By Decision N° 1719/2006/EC of 15 November 2006 , the European Parliament and the Council adopted the Youth in Action Programme for the period 2007 to 2013 which put into place the legal framework to support nonformal learning activities for young people.
The Youth in Action Programme aims to respond at European level to the needs of young people from
adolescence to adulthood. It makes an important contribution to the acquisition of competences through nonformal learning as well as to the promotion of young people's active participation in society.
It supports the new youth policy framework for European Cooperation in the youth field adopted in 2009, which outlines a cross-sectoral approach to youth issues with a view not only to creating more and equal opportunities for all young people in education and in the labour market ("employability dimension") but also to promoting the active engagement, social inclusion and solidarity of all young people ("participation dimension").
It also contributes to supporting the 'Youth on the Move' flagship initiative of the EU 2020 Strategy
which puts young people at the centre of the EU's agenda to create an economy based on knowledge, innovation, high levels of education and skills, adaptability and creativity, inclusive labour markets and active involvement in society.
Finally, Youth in Action also fits into the context of the new EU competences conferred by the Lisbon Treaty (article 165 (2)), which calls the European Union to encourage the participation of young people in democratic life in Europe.
The Objectives, the Priorities and the Important Features of the Youth in Action Programme
Objectives
The general objectives stated in the legal basis of the Youth in Action Programme are to:
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
organizations in the youth field
promote European cooperation in the youth field.
Priorities
These general objectives shall be implemented at project level, taking into consideration permanent priorities and annual priorities.
Permanent priorities
European citizenship
Making young people aware that they are European citizens is a priority of the Youth in Action Programme. The objective is to encourage young people to reflect on European topics and to involve them in the discussion on the construction and the future of the European Union. On this basis, projects should have a strong 'European dimension' and stimulate reflection on the emerging European society and its values.
European dimension is a broad conceptual term. To reflect this, a Youth in Action project should offer young people the opportunity to identify common values with other young people from different countries in spite of their cultural differences.
Projects should also stimulate young people to reflect on the essential characteristics of European society and, above all, encourage them to play an active role in their communities. To feel European, young people must become aware of the fact that they play a role in the construction of the current and future Europe. Therefore, a project with a European dimension should not only 'discover' Europe, but also - and most importantly - aim to build it.
Participation of young people
A main priority of the Youth in Action Programme is the active participation of young people in their daily life. The overall aim is to encourage young people to be active citizens. Participation takes the following dimensions, as laid down in the Council Resolution on the common objectives for participation by and information for young people:
to increase the participation by young people in the civic life of their community
to increase participation by young people in the system of representative democracy
to provide greater support for various forms of learning to participate.
Projects funded under the Youth in Action Programme should reflect these three dimensions by using
participatory approaches as a pedagogical principle for project implementation.
The following points highlight key principles of participatory approaches in Youth in Action projects:
offering space for inter-action of participants, avoid passive listening
respect for individual knowledge and skills
ensuring influence over project decisions, not simply involvement
participation is a learning process as much as an outcome
an approach and attitude rather than a specific set of technical skills.
Participatory approaches emphasize behavioral principles. These include:
reversing the traditional roles of outside ‘experts’ (a reversal of learning - from extracting to empowering)
facilitating young people to undertake their own analysis (handing over the stick)
self-critical awareness by facilitators
the sharing of ideas and information.
Participatory techniques are not just tools. The participatory approach is also a state of mind, an attitude.
In a broad sense, this priority should be seen as a key method which will enable young people to take an active part in any Youth in Action project at all stages of its development. In other words, young people should be consulted and be part of the decision making process that may affect their projects.
Moreover, the Youth in Action Programme encourages young people to get involved in projects that have a positive impact for the community in general.
Cultural diversity
The respect for cultural diversity together with the fight against racism and xenophobia are priorities of the Youth in Action Programme. By facilitating joint activities of young people from different cultural, ethnic and religious backgrounds, the Programme aims to develop the intercultural learning of young people.
As far as the development and implementation of projects are concerned, this means that young people participating in a project should become aware of its intercultural dimension. The project should stimulate awareness and reflection on the differences in values. Young people should be supported to respectfully and sensitively challenge viewpoints that perpetuate inequality or discrimination. Furthermore, intercultural working methods should be used to enable project participants to participate on an equal basis.
Inclusion of young people with fewer opportunities
An important priority for the European Union is to give access to all young people, including young people with fewer opportunities, to the Youth in Action Programme.
Young people with fewer opportunities are young people that are at a disadvantage compared to their peers because they face one or more of the situations and obstacles mentioned in the non-exhaustive list below. In certain contexts, these situations or obstacles prevent young people from having effective access to formal and non-formal education, trans-national mobility and participation, active citizenship, empowerment and inclusion in society at large.
Annual priorities
In addition to the above-mentioned permanent priorities, annual priorities may be fixed for the Youth in Action Programme and communicated on the Commission, Executive Agency and National Agencies' websites.
For 2011, the annual priorities are the following:
European Year of Volunteering
This priority is intended to encourage projects aimed at raising awareness of the value and importance of volunteering as a form of active engagement and as a tool to develop or improve competences for personal, social and professional development.
Youth unemployment
This priority is intended to encourage projects promoting the access of unemployed young people to the Youth in Action Programme. Priority will also be assigned to projects tackling the issues of youth unemployment and/or aimed at stimulating unemployed young people's mobility and active participation in society.
Inclusive growth
This priority is intended to encourage projects addressing the issue of poverty and marginalisation and encouraging young people's awareness and commitment to tackling these issues for a more inclusive society.
In this context, special emphasis shall be placed in particular on the inclusion of young migrants, disabled young people, and where relevant Roma youth.
Global environmental challenges and climate change
This priority is intended to encourage projects aimed at raising young people's awareness and mobilization around global environmental challenges and climate change as means to encourage the development of "green" skills and behaviors among young people and youth workers and their commitment to a more sustainable growth.
Creativity and entrepreneurship
This priority is intended to encourage projects - especially youth initiatives - aimed at stimulating young people's spirit of initiative, their ability to think imaginatively and originally, their readiness to take risk and their ingenuity in order to achieve economic, political, social or environmental goals.
EU-China Year of Youth (only for Action 2 and sub-Action 3.2)
Additionally, within the Actions open to cooperation with other Partner Countries of the World, special attention will be devoted to projects aimed at encouraging dialogue, cooperation and exchanges in the field of youth between the European Union and China as a means to contribute to the EU-China Year of Youth 2011.
Important features of the Youth in Action Programme
Non-formal learning
The Youth in Action Programme provides important opportunities for young people to acquire competences. Therefore it is a key instrument for non-formal and informal learning in a European dimension. Non-formal learning refers to the learning which takes place outside formal educational curriculum. Non-formal learning activities involve people on a voluntary basis and are carefully planned, to foster the participants' personal, social and professional development.
Informal learning refers to the learning in daily life activities, in work, family, leisure, etc. It is mainly learning by doing. In the youth sector, informal learning takes place in youth and leisure initiatives, in peer group and voluntary activities etc.
Non-formal and informal learning enables young people to acquire essential competences and contributes to their personal development, social inclusion and active citizenship, thereby improving their employment prospects.
Learning activities within the youth field provide significant added value for young people as well as for the economy and society at large such as capacity-building of organisations, benefits for communities, systems and institutions.
Non-formal and informal learning activities within the Youth in Action Programme are complementary to the formal education and training system. They have a participative and learner-centred approach, are carried out on a voluntary basis and are therefore closely linked to young people's needs, aspirations and interests. By providing an additional source of learning and a route into formal education and training, such activities are particularly relevant to young people with fewer opportunities.
A high-quality non-formal learning dimension is a key-aspect of all projects supported by the Youth in Action Programme. This is notably reflected in the award criteria of the different Actions and sub-Actions, the supportive approach of the Commission, Executive Agency and National Agencies towards the target groups of the Programme, the definition of rights and responsibilities in European Voluntary Service, and, finally, the emphasis put on recognition of the non-formal learning experience. Projects funded by the Youth in Action Programme have to adhere to the non-formal learning principles. These are:
learning in non-formal contexts is intended and voluntary
education takes place in a diverse range of environments and situations for which training and learning are
not necessarily the sole or main activity
the activities may be staffed by professional learning facilitators (such as youth trainers/workers) or
volunteers (such as youth leaders or youth trainers)
the activities are planned but are seldom structured by conventional rhythms or curriculum subjects
the activities usually address specific target groups and document learning in a specific, field oriented way.
Youthpass
Every person who has taken part in a Youth in Action project under Action 1.1, Action 1.2, Action 3.1 (Youth Exchanges and Training Courses), Action 2, and Action 4.3 (Training Courses) is entitled to receive a Youthpass Certificate, which describes and validates the non-formal and informal learning experience and outcomes acquired during the project.
Issuing a Youthpass Certificate supports learning processes within the Youth in Action projects and enhances the quality of the projects. More support can be found in the Youthpass Guide and other educational publications, available at www.youthpass.eu.
All Youthpass Certificates have a common structure, a coherent layout, and contain the following information:
personal details about the participant
general description of the relevant Action of the Programme
key information concerning the project and the activities realised by the participant
description and assessment of the participant's learning outcome during the project.
Through Youthpass, the European Commission ensures that participation in the Programme is recognised as an educational experience and a period of non-formal learning and informal learning. This document can be of great benefit for the personal, future educational or professional pathway of the participant.
Each beneficiary of a Youth in Action grant under the Actions concerned is responsible for:
informing all participants involved in the project that they are entitled to receive a Youthpass Certificate
issuing such Certificates to all participants who request one.
These obligations are specified in the model of grant agreement between the beneficiary and the relevant National or Executive Agency.
The technical solution for beneficiaries to issue Youthpass Certificates is available at www.youthpass.eu.
Bibliography :
http://www.tinact.ro/documente-dosar-candidatura
