young people, regardless of their educational, social and cultural background.
Youth in Action is the successor of the YOUTH Programme (2000-2006). Building on the experience of the previous programmes for youth, Youth in Action is the result of a large consultation with the different stakeholders in the youth field and aims to respond to the evolutions and needs of young people at European level.
The Youth in Action Programme aims to achieve the following general objectives:
- promote young people’s active citizenship in general and their European citizenship in particular;
- develop solidarity and promote tolerance among young people, in particular in order to foster social cohesion in the European Union;
- foster mutual understanding between young people in different countries;
- contribute to developing the quality of support systems for youth activities and the capabilities of civil society organisations in the youth field;
- promote European cooperation in the yout field.
To this end, the Programme is structured around 5 Actions:
- Action 1 - Youth for Europe - encourages young people's active citizenship, participation and creativity through youth exchanges, youth initiatives and youth democracy projects.
- Action 2 - European Voluntary Service-
helps young people to develop their sense of solidarity by participating, either individually or in group, in non-profit, unpaid voluntary activities abroad. - Action 3 - Youth in the World-
promotes partnerships and exchanges among young people and youth organisations across the world. - Action 4 - Youth Support Systems-
includes various measures to support youth workers and youth organisations and improve the quality of their activities. - Action 5 - Support for European Co-operation in the Youth field-
supports youth policy co-operation at European level, in particular by facilitating dialogue between young people and policy makers.
There are two main ways to get involved in the Programme:
- 1. You are:
- a young person aged between 13-30 or a youth worker
- full of energy, creativity and ideas and would like to find a way to develop them
- looking for opportunities to meet and exchange ideas and practices with other young people or youth workers from different countries
- interested in volunteering in another country
- 2. You are
- a non-governmental youth organisation,
- an informal group of young people,
- a local or regional public body,
- a body active at European level in the field of youth
- willing to develop a project and submit an application for funding under the Youth in Action Programme
As an individual you can be a participant in one of the activities supported by the Programme.
If you would like to get involved, find out more about the opportunities offered by the Programme by browsing through the different sections of this website. You will get a general overview of what Youth in Action can offer you as well as some useful information on its Actions and features.
Want to know more? Take a look at the Youth in Action Programme guide – it will give you a deeper insight into the Actions and types of activities that can be supported by the Programme. Get in touch with your National Agency or Eurodesk national office for further information and advice.
Become a promoter of an activity to be supported by the Programme!
If you would like to get involved and submit a project application for funding, the first port of call for additional information after this website is the Youth in Action Programme Guide.
Read it carefully!
It will help you understand the Programme's objectives and criteria, and to identify the types of projects that can be supported by the Programme.
Think through your project idea and make sure it respects all the criteria and conditions described in the Guide…
Fill in the official application form for the Action you want to apply for.
Make sure you respect the deadlines!
