We are happy to announce to you that our partners from USB project, under the call KA3 Call EACEA/45/2019 - Support for Policy reform, Civil Society Cooperation in the Field of Youth, has been successfully granted where ICDET is partner.
The project will run according to the application from January to December 2020. The reference number of the project is 616412-EPP-1-2020-1-EL-EPPKA3-CSC-YOUTH.
I am sharing with you the Call for Partners we have sent you before the deadline in order to refresh your memory about the concept of the project and the activities.
The project aims in the creation of a Network that will consist of 34 youth organisations from all over EU. Since there was a delay for the start of the activities, we are working in a new timeline. In the coming days, the colleague who will coordinate the project will contact you and inform you about the activities that will take place and how they will be structured.
Cooperation with civil society organisations in the youth field is essential in realising the principles of youth participation in democratic life as laid down in article 165 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and the EU Youth Strategy. Such cooperation contributes to create a broad sense of ownership in relation to EU actions and policies relevant to young people and to take into consideration ideas and concerns of youth civil society at all levels. It is vital for securing the active involvement of youth civil society stakeholders, for promoting their participation in the Erasmus+ Programme, the European Solidarity Corps and other European programmes and for disseminating policy, programme results and good practice among young people and youth stakeholders through their networks and beyond. United Societies for Balkans as an organisation that is very active in empowering youth to be active citizens as well as with using European youth programmes have decided to initiate a creation of EU-wide Network of minimum 12 youth organisation who share the same values and are committed in creating long lasting synergies in the youth field. Therefore, through the present call we will apply for structural support, referred to as operating grant to create the Network and its structure and implement a yearly work plan that will focus on promoting and mainstreaming the Youth Goals of the EU Youth Strategy, inform about the changes of Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps for 2021-2027 and on Engaging, Connecting and Empowering young people across Europe. The Network will allow us to establish efficient partnerships, exchange of good practices, competences, information and insights as well as be a firm starting point for creating new joint projects and long lasting cooperation. PROPOSAL SUMMARY The mission of the EU-wide Network will be to recognize youth as the base of sustainable civil society and on Engaging, Connecting and Empowering young people across Europe. The aims of the EU-wide network will be to: 1) Establish efficient partnerships and structure for exchange of good practices, competences, information and insights between 13 youth organisations that will be a firm starting point for creating new joint activities and projects; 2) Strengthen youth work on the local level by providing space for organisations to build capacity, develop sustainability, form partnerships, share knowledge and disseminate good practices; 3) Empower young people to achieve their fullest potential as active citizens by informing them about Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps as programmes that support their personal, social and professional development and therefore the development of their communities. To reach its mission and aims, the Network will work on achieving the following objectives: Assess and raise the capacities of involved organisations in participating and using European programmes (most notably Erasmus+ and ESC); Educate and inform involved organisations about the changes in Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps for 2021-2027; Consult young people about their participation in democratic and social life; Raise awareness of the EU Youth Strategy 2019-2027 including the European Youth Goals through local info-days and online campaigns; Develop, promote and support actions to engage, connect and empower youth in the spirit of the EU Youth Strategy; Increase awareness and youth participation in EU actions for young people, including Erasmus+, European Solidarity Corps and Discover EU; Foster the development of competences and skills through non-formal and informal learning, youth organisations and youth work; Promote intercultural learning, critical thinking, the respect of diversity, and the values of solidarity, equal opportunities and human rights among young people in Europe; Provide space for brainstorming, planning and drafting new project ideas that will benefit the target groups and communities of involved organisations. AIMS & OBJECTIVES 1. Phase I / January - February 2020: Assessing Network member capacities as organisations and their participation in European programmes. The activities will include self-assessment of capacities (structures, offices, personnel, resources etc.), small surveys about organisations’ participation in Erasmus+ and ESC and providing data about it. 2. First statuary meeting in Thessaloniki / March 2020: get to know the partners in person, discuss and agree about the structure, roles, management, communication and work plan of the network. 3. Phase II / March - June 2020: forming working groups for promotion of European youth goals and raising the capacities of Network members. Network organisations will form Working groups that will promote specific European youth goals from the EU Youth strategy on local level. The form of the working groups and the local workshops will be agreed during the statuary meeting. At this phase, USB will organise online trainings for the Network members for different opportunities of E+ and ESC. It will also organise online trainings for obtaining a quality label in ESC and sharing good practices of EVS/ESC projects that USB hosts or coordinates. It’s expected that in spring 2020, the European Commission will announce the changes in E+ and ESC, so USB will be responsible to provide informational materials that will inform about the changes in the programmes. 4. Phase III / July - October 2020: Informing the public and promoting new E+ and ESC by the Network member organisations. Each organisations will be responsible to share this information with their members, target groups, other organisations, institutions and the general public. We will start a European online and offline campaign for the promotion of the new programmes. It’s planned to organise Info days about the new programmes depending on capacities and resources. 5. Phase IV / October - December 2020: Brainstorming, planning and drafting new project ideas that will be applied by individual member organisation or the Network as a whole. 6. Second statutory meeting in Thessaloniki / December 2020: meeting of representatives of member organisations to discuss the possibility and process of legally establishing the Network on European level. During the meeting we will evaluate the cooperation, the implemented activities and discuss about follow-ups and next steps PLANNED PROJECT ACTIVITIES Take active participation in all proposed project phases, support USB in managing the Network and implementing the planned activities Send one representative from your organisation on both the first and second statutory meetings that will be organised in Thessaloniki, Greece Participate in the self-assessment of capacities, do a small surveys about own participation in Erasmus+ and ESC and providing data about Organise local activities for promotion of specific Youth goals of the EU Youth Strategy as part of the planned Working groups Participate in the online trainings that will be organised by USB Organise local activities that will promote the changes in the new Erasmus+ and ESC (2021-2027) to your members, target groups, other organisations, institutions and the general public Participate in an online and offline campaign for the promotion of the new programmes Take an active part in the brainstorming, planning and drafting new project ideas that will be applied by individual member organisation or the Network as a whole Contribute and help with the online dissemination and ensuring visibility of the Network, its activities and results throughout the whole project cycle