The 2016 Eurodyssey annual forum took place in Larnaka, Cyprus, from 22-24 November. The topic at the centre of the discussions was “fair mobility”. Eurodyssey is AER’s international youth mobility programme, providing young people with opportunities to engage in internships in in other European countries thus easing the access to the job market. Eurodyssey is an excellent tool for regions to tackle youth unemployment.

The programme benefits from many unique traits that were presented during the Forum. AER Committee 3 Vice-President and Chairman of Hedmark County Council (NO) Mr Dag Rønning stated “the Eurodyssey programme is a flagship initiative in AER, a perfect illustration of true interregional cooperation and an exemplary service that provides true added value for the regions involved”. Ms Christine Garnier, Bourgogne Franche-Comté (FR) highlighted the results of an analytical study made on the programme to identify improvements and new potential.

Four active Eurodyssey regions presented strands of their youth mobility policies illustrating why Eurodyssey can be referred to as a “fair” programme.

A fair partner – Bruxelles-Capitale (BE)

Ms Arlette Brone from Actiris International presented the programme as it is set up in Brussels-Capital. She explained the structure of Actiris and the department responsible for international mobility. Ms Brone gave the figures of the outgoing young people taking part in the programme which show the diversity in the nationalities, types of studies and sectors. She also explained the conditions for young people to come to Brussels for an international internship. Download the presentation.

Promoting the diversification of Businesses – Catalunya (ES)

Ms Esther Estany (Catalunya-ES) explained the strategic approach in Catalunya to diversify the types of companies and businesses involved in the Eurodyssey programme. The diversity is expressed in terms of the size of the companies, from SMEs, to larger businesses, to NGOs and social institutions. But the diversity in Catalunya is also a matter of the sector of activity as well as the geographic location, to promote cities and places outside of Barcelona. Download the presentation.

Targeting different beneficiaries for employability and to fight social exclusion – Umbria (IT)

Umbria (IT) has been active in the Eurodyssey programme for 3 years and integrated the programme with the aim to use it as a tool for employability and to tackle social exclusion. Mr Riccardo Fano Illic took the opportunity of the Forum to share the evaluation of this first period and more specifically the impact of the programme on two target groups, one with a high European Qualifications Framework (EQF) level and the second with a low EQF level. The experience in Umbria shows that for this second, more fragile group, it is still difficult to access the programme. Download the presentation.

Policies for geographic diversity – Auvergne Rhône-Alpes (FR)

Ms Bérangère Furbacco (Auvergne Rhône-Alpes-FR) presented the strategy set up in the region to cope with the specificities of a large region with numerous important economic poles. This strategy will be all the more important since the regional reform in France and the partnering with Auvergne. The demand was high in Rhône-Alpes with 800 candidates for only 40 mobility opportunities. The region is also picking up trends to digitalise its processes and keep up with the habits of young connected citizens. Download the presentation.

The representatives from Cyprus concluded the day’s work with presentations about the Cyprus programme.

All presentations and additional documentation from the conference are available on our event page.