Youthnet Hellas

Youthnet Hellas is a non-governmental and non-profit organization that aims to engage young people at local, national, European and international level through activities and interventions. Youthnet Hellas started as a Youth Network 15 years ago, evolved into a Confederation of Local Youth Councils countrywide, and eventually from 2009 onwards developed into its current form, that of a flexible and modern NGO with members from all over Greece.

Youthnet Hellas is aiming to promote young people’s participation, information, social inclusion, voluntarism and active citizenship in community life in National, European and International level (in compliance to the European Commission’s 2001 White Paper on Youth).

Youthnet Hellas’ specific goals are:
• enhancing the role of young people at decision-making centers
• promoting the role of NGOs in National, European and International level
• promoting multicultural dialogue
• endorsing the development and implementation of politics supporting children’s and young people’s rights
• encouraging environment-friendly actions that lead to better life quality
• advocating respect for democracy, peace, diversity and human rights
• participating in actions that contribute to the financial and social development of developing countries, the strengthening of democratic values and human rights respect
• encouraging exchange mobility and dialogue amongst young people regardless of their nationality

Youthnet Hellas was awarded in July 2013 the European Citizen’s Prize 2013 by the European Parliament, an award intended to reward on annual basis individuals or groups who have particularly distinguished themselves in strengthening European integrations by the expression of European cooperation, openness to others and practical involvement in the development of mutual understanding.

Youthnet Hellas offers its members from all over Greece the possibility to find -with the use of a modern, user-friendly website and social media- information about jobs and internships in Greece and EU, news from the educational sector, actions of Greek, European and international Non-Governmental Organizations about Environment, Human Rights, Peace, Democracy etc. Youthnet Hellas is the only greek NGO that succeeds to work on a national level with volunteers working actively at the same time from various parts of the country. In order to achieve this, the members use extensively web 2.0 tools for communication, project management, text development, applications’ process and marketing. In this way the NGO manages to handle successfully hundreds of applications for European programs each year, completing national actions and staying in contact and cooperating with a large number of members.

Some of Youthnet Hellas’ most important activities since 2009 are:
• Participation in 156 EU subsidized European Projects (Youth in Action) in various EU countries with active participation of 503 Young men and women from Greece. This volume of EU projects brings Youthnet Hellas, informally, at the top spots amongst other Greek NGOs that participate in similar EU projects.

• Research, writing and presentation of the 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 Annual Youth Report, completed by an independent, non-governmental organization for the first time in Greece.

• Participation along with other 5 NGOs in the National Work Group on Youth Employment within the framework of structured dialogue for the European Cooperation in Youth Sector (Nationally coordinated by the General Secretariat of Youth - GSY).

•Youthnet Hellas was funded by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Education and Culture (DG EAC) for 3 Life Long Learning Projects:
- 2 Grundtvig Multilateral Partnerships (2010-2012: “The threads that connect us”, 2012-2014: Feeling younger by getting older”)
- 1 Grundtvig Senior Volunteering Project (2013-2015: “Uniting Seniors through Media”).

• Youthnet Hellas has also received grants from DG-EAC (Action 3.2 – Youth in the World) for the implementation of the project “Strategic tools for effective promotion and sustainability for NGOs” (STEPS for NGOs), with the participation of NGOs from Bulgaria, Italy, Austria, Nepal, Vietnam, Mexico and Peru.

• Youthnet Hellas is also publishing every 2 months an electronic magazine (“Y-Magazine”), containing interesting news, reports, interviews and various topics concerning the Youth.

• Youthnet Hellas has been the Youth Supporting Structure during the Heraklion’s candidacy for European Youth Capital 2012 and 2014. Both times the candidacy managed to get into the three short-listed European cities for the title of European Youth Capital.