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Call for participants – CoE Study session: Climbing the ladder | Deadline: 20 Feb

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The AER is happy to announce a new partnership with the DYPALL Network and the Youth Department of the Council of Europe to host the study session Climbing the ladder – Capacitating youth leaders to facilitate youth participation in decision-making processes at the local level. This event will take place from 24 to 30 April 2022 in the European Youth Centre Strasbourg (EYCS), France.

AER is looking for youth leaders coming from member regions to benefit from a one-week training module to acquire key competencies in the field of youth participation.

Interested? Then keep reading below!

A training session made by youth and for youth

The study session “Climbing the ladder – Capacitating youth leaders to facilitate youth participation in decision-making processes at the local level” focuses on two of the five strategic priorities of the Council of Europe youth sector: Revitalising pluralistic democracy (1) and Youth work (4).

Specifically, it aims to revitalize pluralistic democracy and promote quality development and recognition of youth work through sustainable actions plans, valorizing the role that young people can play in these processes. In regards to the priority of Revitalising pluralistic democracy, it focuses on the instruments for youth participation, as the aim of the session is to equip youth delegates, youth workers, representatives of local youth councils, and similar participation structures with practical knowledge and skills to foster processes of meaningful youth participation at the local level all around Europe.

In regards to the priority of Youth work, the activity will produce follow-up strategies to disseminate the Committee of Ministers’ Recommendation CM/Rec(2017)4 on youth work, the recently adopted Final Declaration of the 3rd EYWC (specific focus on the policy frameworks and the Bonn process) and the report on youth work adopted by the Statutory forum of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities.

What are the main objectives?

The participants will expand their knowledge about youth work and youth participation in decision-making processes, including most recent trends while improving their practical skills in facilitating short activities and designing a youth dialogue process.

The specific objectives of the study session are to:

  • bring together and train 25 youth leaders from all around Europe about youth participation in decision-making processes at the regional and local levels
  • create and test a learning module based on non-formal education that includes vital skills (advocacy, outreach, facilitation, etc.)
  • explore the impact of Covid19 in the traditional and formal processes of youth participation.
  • empower 25 young facilitators committed to revitalising pluralistic democracy and foster youth political participation from the local to the European arena.

Who can participate?

25 youth leaders aged 18-30 years old, residing in one of the Council of Europe Member States, will be selected as beneficiaries of this CoE Study Session. The activity is targeting:

  • Current and Former Youth delegates to the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities;
  • Youth leaders and young people with a strong interest in youth participation;
  • Young representatives of local and regional youth councils and similar participation structures;
  • Youth workers who are committed to empowering young people as key actors in decision-making processes.

N.b.: Previous experience in the youth sector, specifically related to youth participation in decision-making processes and youth work, is not necessary but is welcomed. 

What about participation costs?

Reasonable flight/trip expenses shall be reimbursed up to 350 Euros. Local transport from/to the venue, accommodation, meals, and visa costs are fully covered in exchange for a 50-Euro fee to be deducted from the reimbursements. Please, refer to the official call for participants for further details on reimbursements.

How to apply?

Youth delegates sponsored by an AER member region may be privileged to participate. Young candidates must indicate on the application form their connection with AER in the “Organisational information” or “anything you would like to add?” sections. Following the application deadline, only those selected will receive a confirmation email and an invitation to attend the event.

Please, visit the AER event page for further details on the practicalities and application procedures. Hurry up! The application deadline is set for 20 February 2022!

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Advocacy Training for Young European Activists – Europe is what you make of it!

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The Assembly of European Regions, in partnership with JEF, is organising a training seminar on advocacy that will offer 30 young Europeans the opportunity to enhance their knowledge of the European Institutions and the Youth Strategy, as wells as develop advocacy plans to promote their rights and priorities among local and regional authorities.

The training seminar is being organised as part of the “Y-FED: Europe is what we make of it” project. The Y-FED project is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the EU with the aim of empowering youth in the European and regional political dialogues and, in turn, building an Europe that it is closer to its young citizens.

The training seminar will be held from the 4th to the 6th of March 2021 in an online learning format and will be conducted in English.

It will adopt methodologies from non-formal education to provide young citizens with the necessary competences and resources to boost their active citizenship. It includes sessions on the European Youth Strategy and its Youth Goals leading to the development of regional and local advocacy plans focused on one out of the eleven European Youth Goals.

Throughout the training seminar, young citizens will develop the knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to become Youth-Ambassadors in their local and regional contexts. At the same time they will design, organise and implement advocacy actions at a local and regional level. As a result of the training, participants will:

  • Strengthen advocacy skills; 
  • Strengthen advocacy tools;
  • Become acquainted with the European Youth Goals;
  • Develop knowledge on the principles of multi-level governance and subsidiarity;
  • Develop the skills to interact with decision-makers;
  • Develop an advocacy plan.

The training seminar will be composed three modules that will be completed throughout 10 hours.

Welcome and Introduction   (Thursday 4th March  17:30 – 18:1o CET)

The training will be opened by AER Secretary General, Christian Spahr, who will welcome the participants and share the objectives of the Y-FED project and the training seminar.

A round of ice-breaking presentation will take place before the kick of the sessions so to know more about the participants, their motivation to attend the training and expectations.

1. Thursday 4th March, 18:00 – 20:00 CET  European Module: The European Youth Strategy 2019-2027 and the European Youth Goals

The training seminar will start with the introduction to the European Union Youth Strategy 2019-2027 and the European Youth Goals, which outline the main challenges that young people face in their daily lives and present the vision for a Europe that enables young people to realise their full potential.

2. Module on Youth and Regions: How can young people be engaged in the political development of their region? (Friday 5th March, 18:10 – 20:10 CET)

This session will focus on enhancing participants’ knowledge on the principles of multi-level governance and subsidiarity and deepening the understanding of active youth participation in the democratic and political life at regional and local level.

This session will be accompanied by some practice examples on how young people can be engaged in the political life of their regions. The module will analyse and present several examples from across Europe about how local and regional authorities have been involving their young citizens in the development, implementation and evaluation of youth policies, and other policies that are most relevant to them. These good practices will serve as the ground for the development of participants’ advocacy plans.

3. Module on advocacy: Introduction to advocacy and development of an advocacy plan (Saturday 6th March, 10:00 – 13:00;  14:00 – 17:00 CET)

The objective of this module is to build participants’ competences and provide them with the tools required to advocate for youth participation at local, regional, and European levels. Trainees will work in groups of four and each group will jointly develop an advocacy strategy to advocate for one of the previously presented European Youth Goals and address the action to a regional authority from the following countries: Bulgaria, Finland, Germany, Malta, North Macedonia, Poland, Slovenia, and Spain.

The developed advocacy strategy will serve the participants as a basis for the implementation of local and regional actions, activity which will follow the training.

Closing remarks and follow-up activities (Saturday 6th March, 17:00 – 17:20)

DOWNLOAD THE FULL PROGRAMME OF THE ADVOCACY TRAINING HERE! 

Following the conclusion of the training seminar, participants will have the chance to engage with local and regional authorities across Europe by participating at the AER Spring Bureau Meeting and implementing local advocacy actions. Additionally, participants will be invited to submit the developed local advocacy plan and apply for micro-grants to actually implement the advocacy plans among their local and regional authorities with expert mentoring and under the coordination of the AER.

 

EXTENDED – Call for Participants: Advocacy Training for Young European Activists

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APPLICATION STILL OPEN: The call for participants for the Advocacy Training for Young European Activists organised by the Assembly of European Regions and the Young European Federalists (JEF) has been extended! Submit your application by Friday 26th February 2021 via the online form!

APPLICATION EXTENDED TO YOUTH FROM ALL OVER THE EU: The application has been opened to young citizens that are member of JEF Sections and/or the AER Youth Regional Network and/or representative a Youth Regional Council within the European Union! Priority (not exclusion) is given to applicants belonging to one of the above organisations/networks that are located in one of the country covered by the Y-FED project, namely: Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Malta, North Macedonia, Poland, Slovenia, and Spain.

The Assembly of European Regions, in partnership with JEF, is organising a training seminar on advocacy that will offer 30 young Europeans the opportunity to enhance their knowledge of the European Institutions and the Youth Strategy, as wells as develop advocacy plans to promote their rights and priorities among local and regional authorities.

The training seminar is being organised as part of the “Y-FED: Europe is what we make of it” project. The Y-FED project is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the EU with the aim of empowering youth in the European and regional political dialogues and, in turn, building an Europe that it is closer to its young citizens.

About the Training Seminar

The training seminar will be held from the 4th to the 6th of March 2021 (dates to be confirmed) in an online learning format and will be conducted in English.

It will adopt methodologies from non-formal education to provide young citizens with the necessary competences and resources to boost their active citizenship. It includes sessions on the European Youth Strategy and its Youth Goals leading to the development of regional and local advocacy plans focused on one out of the eleven European Youth Goals, ideally goal 9, Space and Participation for All.

Throughout the training seminar, young citizens will develop the knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to become Youth-Ambassadors in their local and regional contexts. At the same time they will design, organise and implement advocacy actions at a local and regional level. As a result of the training, participants will:

  • Strengthen advocacy skills; 
  • Strengthen advocacy tools;
  • Become acquainted with the European Youth Goals;
  • Develop knowledge on the principles of multi-level governance and subsidiarity;
  • Develop the skills to interact with decision-makers;
  • Develop an advocacy plan.

The training seminar will be composed three modules that will be completed throughout 10 hours:

1. European Module: The European Youth Strategy 2019-2027 and the European Youth Goals (Thursday 4th March, 18:00 – 20:00 CET)

The training seminar will start with the introduction to the European Union Youth Strategy 2019-2027 and the European Youth Goals, which outline the main challenges that young people face in their daily lives and present the vision for a Europe that enables young people to realise their full potential. 

2. Module on Youth and Regions: How can young people be engaged in the political development of their region? (Friday 5th March, 18:00 – 20:00 CET)

This session will focus on enhancing participants’ knowledge on the principles of multi-level governance and subsidiarity and deepening the understanding of active youth participation in the democratic and political life at regional and local level. 

This session will be accompanied by some practice examples on how young people can be engaged in the political life of their regions. The module will analyse and present several examples from across Europe about how local and regional authorities have been involving their young citizens in the development, implementation and evaluation of youth policies, and other policies that are most relevant to them. These good practices will serve as the ground for the development of participants’ advocacy plans.

3. Module on advocacy: Introduction to advocacy and development of an advocacy plan (Saturday 6th March, 10:00 – 16:00 CET)

The objective of this module is to build participants’ competences and provide them with the tools required to advocate for youth participation at local, regional, and European levels. Trainees will work in groups of four and each group will jointly develop an advocacy strategy to advocate for one of the previously presented European Youth Goals and address the action to a regional authority from the following countries: Bulgaria, Finland, Germany, Malta, North Macedonia, Poland, Slovenia, and Spain.

The developed advocacy strategy will serve the participants as a basis for the implementation of local and regional actions, activity which will follow the training.

Following the conclusion of the training seminar, participants will have the chance to engage with local and regional authorities across Europe by participating at the AER Spring Bureau Meeting and implementing local advocacy actions. Additionally, participants will be invited to submit the developed local advocacy plan and apply for micro-grants to actually implement the advocacy plans among their local and regional authorities with expert mentoring and under the coordination of the AER.

Profile of the Participants

The participants of the training course will be a group of 30 young citizens keen to develop the knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to become Youth-Ambassadors in their local and regional contexts and design, organise and implement advocacy actions at a local and regional level. 

In the selection of the participants, priority will be given to members of one of the Young European Federalists’ (JEF) national Sections, and members of the Assembly of European Regions-Youth Regional Network (YRN). The rest of the participants will be young representatives from Regional Youth Councils.

The application is open to young citizens affiliated to and/or representatives of one of the organisations/networks listed above from allover Europe. Priority (not exclusion) is given to young citizens within the country covered by the project, namely: Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Malta, North Macedonia, Poland, Slovenia, and Spain.

Gender balance will be ensured in the selection process of the participants, as well as the geographical balance. 

Specific requirements for the participants:

  • Be aged between 18 and 30 years old;
  • Be a member of JEF sections and/or member of the AER-YRN and/or representative of a youth regional council in Europe (priority is given to young citizens belonging to one of the above organisations/networks located in one of the countries covered by the Y-FED project);
  • Be able to work and communicate fluently in English;
  • Have some knowledge about the EU institutions;
  • Be passionate about politics;
  • Be willing to engage in the political dialogue at the regional and European level and advocate for youth priorities.

How to participate?

Participation in this training seminar is free of charge and all those who meet the specific requirements of the call shall send their applications online via the link below before the 26th of February!

Apply Here!

If you have any question concerning the training seminar and the application procedure, please contact [email protected] and [email protected] !

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Call for Trainers: Advocacy Training for Young European Activists

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As part of the “Y-FED: Europe is what of make of it” project, The Assembly of European Regions (AER) and Young European Federalists (JEF Europe) are seeking to empower youth across Europe as major advocates of the European Youth Goals at the local and European level. To achieve this aim, we are currently looking for three trainers to facilitate and contribute to the organisation of an online training seminar on advocacy for young activists. The seminar will be held in the first week of March 2021.

“Y-FED: Europe is what we make of it” is a project co-financed by the Erasmus+ programme of the EU with the aim of strengthening the relationship between the EU and its young citizens. The project aims to enhance active citizenship among young Europeans. This will be achieved through developing a proposal for an improved institutional framework in the Union in line with the European Youth Goals, as well as by building advocacy skills to engage and shape the political dialogue taking place at local and European level.

The AER will work towards these objectives by applying its broad expertise in the fields of advocacy and youth, as well as through its strong relationships with local and regional authorities across Europe. From the 4th to the 6th of March (dates to be confirmed), the AER will organise an online training seminar on advocacy at the regional and European level for 30 young activists, leading to the development of local and regional advocacy plans focused on one out of the eleven European Youth Goals. These trainees will then have the chance to put their advocacy skills to work through political dialogue with local and regional authorities; participating in the AER’s Bureau Meeting in March 2021 and implementing advocacy actions in their local communities.

The AER is looking for three experienced trainers to conduct and contribute to the organisation of the online training seminar. The trainers will:

  • work together with the AER in the preparation of the training seminar;
  • run and facilitate the training seminar;
  • prepare a report (dossier) setting out the main lessons shared during the sessions.

Please refer to the dedicated call for a detailed overview of the services and profiles requested.

Call for Trainers: Y-FED Advocacy Training

Trainers are expected to be available as of 15 February 2021 until 29 March 2021. Please note that these are projected dates for scheduling purposes subject to further clarification.

If interested, please send your CV and Motivation Letter to [email protected] and [email protected] by 5 February 2021, with ‘Call for trainers – Training on advocacy’ included in the subject of the email. Selected candidates will be invited for a short interview the following week, where they will be asked to briefly present their approach and ideas for the training seminar. 

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Partner Search: new project proposal to support youth employment across Europe

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Are you interested in joining projects within the EEA and Norway Grants Fund for Youth Employment Call? Maramures County Council, local public administration in Romania and member region of AER, is looking for partners to join their new project to support youth employment. 

About the EEA and Norway Grants Fund for Youth Employment 

EEA and Norway Grants Fund for Youth Employment aims to support transnational project initiatives that promote sustainable and quality youth employment.

The focus on transnational cooperation reflects the view that unemployment among youth is a common European challenge and common European solutions should therefore be explored. This is in line with the Europe 2020 strategy and the EU cohesion policy that emphasize the importance of the regions and cross-border cooperation for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth.

Eligible project partners within this Fund are entities (public or private, commercial or non -commercial and non-governmental organisations) established as legal persons in a Beneficiary State (Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia), Ireland, Italy and Spain.

The maximum grant for a project is 2 million euros while the minimum grant is 1 million euro, having the grant up to 85% of the eligible costs. The deadline for submitting the project proposal is the 5th of January 2021.

About the Maramures County Council’s  project proposal

The project proposal developed by Maramures County Council “GreeNeeT- Growing skills for smart agriculture & sustainable food chain“ will address support area 2: Transfer of know-how and good practice: transferring know-how and good practice on youth employment initiatives across European countries.

The overall objective of the project is to stimulate youth employment and entrepreneurship by transnational transfer of good practices in the field of smart agriculture and a sustainable food chain. In that regard, the project foresees the setting up in Maramures of a pilot demonstrative centre in that field as well as an online cooperation platform accessible to provide training and get the necessary skills in order to foster the employment or start a business in the field of sustainable agriculture & food chain.

The target group includes 25-29 year old, who are not employed, and not taking part in education and training, the concept NEET (“Not in Employment, Education or Training”).

If you are interested in joining this project proposal and contributing to its further development, don’t hesitate to contact AER team by 30 November 2020. We would be happy to liaise you with Maramures County Council!

Contact: Agnese Pantaloni, European Projects Coordinator

E-mail: [email protected]

Photo by Icons8 Team on Unsplash

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European Youth Foundation: Funding Opportunities Responding to COVID-19

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If you are a local or a national non-governmental youth organisation looking for funding for activities aimed at demonstrating solidarity and supporting all persons affected by the COVID-19 crisis, this call is made for you.

The Assembly of European Regions (AER) is happy to share this special call from the European Youth Foundation (EYF). The EYF is a fund established by the Council of Europe providing financial and educational support for European youth activities.

For this call, priority will be given to pilot activities that aim at demonstrating solidarity and support to all persons affected by the COVID-19 crisis, such as:

  • Reaching out to and supporting particularly vulnerable groups of people, including homeless, refugees and asylum-seekers, people with disabilities, people living in isolation or in remote communities;
  • Support to health, social and educational services;
  • Education and awareness-raising of the importance of human rights in responses to the COVID-19 crisis.

Important to note: pilot activities MUST respect the sanitary and safety measures implemented by health services or national/local authorities. There should be coordinated with competent authorities and indicated in the project proposal.

 The maximum available EYF grant for a pilot activity is €10,000.

Only youth organisations which are registered with the EYF can submit applications. The youth NGO must be located in one of the 50 signatories to the European Cultural Convention. More information on registering can be found here. 

Deadline:  10 May 2020

For further information (see here)

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the AER Secretariat. 

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Road to the Future Project – Final Conference

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The Final Conference of the Road to the Future “I Choose Europe” Project will take place on 20-21 January 2020 in Brussels.

 

Agenda programme
Registration

 

For more information, please contact the AER Projects Unit. 

 

AER selected for the European Youth Event 2020! Apply now!

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We are eager to announce that the European Parliament has granted AER to participate in the European Youth Event 2020 in Strasbourg! (Keep reading to join us in this exciting adventure…)

What is EYE2020?

From 29 to 30 May 2020, the European Youth Event will bring thousands of young people coming from all over Europe to Strasbourg (FR). The event is aimed to make young people active agents of change in the European democratic life rather than passive beneficiaries, by engaging in debates, workshops, hearings and digital activities on a very diversified range of topics. All the activities are co-created with partners, youth organisations and the participants.

The EYE2020 is the perfect opportunity for youth to share their thoughts, concerns, hopes and meet and inspire each other. And on top of that, some participants will also be able to present the most impactful ideas directly to the Members of the European Parliament.

If you want to find out more, take a look at the tentative programme or just visit the webpage of the EYE2020!

What are the selection criteria?

  • Be aged between 16 and 30 years old representing a regional or local youth entity.
  • Hold EU citizenship and residency. Citizens and residents from candidate countries are also eligible for sponsorship.
  • A clear explanation of your motivation and how you plan to employ the soft skills gained and the takeaways.
  • Proof of experience in youth work or related-initiatives you have carried out.
  • Proof of a mandate or person of reference supporting your application from the organisation/region you stand for.
  • young people with disabilities, from rural or remote areas and from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds will be prioritised.

AER and YRN members, particularly those coming from remote areas in Europe, have priority.

And the financial conditions?

The financial contribution is calculated on the basis of the following 2 elements per sponsored participant:

1. An amount depending on the distance calculated as follows: €0.045/km considering the most direct road return journey between the common point of departure of the group (town/city) and Strasbourg. If there is no common point of departure, it will be calculated based on the average travel distance.

2. Thanks to the sponsorship provided by the European Parliament, the selected youth delegates will benefit from free half-board (breakfast & dinner) accommodation in shared rooms from 28-31 May 2020. Lunch is not included and will be at the expense of the participants.

N.b.: Participants from non-EU territories, EEA or neighbourhood countries canNOT be part of the sponsored group.

Apply now!

If you are a young activist aged between 16 and 30 years old representing a regional or local youth entity and meet the aforementioned criteria, you then cannot afford to miss the fantastic opportunity of taking an active part in the EYE2020 in the name of AER!

Submission deadline:
22 January 2020

Only the 20 best candidates will be confirmed to form the AER’s delegation to the EYE2020 following the submission deadline.

Contact us!

For any questions related to AER’s participation to the EYE2020, please do not hesitate to contact Andrés Muñoz at the AER Secretariat:
e: [email protected] / t: +32 (0) 2 400 10 54

Photo credits: @European Parliament

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#IChooseEurope is on the Road to the Future!

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From 13 to 18 of March, more than 120 young participants from all over Europe gathered in Île de France for the “I Choose Europe” Youth Exchange in the locality of Jambville and the launch of the campaign at “Quartier Général – the Festival of the Engaged Youth in Europe” in Paris. AER not only joined its counterparts of the “Road to the Future” project to support the event organisation but also delivered a workshop on youth employment and mobility in Europe, being these topics very high on the EU agenda in view of the European Elections in May.

European youths together !

The quiet life of the locality of Jambville (FR) was disrupted by +120 temporary inhabitants from different spots in Europe that came together to exchange, in a creative manner, views and insights relating to the European Elections while contributing to the preparation of the campaign “I Choose Europe”. From its opening to its closure, the atmosphere over the course of the 5-day event was visibly marked by a common conviction around the ideal of a more united and stronger Europe.

JEF Europe Secretary General, Milosh Ristovski, addressing the participants

A broad variety of activities took place in Jambville in a convivial environment during the Youth Exchange, ranging from parallel workshops on the future of Europe to intercultural activities to discover the particularities of each national delegation. Furthermore, the participants got actively involved in preparing and presenting Europe-oriented activities for the high-visibility “Quartier Général, le festival des jeunes engagé.e.s en Europe” youth festival for the launching of the #IChooseEurope campaign.

The 5-day programme allowed the participants to understand the goals and methods used in campaigning, familiarising them with various youth engagement tools and, ultimately, developing skills to promote European debate in their own local communities.

Youth Mobility for European Integration

AER programmes coordinator, Andrés Muñoz, contributed to the programme with a workshop entitled “Youth Mobility for European Integration” aimed at reflecting on how youth mobility programs and cross-border and interregional cooperation can alleviate youth unemployment while increasing the sense of European identity and the inclusion of young people with fewer opportunities.

AER Programmes Coordinator during the workshop sessions

The participants not only discovered the benefits of AER’s Eurodyssey youth mobility programme but also discussed, through a role-play exercise, the opportunities and obstacles to joining Eurodyssey from the perspective of the different mobility stakeholders. Additionally, the participants developed analytical skills by putting the problem/solution tree diagram into practice while simulating the role of policy-makers.

You can download the presentation here!

The #IChooseEurope campaign has taken off!

On Saturday 16, the participants and the Road to the Future crew landed at “Quartier Général – the Festival of the Engaged Youth in Europe”, organised by project partners Animafac, which gathered around 2.000 participants from Europe and all over France for a festive day with an eclectic program imagined for and by engaged youth, including:  a “village of associations”, conferences, debates, workshops, concerts, radio shows…

“I Choose Europe” info-stand

Immediately upon their arrival, the participants set the scene with an info stand and visibility materials of the “I Choose Europe” campaign encouraging the festival attendees to vote in May. Besides flyering, the I Choose Europe campaigners took over several spaces of the festival venue to raise awareness on topics of great concern for young people in view of the European Elections, such as youth turnout in politics, the fight against stigmatization, migration, climate change and many more…

Christopher Glück, JEF President, and some I Choose Europe campaigners

What is more, the peak event of the festival was again led by the “I Choose Europe” campaigners, JEF Europe and the rest of the Road to the Future project partners who performed a flash-mob around the main stage of Quartier Général in order to draw attention to the campaign. Christopher Glück, President of Young European Federalists (JEF), delivered a speech from the main stage calling for a massive mobilization of young people in view of the forthcoming European electoral process.

Let’s all raise our voices to convince our friends, neighbours, workmates and relatives to vote in the European Elections in May!!

Follow us and find out more about the #IChooseEurope campaign in its Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/IChooseEurope/

Photo credits: @JEFEurope

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The Eurodyssey family continues to grow!

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The Croatian region of Šibenik-Knin hosted the Eurodyssey Forum, from 3 to 5 October. The participants were welcomed by a sunny and warm weather: a pleasant atmosphere for the forum’s 2017 edition. On the first day, a new member region was presented, Arad (RO). Lavinia Terpea, the region’s correspondent, introduced the region and its goals for the programme.

Presentations

AER Secretariat presented the Data Collected for 2017, regarding the numbers about the Eurodyssey. The members get to know the participation of each region in the programme and briefed about what they could do better in order to balance the numbers. The co-presidents, Laurence Hermand and Arlette Brone, presented the Quality Charter that was discussed later on. We also had the opportunity to exchange views on the Lanarka’s outcomes. You can find all the documents and presentations on the event’s page, here.

The new Eurodyssey logo is here!

The after lunch session had a fresh start: the presentation of the new Eurodyssey logo, by the AER Secretariat. One of the keys for the success of this programme relies on an assertive promotion. The clean, simple and bold design marks a new approach and promotion of the programme.

By the end of the day, the regions had the opportunity to showcase their culture during a speed dating session. A great opportunity to bring members closer.

The workshops

On 4 October participants had the opportunity to attend several workshops. The thematics covered the following areas:

  • the promotion and its strategy, where each member was brought to discuss their way of promoting the Eurodyssey programme. This was a good way of exchanging best-practices among members.
  • the welcome and training of newcomers
  • the design of pilot actions.

These sessions were very useful to understand what each region is doing and to build a common strategy for members.

The new Steering Committee

One of the highlights of this edition was the General Assembly. Esther Estany, from Catalonia (ES), was elected for the Steering Committee Chair. We also welcomed the new members for the Steering Committee, Arlette Brone, from Brussels (BE), Laurence Hermand, from Wallonia (BE), Agneta Kardos, from Timis (RO), Maria Vitória Soares, from Azores (PT), Emilio Vicente, from Valencia (ES) and Géraldine Pulicani, from Corsica (FR). The new members of the Steering Committee had their first meeting on the last day of the Forum and discussed the outcomes of this edition. You can find more details here.

 

The cultural visit

After having the important decisions made, the participants took off for a field visit, to the Krka National Park. Nobody stayed indifferent to such great natural beauty.

You can see pictures from the event here!

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Workshop on youth mental health: get involved!

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On the occasion of this year Autumn Plenaries in Nancy (FR), AER is organising a workshop on youth mental health. All regions can take this excellent opportunity to define a new project, closer to their citizens!

AER takes action

As members from very diverse regions across wider Europe identified Youth mental health as one of the growing and most urgent issues all over Europe at the 2016 Autumn Plenaries in Izmir, AER decided to take action! This year, AER doubled its efforts to foster cooperation and improve regional policies in the field. Mutual learning and practice exchange proved to be a great catalyst for policy design and implementation. At the Spring Plenaries in London, members decided to develop an online working group in Slack on Youth mental health

Led by Catalonia and Norrbotten, this new working group aims not only at enhancing experience sharing between regions. Its objective is also to define an innovative joint European project in the field. To this end a first operational meeting took place at the General Assembly in Austria. It focussed on sharing opportunities and expertise on mental health and mainly discussed finances and EU project funding. A successful first brainstorming activity that leads the way to finding the perfect common project for AER members.

September Workshop: where things happen!

The workshop in Nancy will allow to further develop the project and define outputs which add value for regional stakeholders. The idea is to have a ready-to-go proposal once calls for projects are launched. A first milestone would be the submission of an Erasmus+ project for good practice sharing to be finalised by February 2018.

This AER project proposal aims to tackle youth mental health concerns in a practical way which adds value for citizens. Working closer to citizens is a longstanding priority for AER. As always, AER focusses on bringing added value for all its members, especially involving all regional stakeholders. It is still possible to join this project consortium: all regions are welcome to contribute!

 

Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash

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Join the V-CEG project on Active Youth for EEA and Norway Grants!

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AER received another project ready to be submitted for the EEA and Norway Grants Fund for Youth Employment. The Department of Business Administration, University of the Aegean aims at combatting youth employment and addressing the needs of NEETs in their project proposal, called ‘Virtual Campus for Employability & Growth (V-CEG) in the non-financial business economy’.

Who can join the Consortium?

Eligible partners sought are from the following countries:

  • Beneficiary states: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Cyprus, Malta and Portugal.
  • Ireland, Italy and Spain.

Consortium members may not participate in other projects under this Call.

They are looking for partners among all the eligible entities, especially:

  • Regions, associations of regions and
  • Social partners (employer associations, chambers of commerce and industry).

Who is in the Consortium?

The lead partner is the University of the Aegean (UAegean) which is a Network University of “academic ports of studies and research”, successfully established in 6 campuses spread across the Aegean Archipelago and offers a unique academic, environment to experience. It has established strong ties with several National, European and International Universities, Institutions, Organisations, Authorities and the Public. The Research Unit of the University since 1985 has implemented more than 2400 research projects for a total amount of 150 million Euros.

Thus, the partners from Greece are the Chios Chamber of Commerce, the Region of Central Greece , and the Research Innovation and Development Lab (ReadLab).

What is this project about?

The main objective is the development and piloting of a Virtual Campus for Employability & Growth (V-CEG) in the non-financial business economy. The non-financial business economy includes the sectors of industry, construction and distributive trades and services. Specifically, the V-CEG will be focused on:

  1. Enhancing the skills and competences of NEETs through the online delivery of a new modular training programme considering the specific needs of young people.
  2. Setting-up a work-based learning and apprenticeships scheme by involving social partners, companies, chambers and VET providers. Web 2.0 tools and popular modern social networking applications will be used to facilitate social interaction.

More specifically, the project aims to create educational resources for skills development, implement training activities, and promote work-based learning through apprenticeships in the non-financial business economy.

Therefore, the proposed activities are:

  • Needs analysis,
  • V-CEG design and development,
  • Design and implement curricula, courses and modules, using digital and innovative technologies as appropriate,
  • Set-up and strengthen work-based learning and apprenticeships in sectors of the non-financial business economy by facilitating cooperation between, social partners, companies, chambers and VET providers.

How to join?

It is important to note that the deadline for submitting the concept note is 1st of August. Hence, the deadline for your expression of interest to the AER Secretariat is 20th July.Follow AER!

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Project on Youth Career Centre for EEA and Norway Grants

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Searching for projects targeting youth employment?

If so, you are at the right place for finding your Consortium. The Inter-municipal Development Centre of the Municipalities Grosuplje, Ivančna Gorica and Trebnje (Slovenia) are currently looking for partners to develop an innovative project which will be submitted within the framework of the EEA and Norway Grants Fund for Youth Employment. You can find all the information about the Call for Proposal in our previous article regarding this funding opportunity.

Why getting involved?

The aim of this initiative is to establish youth career centres in order for youngsters to benefit from life-long career orientation mechanisms and thus enable them to enter the labour market and remain there in the long term. In other words, this international non-profit youth employment agency seeks to assist their target group, including young women and NEETs, in getting their first job for a minimum period of 6 months. Its core purpose is to contribute to building a strong network of beneficiary employers willing to mentor and participate in intergenerational co-operation within this agency.

They are looking for you if…

  • You are from a Northern-European country, ideally from Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein.
  • You can form local partnerships in your own town by bringing together national or local public institutions as well as NGOs.

These local partnerships will perform the following activities:

  • Organizing activities for youth to help them developing crucial competencies as well as facilitating their access to the labour market – via obtaining certificates and licences;
  • Performing career centre activities: individual guidance, lectures, workshops for competence-building and networking with employers;
  • Cooperating to establish an international youth employment agency – one for the whole partnership;
  • Employing local youth in the employment agency and find them work;
  • Hosting international youth from the employment agency and find them work.

In addition to this, the expertise partner will perform the following activities:

  • Share knowledge and experiences about the topic of youth employment in his own country;
  • Presentation of his model-program and consulting how to transfer good practice examples to project partners countries.

How to apply?

In the first phase, a concept note must be submitted electronically for this Call for Proposal open until August 1st (12:00 noon CET). Then, the shortlisted applicants will be invited to submit a full project application (deadline: November 1st)

Did you get interested and inspired? If so, please do not hesitate to contact the AER Secretariat by July 14th in order to take advantage of this funding opportunity.

Photo credits: @pexels https://static.pexels.com/photos/40815/youth-active-jump-happy-40815.jpegFollow AER!

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Erasmus+ project on peer review in adult learning

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AER is happy to share a successful project from Umbria region, aimed to provide a good practice adaptable for future projects in the field of formal and non-formal adult learning.

PRALINE  project – ‘Peer Review in Adult Learning to Improve Formal and Non-Formal Education’, funded by the Erasmus+ Programme, aims at developing innovative and sustainable initiatives to support Adult Learning (AL) providers through a piloting of the European Peer Review methodology adapted to the adult education sector and tested in five countries: France, Italy, Lithuania, Malta and Portugal.

The final conference of this project, part of the EAEA’s campaign – the Year of Adult Education in Europe 2017, was organised in Brussels on 10th May at the Umbria region office and got an high number of participants as well as relevant speakers and experts. AER Secretariat was in attendance, getting the chance to learn about the project’s experience and findings.

Why PRALINE?

Quality Culture is a priority in the EU Agenda for Adult Learning aimed at ensuring the “possibilities for adults to access high-quality learning opportunities…” Quality of human capital ensures competitiveness. Most of the countries are currently developing or transforming their legislation for this sector, focusing more on quality assurance. Implementation of strategies on adult learning is challenging (Panteia, Developing the adult learning sector, p.XII – 2013).

What is the aim of PRALINE?

  • Developing innovative and sustainable initiatives to support Adult Learning providers, specifically targeting those in non-formal education sector, in approaching Quality Assurance in their organisation and training provision.
  • Raising awareness on the positive impact of education in terms of personal and professional development, as well as social integration.

What are the main findings?

  • ‘Warming-up Strategy for developing a Quality Culture’ to achieve the overall objective of initiating Formal and Non-Formal Adult Learning providers to Quality Culture
  • Turning quality assurance into practice by implementing activities including piloting of the Adapted Peer Review methodology in AL providers, production of Recommendations for developing a quality culture and implementing peer review in formal and non-formal adult learning sector and dissemination/exploitation of the results.

The results on the project can be found in the Qualitative Analysis of the Piloting of the Peer Review Methodology for the Adult Learning Sector and in the Recommendations for Developing a Quality Culture and Implementing Peer Review in Formal and Non-Formal Adult Learning Sector.

Qualitative Analysis of the Piloting of the Peer Review Methodology for the Adult Learning Sector

It helps to understand what are the strengths and areas of improvements by piloting the European Peer Review methodology.

The methodology previously validated for other educational domains was confirmed to be:

  • Flexible enough for providers with non-mature Quality Management systems in place
  • Effective for the non-formal learning sector and thus able to support the dialogue with formal learning providers and their more structured and regulated approach
  • Functional for the reinforcement of soft skills
  • A support to the organisations going through period of change
  • A way to improve the use of self-assessment practices in the organisations QM systems coherently with the objectives of EU policies.

However, some aspects could be improved. In particular, some tools in the European Peer Review Tool-Box needs to be simplified. More flexible ways for application of the methodology needs to be formed in order to adopt it to specific contexts. The role of Peers as catalyst needs to be investigated for a smooth approach to quality assurance. Better impact assessment of participation to Peer Reviews is needed in terms of soft skills development. The educational value of the Quality Areas has key role in quality culture development, therefore, its promotion is inevitable.

Recommendations for Developing a Quality Culture and Implementing Peer Review in Formal and Non-Formal Adult Learning Sector 

Recommendations are made starting from the results of the ‘Warming-up Strategy’, as well as from the conclusions of ‘the Qualitative Analysis of the Piloting of the Peer Review Methodology for the Adult Learning Sector’ and of the Stakeholders’ Committees.

Some potential implementation areas at both provider and policymaker levels were identified.

For policy makers:

  1. Systemising the framework of the European Peer Review Methodology in a transversal way to encompass all educational sectors
  2. Clear position of European Peer Review in wider quality assurance system of adult learning sector to ensure its use and recognition at national and European level
  3. Encouraging synergies between policies and instruments, greater transparency and consistency between sectors also operating separately

For adult learning providers:

  1. Promoting the professional qualification and continuing training of staff responsible for education and training, in particular on issues of quality assurance and the consequent recognition of these skills as relevant to their professional profile.
  2. Considering the possibility of adaptation to the specificities of the organisations and of the educational offer, in order to include everyone in the process of improvement, starting from the sharing of a common framework.

For both policy makers and adult learning providers:

  1. Integrating Peer Review methodology with other Quality Assurance methods moving towards a system of “performance-based awarding schemes”.
  2. Supporting an approach based on voluntary basis through institutional and shared forms of recognition and visibility, as Registers of Peers, a Peer Review European Label, etc
  3. Identifying links between European and national levels for a sustainable introduction and mainstreaming of the European Peer Review methodology
  4. Supporting opportunities for interaction and exchange between VET providers and AL providers for the sake of quality of learning offer.
  5. Developing quality network among providers, valuing and rewarding initiatives of mutual evaluation among organizations also from different sectors
  6. Promoting information and training meetings on the issues of quality of learning offer addressed not necessarily, or not only, to quality specialists.
  7. Supporting the use of the conceptual framework of the European Peer Review methodology (Quality Areas, criteria and related indicators) for self-evaluation and in order to raise awareness about the importance of a culture of quality among different AL providers.

For AL providers:

  1. Promoting the professional qualification and continuing training of staff responsible for education and training, in particular on issues of quality assurance and the consequent recognition of these skills as relevant to their professional profile.
  2. Considering the possibility of adaptation to the specificities of the organisations and of the educational offer, in order to include everyone in the process of improvement, starting from the sharing of a common framework.

If you wish to learn more about this project and ways to cooperate with Umbria region, please get in touch with the AER Secretariat.

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Join the EU pilot-initiative “Interreg Volunteer Youth”

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The Interreg Volunteer Youth (IVY) initiative is part of the broader European Solidarity Corps Initiative launched by the European Commission in December 2016.

IVY officially started on 1st March 2017 and is a 1-year pilot action to offer the possibility to young Europeans aged 18-30 to serve as volunteers in the cross-border, transnational or interregional programmes and related projects. Each experience is between 2 and 6 month long.

The initiative aims at involving young volunteers to support, promote and report the concrete achievements of Interreg programmes and projects, as well as generally promote cooperation across European borders and related values such as solidarity. IVY will give volunteers the opportunity to familiarise with the Interreg programmes and projects, make them aware of the many benefits of collaboration among EU internal borders as well as enhance their sense of European solidarity, citizenship and civic engagement. Moreover, thanks to the IVY, volunteers will acquire a unique experience of personal growth as well as enhancing and gaining skills that they can employ in their future experiences.

Support and visibility through volunteering are the leitmotiv of this initiative.

The Association of European Border Regions (AEBR), a longstanding AER partner, has the pleasure and honour to manage this pilot initiative on behalf of the European Commission.

AER supports this initiative which complements, on the volunteering side, its Eurodyssey programme.

Interreg Programmes & Projects interested in joining IVY and are welcome to contact AERB at: [email protected]Follow AER!

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