Learning programme "Youthful Europe" 2011 - 2018

»Europe is a source of inspiration from the past, it is emancipation in the present, and an aspiration towards a sustainable future. Europe is an identity, an idea, an ideal«.

European Commission: New narrative for Europe, Declaration »The mind and body of Europe«*

The learning programme ‘Youthful Europe’ was an initiative of the Austrian, German and Polish National Agencies for the Erasmus+: Youth in Action Programme and the three regional SALTO Centres (SEE, EECA and Euromed) in 2011 - 2018. It responded to a need to provide perspectives for addressing the European dimension in youth work and to promote the empowerment of young people taking an active role in envisaging future Europe. The learning programme contributed to the continuous efforts of the European Union to promote the European dimension through its policies and measures targeting education and youth.

The programme had a long-term perspective consisting of residential training courses complemented with online training before and after. The learning programme was implemented annually in one of the regions covering the countries neighbouring the European Union: Western Balkans, Eastern Partnership countries, Russian Federation, and South-Mediterranean countries. 

Programme of activities

Objectives:

• to provide the participants with an opportunity to express and review their thoughts and feelings of Europe;
• to discover diverse perceptions of Europe and concrete realities of youth work and young people in European communities;
• to develop insight on personal identity and values and develop understanding on how they are reflected in the European context;
• to deepen the understanding of what means to be an active citizen in Europe and stimulate creative approaches of practising it;
• to discover different approaches of non-formal education towards opening perspectives and supporting young people in using Europe as an opportunity;
• to motivate participants to use the possibilities offered by the Erasmus+: Youth in Action Programme.

The target group for the programme is youth work practitioners who are:

• working directly with young people;
• interested in the reflection and further learning on the topic of Europe and the empowerment of young people to understand and experience Europe as an opportunity;
• motivated to apply the acquired competences in the local youth work practice;
• able to commit to participate in the entire programme, including the e-learning phase prior and after the training course (see the programme of activities for further information);
• able to work effectively in English;
• over 18 years old;