News Article: YOUTH-LED ACTION FOR THE SDGs 2024: APPLY NOW! Join us as a youth panellist and help us select youth-led local solutions for funding!
Geneva, 9 May 2024
Applications are NOW open until 31 May for young people to apply as Youth Panellists.
Are you interested in supporting young people worldwide to implement their local solutions to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals?
This is your chance! Join the EU Youth Empowerment Fund (YEF) through the Global Youth Mobilization (GYM) as a Youth Panellist – read on below to learn more about this volunteer position and apply here.
The European Union and the world’s largest youth organisations, the “Big Six”, have partnered to bring exciting opportunities to young people in the form of the EU Youth Empowerment Fund, implemented through the Global Youth Mobilization (GYM). Launched in October 2023, the 10 million euro initiative will provide youth-friendly funding for projects that contribute to the sustainable development of their local communities.
To celebrate Europe Day on 9 May, we are opening applications to join us as a Youth or Senior Youth Panellist!
The Youth Panel is a youth-led initiative to select how and where Youth-led solutions funding is awarded.
The role of the Youth Panel is to
- Review Youth-Led Solutions grant applications ahead of panel meetings against agreed criteria.
- Discuss, debate, identify and recommend successful applications at Panel meetings with other Youth panellists.
- Contribute to the ongoing development of the Youth-led Solutions funding process, EU Youth Empowerment Fund (YEF) and Global Youth Mobilization (GYM) broader strategy.
Senior Youth Panellists will facilitate inclusive and effective youth panel meetings and ensure all meeting outcomes and feedback are provided to the project coordination team.
To read the full Youth Panel position descriptions click here.
What are we looking for?
The deadline for applications is Friday 31 May 2024.
Fill in the application form and we will be in touch with you!
Background
The EU Youth Empowerment Fund
The EU Youth Empowerment Fund is a flagship of the EU’s Youth Action Plan. It will provide direct financial support to youth-led initiatives around the world. Global in its reach but focused on local solutions, the EU Youth Empowerment Fund has been co-designed with young people to provide easier, youth-friendly access to finance. It is implemented via the Global Youth Mobilization, a grassroots movement of the Big Six that invests in and empowers young people to lead solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges.
The EU Youth Empowerment Fund through the Global Youth Mobilization will make low-barrier funding accessible for young people at the grassroots level, minimising “red tape” and creating opportunities relevant to the needs and priorities of young people, including vulnerable, marginalised and underrepresented populations. The Youth Empowerment Fund will focus on youth-led decision-making and solutions related to the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals at a local level, with a particular focus on environment, climate change and gender equality,
The Fund will support mentoring and coaching opportunities, as well as capacity strengthening of young people to build their resilience, and help them lead, take action and advocate for their needs.
Young people will lead in all aspects, from selecting grant beneficiaries to sitting on the initiative’s Board, supporting mentoring and capacity-strengthening programs, and participating in the design, leadership, and implementation of projects in their communities.
Look out for more information on the call for Youth-Led Solutions grant applications coming soon!
READ MORE ABOUT YEF
The Partners
The European Union’s work for and with youth around the world is guided by the –Youth Action Plan in European Union external action for 2022–2027, the first-ever policy framework for a strategic partnership with young people around the world. The Youth Action Plan focuses on young people as change makers and essential partners in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and other international commitments such as the Paris Agreement on climate change. It aims to ensure that EU external action contributes to youth empowerment at political, social and economic levels, and to facilitate young people’s meaningful engagement in decision and policy-making.
The Global Youth Mobilization (GYM) is an initiative of the Big Six, established in 2020. From 2020-2022 it invested more than US$ 5 million to support 640 youth-led projects which engaged more than 600,000 young people and reached over 3.6 million people in communities across more than 125 countries.
Formed in 1996, the Big Six Youth Organizations are an alliance of leading international youth-serving organisations. The Big Six is comprised of the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM), the World Alliance of Young Men’s Christian Associations (World YMCA), the World Alliance of Young Women’s Christian Associations (World YWCA), the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), and The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award (The Award).
Together, the Big Six actively involve and engage more than 250 million young people, contributing to the empowerment of more than one billion young people during the last century.
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For More Information
Contact
Global Youth Mobilization: global.youthmobilization@ifrc.org