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

How far does Europe go?

The Outermost Regions (OMR) may be geographically distant from mainland Europe, but they are no less a part of the European Union. With a population of 4.8 million citizens, these territories include islands, archipelagos, and one land territory (French Guiana), each with unique potential and distinctive assets that can benefit the EU as a whole. Despite the thousands of kilometres separating them from the European continent, these regions are an integral part of the EU.

To address this issue, the EU has launched the “Empowering Youth in the Outermost Regions” initiative, which aims to empower young people in these regions and tackle issues such as high levels of unemployment and early school leaving. By investing in the potential of young people in the outermost regions, the EU hopes to bridge the gap and prevent further disparities between these regions and the rest of Europe.

Empowering Youth to Drive Regional Transformation

The total budget for co-financing actions under this call is €1 million, which will support at least 70 actions with a limited duration of 12 months, each action activity selected cannot exceed the value of €10 000 with a minimum of €5 000. This initiative aims to empower young people, aged 15-24, who are living in the outermost regions to develop ideas and community actions linked to EU priorities, including the green and digital transition, socio-economic recovery, and equality and inclusion.

Eligibility & Priorities

The present call for proposals will select one beneficiary to manage and act as secretariat of this grant scheme providing small grants to (groups of) young people or youth organisations. The aim is to support young people in these vulnerable and remote regions to develop actions tailored to their regions. The organisations/entities that apply to this call for proposals must be legally based and located in one of the EU Member States. Applications for this scheme can be submitted by:

·  Non-profit organisations (private or public)

·  Public authorities (national, regional and/or local)

·  Universities

·  Educational institutions

·  Research centres

The actions proposed should empower and encourage youth to become active in their local communities in the definition and implementation of solutions to improve citizens’ quality of life and foster local / regional development. “They should be adapted to the specific situation of each region and bring about concrete improvements. While the actions should generate added value and improvements in each respective region”. The deadline for submitting applications is 31 May 2023, but new calls will open in the future. For further information on how to implement the YOUTH4ORS initiative, consult the call for proposals published by the European Commission.

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The Youthopia Project is co-funded by the Directorate General for Regional and Urban policy (DG REGIO) of the European Commission.