In view of scheduled meeting with commissioner Tibor Navracsics, AER met the European Commission – Directorate General for Education and Culture to bring the perspective of regions and to get useful inputs on youth programmes and tools.
Erasmus+ and European Voluntary Service (EVS) have been touched upon. Presentations on European Projects possibilities will be done at Committees’ Plenary in Timis (RO). AER will provide information on the EVS, in partnership with the European Commission in the near future.
The exchange started with Erasmus+, the EU programme aimed to boost young people’s skills, job prospects and personal development and to modernise the education, training and youth work sectors. A special focus was made on the European Voluntary Service (EVS), that is currently celebrating its 20th anniversary. The EVS allows young people to express their personal commitment through volunteering for a worthy cause in a different country within or outside the EU. For organisations, public authorities or corporate social responsibility initiatives, this an opportunity to involve young people between the age of 17-30 years in full-time volunteering in a relevant project.
AER programmes such as the Youth Regional Network, Eurodyssey and the Summer Academy can relate very well with the objectives and activities of the Erasmus+ and the EVS. We are currently looking at finding synergies among these programmes and AER activities. Considering that the number of young people to involve in the EVS is intended to increase according with the expected availability of budget, this is an opportunity that AER will monitor monitor and explore even more. The Commission is open to create a dialogue with sending and hosting organisations.
The topic of inclusion and diversity was also raised to make sure that Erasmus+ provides specific support for young people with special needs (e.g. personal assistance) or exceptional costs (e.g. mentor).
Topics discussed during this meeting will be, among others, raised during a scheduled meeting with Commissioner Tibor Navracsics, EU Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sports
A new Erasmus+ call for proposal on “Social inclusion through education, training and youth” was also announced.
More information are available on:
– the European Voluntary Service for interested project partners
– the EVS20 campaign
– the Erasmus+ Programme Guide (EVS activities from page 75)
