#HotlineCohesion: Youth4Regions, the programme for young journalists – Make Europe, do journalism.

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Local, but European. Practical, but inspiring. #HotlineCohesion brings you the most interesting youth opportunities linked to EU Cohesion Policy.

The many opportunities for youth employment and green transition offered by Cohesion Policy require appropriate visibility, especially amongst the youth. Widespread information makes sure that opportunities reach their target, and that the future is shaped to the needs of those who will live in it.

Every week the AER will publish its series #HOTLINE COHESION with information concerning new funding opportunities and participatory processes open to youth in your regions!

Write about Europe to make it real

EU Cohesion Policy is abstract until citizens understand it. One of the ways to make it real is to write about it. Youth4Regions is the programme by the European Commission that offers tailored training to aspiring young journalists interested in reporting about European affairs and Cohesion Policy.

Managed by the Directorate General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO), Youth4Regions aims to address the challenge of technical language used to describe European affairs; it trains a new generation of journalists who are passionate about giving visibility to the social impact of European projects.

How to participate in Youth4Regions?

Brussels may be the policy-making epicentre of the EU, but the EU is what exists outside Brussels. Through Youth4Regions, young journalists have the opportunity to demonstrate by submitting a short article (from 2500 to 6250 characters) or a short video (between 2 and 3 minutes) about the local impact of a EU project co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) or the Cohesion Fund (CF).

What does Youth4Regions offer?

Selected participants will attend the European Week of Regions and Cities 2023, which will take place between 7 and 13 October 2023 in Brussels. Travel and accommodation costs will be covered by the Programme.

During the week, participants will receive practical training on how to cover EU Cohesion Policy, engage with established journalists from Europe and their home countries, participate in study trips to the headquarters of EU institutions and pan-European media, and attend the European week as correspondents.

Are you eligible for Youth4Regions?

The Youth4Regions Programme targets young and aspiring journalists who fit the following criteria:

Interest in what EU Cohesion Policy is doing in European regions
Background in journalism (ongoing studies or up to 2 years of experience)
Nationality: EU, EU candidate countries (Albania, Republic of North Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine), potential candidates (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia and Kosovo), ENI countries (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Syria and Tunisia, as well as Armenia and Azerbaijan) and EFTA countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland).
Age: 18 to 30 years old
Availability during the week of 7 – 13 October 2023