News Article: YOUTH-LED ACTION for the SDGS 2024: OPEN CALL FOR GRANT APPLICATIONS!
Geneva, 27 June 2024
YOUTH-LED SOLUTIONS FOR THE EU YOUTH EMPOWERMENT FUND THROUGH THE GLOBAL YOUTH MOBILIZATION OPEN CALL 2024
[Update 22 July 2024] Applications for the first cycle of the EU YEF Open Call have now closed.
The Open Call launches today as part of the EU Empowerment Fund (YEF) and the Big Six – Global Youth Mobilization (GYM) partnership designed to empower young people to drive positive change in their communities.
Have a vision to create change in your community? Are you ready to share your youth-led innovative solutions and accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals?
The European Union, in partnership with the Global Youth Mobilization (GYM), an initiative of the world’s largest youth organisations—the “Big Six”— is launching the OPEN CALL for applications to the EU YOUTH EMPOWERMENT FUND THROUGH THE GLOBAL YOUTH MOBILIZATION open until July 21. This call aims to fund innovative local ideas from young people that contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in their communities.
The Open Call will support through micro-grant funding for community-based projects from individual young people or youth groups that tackle sustainable development challenges in their local communities. The initiative aims to increase the participation of under-represented young people, including those from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds, those facing gender equality issues or young people with a disability. Individual young people and informal groups can receive funding ranging from 500 to 1500 EUR, while registered youth organisations are eligible to receive between 3000 and 5000 EUR.
What are we looking for?
The Selection Process
The selection process will involve Youth panellists who will review, score, and discuss applications in panel meetings. The Youth Panel is composed of diverse young individuals from around the world who have experience in social projects and understand the challenges and needs of youth-led initiatives. Applicants will be notified within 2 months if their project is selected and will be asked to sign a grant agreement and submit their banking information. Unsuccessful applicants will receive recommendations on areas for improvement by email to help strengthen their future submissions.
Learn More!
To support young people in the application process, we have a series of CAPACITY-STRENGTHENING WEBINARS and resources for applicants to enhance their ability to submit the best project possible.
See the dates of scheduled webinars HERE
Also, take a look at SAMPLE APPLICATION ANSWERS for INDIVIDUALS and INFORMAL GROUPS and for REGISTERED ORGANISATIONS and our FAQs, as these can help you with our expectations and answer any general questions that may arise.
How to Apply
Applications are open from June 27 until July 21, and young people from eligible countries are encouraged to apply. The application process is straightforward and accessible, with forms available online and in multiple languages.
Don’t forget to check out and sign up for our capacity-building workshops and webinars HERE.
For those who have internet access issues or disabilities, we can provide an offline form or other accommodations. Please contact us at EU-YEF@globalyouthmobilization.org
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
EU-YEF@globalyouthmobilization.org