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Youth for Europe 1995 - 1999 : a programme for all young people
The Youth for Europe programme's main aim is to promote joint co-operation projects between young people throughout Europe. Based on Article 126 of the Treaty of the European Union, the programme contributes to European educational objectives. Implemented through exchange programmes, both within the EU and with third countries, Youth for Europe provides opportunities and financial support. These opportunities are aimed at European young people and at all professionals involved in youth work, to implement exchange programmes, youth projects, supporting activities, co-operation and information.
Youth for Europe is built around five major action themes:
Action A : Intra-community activities directly involving young people
Youth exchange and mobility
Youth exchanges are the main emphasis of this third five-year programme. By addressing itself to young people outside formal education and training structures, the programme offers them the opportunity of contact with European reality.
Youth initiatives
Support is given to projects set up and managed by young people at local level to enable them to develop their spirit of initiative, creativity and solidarity.
Periods of voluntary service
The programme supports projects offering young people an opportunity to go as volunteers to another Member State in order to collaborate in projects benefiting the host community. This approach is designed to develop their creativity, their feeling of solidarity and their sense of belonging to a community.
Action B : Youth workers
Direct support for activities directly involving young people
Activities such as study visits and training projects provide youth workers with an opportunity to prepare themselves more effectively to assist young people in implementing their projects.Direct support for European cooperation on training young workers.Exchange of experience and the preparation and operation of training modules should make it possible to develop training with a European dimension for youth workers.
Action C : Cooperation between the Member States' structures
The activities provided for in Action C such as the exchange of experience and the establishment of partnerships and networks are aimed at promoting more intensive cooperation between the bodies responsible for youth questions in the Member States, with special attention to regional and local structures.
Action D : Exchanges with non-member countries
Exchanges can be carried out with the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the CIS, the Mediterranean basin and Latin America. The young people who benefit from these exchanges are provided with an opportunity to make a better evaluation of their own situation, gain a better understanding of other cultures and, in so doing, develop their spirit of solidarity. These exchanges are also often an occasion for young people from some non-member countries to experience democracy daily in all its form. Preparatory activities such as study visits and training activities enable youth workers and those with responsibility for youth questions in the eligible countries to lay the foundations of a fruitful development of these exchanges.
Action E : Information for young people and youth research
The exchange of experience, the publication and dissemination of information material for young people, and the establishment of networks are among the means for stimulating this kind of cooperation. They should enable young people to gain a better understanding of the objectives of the programme, facilitate their access to these activities and inform them of the Community programmes which concern them. Subsequent research will make it possible to meet their expectations and needs even more effectively.
In being addressed to young people outside formal education and training structures, the Youth for Europe programme widens the opportunities available to them for making contact with Europe and for participating in the building of Europe as active and responsible citizens.
The Euro Mediterranean Youth Action Programme
"The Commission, and more specifically the Dictorate General on Education, Training and Youth welcomes the successful establishment of a Euro-Mediterranean youth exchange programme which it initiated following the request made at the Barcelona Conference in November 1995.The Amman Conference 8 June 1999, which brought together decision-makers and representatives of youth and volontary organisations in charge of youth work in the different member states and Mediterranean partners, provided the opportunity to have a first exchange of experiences and evaluation of the priorities of the various actors involved.The support granted by the MEDA programme to this initiative, which was agreed by Dictorate General for External Relations(South Mediterranean, Middle East and Near-East, Latin America, south-Asia and south-west Asia, and north-south co-operation), DG IB, is quite uique at this stage. The Directorate General for Education, Training and Youth would like to extend this example to youth co-operation with others regions which are a priority in EU co-operation policies.
We very much welcome the good co-operation with the Youth Forum for the launching of the Mediterranean Youth Forum, which, we trust, will guarantee an active participation of young people in this programme. The success of this programme now depends on the commitment of youth organisations and on their capacity to mobilise young people in the European Union and in partner countries.The "User's guide", prepared by the Youth Forum in close co-operation with the Commission, should help you to submit quality projects which we are looking forward to receive."
lA Tsolakis
Head of the Youth Unit
European Commission.
Click www.europa.eu.int to download the "User's Guide".
For more information
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Directorate-General XXII
Education, Training and Youth
Directorate C-Cooperation with non-member countries, action in the field of youth, publications and information
Rue de la loi 200B-1049 Brussels, Belgium.
Web site : www.europa.eu.int | 
