Launched by the European Commission, the European Youth Together projects aim to promote young people’s participation in European public life as well as cross-border exchanges and mobility activities. The project is built on the experience obtained through the ‘New Narrative for Europe’ project, the European Youth Goals and Eurobarometer findings on young people’s priorities and other youth policy and programme initiatives, including projects selected under this action in previous years, aiming to promote young people’s participation in European civic life as well as cross-border exchanges and mobility activities. Its actions should particularly address challenges related to inclusive participation for all young people, regardless of their background or situation, that emerged against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objectives

European Youth Together projects aim to create networks promoting regional partnerships, and to be run in close cooperation with young people from across Europe (Erasmus+ Programme Countries). 
The networks would organise exchanges, promote trainings (for instance for youth leaders), and allow young people themselves to set up joint projects, all of which could be done through both physical and online activities.
European Youth Together seeks to support initiatives from at least five youth organisations from five different eligible Erasmus+ Programme Countries to share their ideas about the EU, encourage wider civic participation and help foster a sense of European citizenship. The initiative aims to bring together European youth from across Europe; East, West, North and South.

Thematic priorities

For 2020 the thematic priorities are the promotion of EU Youth Goals #3 #4 and #10, namely ‘Inclusive Societies’, ‘Information and Constructive Dialogue’ and ‘Sustainable and Green Europe. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, youth networks could consider ways of forging solidarity and inclusiveness, which concur with challenges related to digital skills and green lifestyles.

Specific Objectives

The initiative will specifically support:
- promotion and development of more structured cooperation, online and offline, between different youth organisations to build or strengthen partnerships focusing on solidarity and inclusive democratic participation of all against a backdrop of the backlashes on socio-economic structures and in line with youth goals numbers 3, 4 and 10;
- youth organisations involved in initiatives to encourage young people to participate in the democratic process and in society by organising trainings, showcase commonalities among young Europeans and encourage discussion and debate on their connection to the EU, its values and democratic foundations, including by providing a meaningful voice to youth in the framework of the Covid-19 recovery process;
- promote participation of under-represented groups of young people in politics, youth organisations and other civil society organisations by engaging vulnerable and socioeconomic disadvantaged youth.

It targets youth NGOs, public bodies and informal groups of young people in politics, youth organisations and other civil society organisations by engaging vulnerable and socioeconomic disadvantaged youth; new ways to empower youth organisations in dealing with the Covid-19 crisis and its aftermath, by supporting innovative ways of cooperation and network creation, development and management. This could include enhancing collaboration between youth organisations in a digital context through and by non-formal learning and organisational models including alternative modes of exchanges and mutual aid

It targets youth NGOs, public bodies and informal groups of young people, especially those active at grassroots level, which would propose projects involving at least five partners who have the capacity to mobilise young people in partnerships covering different countries and regions within the Erasmus+ Programme Countries.

Large-scale mobility activities for young people should form a key component of European Youth Together projects. This mobility should offer cross-border exchanges and non-formal or informal training opportunities for young people from across Europe (East, West, North and South) that can be prepared and supported through online fora to support the objectives of this call. 

All the activities should contribute to widening the outreach towards young people to ensure a diversity of voices, reach young people within and beyond youth organisations and youth with fewer opportunities, thereby using a variety of channels.

Eligible applicants

The minimum partnership composition requirement for this call is at least 5 partners/organisations (including the applicant) from 5 different countries eligible for participation in the Erasmus+ programme.
Applying organisations should demonstrate their capacity to ensure a good geographical balance in terms of partners from different parts of the Erasmus+ Programme Countries.
Proposals may be submitted by applicants which are a non-profit organisation working in the field of youth (Youth NGO) established in an Erasmus+ Programme Country.
The following organisations, established in an Erasmus+ Programme Country, can take part in the proposals as partners:
- non-profit organisations (private or public) and NGOs (including European Youth NGOs) working in the field of Youth;
- public authorities (national, regional, local);
- non-profit organisations, associations and NGOs including European Youth NGOs;

Eligible countries

- EU Member States: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden;
- The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries, which form part of the European Economic Area (EEA): Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway;
- Candidate countries for which a pre-accession strategy has been established: North Macedonia, Republic of Serbia and Turkey.

For UK: Please be aware that following the entry into force of the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement* on 1 February 2020 and in particular Articles 127(6), 137 and 138, the references to natural or legal persons residing or established in a Member State of the European Union are to be understood as including natural or legal persons residing or established in the United Kingdom.

Eligible activities

- Mobility activities including large scale exchanges between young people, including (but not restricted to) networking and non-formal or informal training opportunities and the development of projects by young people;
- Activities facilitating access and participation of youth in the EU policy activities relevant to young people;
- Exchanges of experience and good practice; networking and partnerships with other youth organisations; participation in meetings or seminars with other stakeholders and/or policy-makers also with a view to increasing policy impact on target groups, sectors and/or systems;
- Initiatives and events for developing European NGO/Civil Society organisations/EU-wide networks;
- Awareness-raising, information, dissemination and promotion activities (seminars, workshops, campaigns, meetings, public debates, consultations, etc.) on EU policy priorities in the field of youth;
- Activities shall be of cross-border nature and may be performed at European, national, regional or local level.

As a transversal principle, participating organisations should pursue strategies to connect to young people at grassroots level from a diversity of backgrounds with a view to ensuring a growing number of young people at the grassroots levels are being reached. This covers the involvement of a diverse youth population that also includes those from remote/rural areas; with a migrant background; and/or from disadvantaged social backgrounds.

Project results

Granted projects should demonstrate their expected contribution to the overall EU youth policy agenda by:
- building on the objectives of the EU Youth Strategy 2019-2027 and more specifically by demonstrating how they are contributing to the ‘Engage-Connect-Empower’ priorities of the Strategy;
- building on the outcomes of the New Narrative for Europe, European Youth Goals and other debate projects and opinion surveys related to the future of Europe and linking them to policy development at local/regional/national/European level;
- improving the involvement of young people in democratic life, in terms of active citizenship and engagement with decision makers (empowerment, new skills, involvement of young people in project design, etc.);
- helping to improve the capacity of the youth sector  active at grassroots level to work transnationally with care of inclusiveness, solidarity and sustainability and promoting transnational learning and cooperation between young people and decision makers;
- upscaling existing best practices and outreach beyond the regular network(s), including making good use of digital means to stay connected under all circumstances even in situations of remoteness, isolation or confinement;
- disseminating their results in an effective and attractive way among young people involved in youth organisations, so as to pave the way for more systematic partnerships, and also among youngsters who are not affiliated to youth structures or those who come from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Project duration 

Must be between 9 and 24 months. It cannot be extended in time.
The eligibility period of the grant agreements is expected to start in January 2021 or within the first quarter of 2021.

Budget

The total budget available for the co-financing of projects is EUR 5 000 000.
The financial contribution from the EU is minimum EUR 100 000 and cannot exceed EUR 500 000. It is limited to a maximum co-financing rate of 80 % of the total eligible project costs.

More information

Find out more by visiting the EACEA's European Youth Together pages.