1. YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME

4. ABOUT THE PROGRAMME
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 youth field.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. ACTION 1
Youth for Europe is geared towards the specific needs and expectations of
young people. The aim is to promote a sense of ‘Europeanness’ among
young people from every strata of society and encourage them to
participate in the democratic process.
This Action supports three main types of activities: Youth Exchanges, Youth
Initiatives and Youth Democracy Projects. The detailed criteria to submit
applications are specified in the Youth in Action Programme Guide. Further
information and support can also be obtained by contacting your National
Agency. For youth initiatives and democracy projects, the SALTO
Participation Resource Centre can also provide specific advice and support
(for project ideas, partner-finding, etc).

8. Youth Exchanges
The aim of Youth Exchanges is to get groups of young people from different countries together
so they can explore their social and cultural differences and similarities. Youth Exchanges are
targeted at young people between the age of 13 and 25 (up to 20% of participants may be
aged between 25 and 30). They receive the unique opportunity to experience significant
mutual learning situations and to strengthen their feeling of being Europeans.
Each exchange must have a theme that is relevant to the daily experiences of the young
people involved but also has a clear European dimension. Themes could cover numerous
issues, such as young people in society, racism and xenophobia, local heritage, drugs, the
environment, etc.
In accordance with its inclusion strategy , the Youth in Action programme particularly
encourages youth exchanges involving young people with fewer opportunities.