In her 2021 State of the European Union address, EU President von der Leyen stated that 2022 should be a year dedicated to those who have dedicated so much to others. In a December press release that same year, the European Union (EU) announced an agreement to designate the next year as the European Year of Youth (EYY).
Margaritis Schinas, Vice-President of the European Commission, said: “With the 2022 European Year of Youth, we are supporting young Europeans to defend and promote freedom, values, opportunities, and solidarity. We owe it to the generations who suffered most in the pandemic and now need to take back their lives.”
The EYY is supported financially by both Erasmus+, a program to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe, and the European Solidarity Corps, a program which creates opportunities for young people to engage in solidarity activities abroad or within their own country that benefit communities. In total, nine different youth organization initiatives are plugged into the EYY, including the two mentioned previously. There is also EU Youth Dialogue, Discover EU, EU Aid Volunteers, Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange, Eures, and SHEU Leads.
The multi-faceted EYY campaign casts its gaze far into the future and provides funded opportunities for young people to take part in youth exchanges, volunteer, study, work, travel, or participate in or learn about democratic processes within the EU. Through conferences, events, and various campaigns, the EYY is engaging European youth across the continent to create a long-lasting impact and legacy.
Coordination, Participation, and Strategy Across Europe
EU Member States were invited to appoint a national coordinator to organize their respective participation strategies. To ensure its success, young people and youth organizations were welcomed in shaping the initiative. An online survey garnered over 5,000 responses from all Member States and more than half stated their desire to actively participate in the EYY.
Another aim of the EYY is cross-sector partnerships and experiences as it builds on many EU policies. Four main objectives are outlined which reveal the underlying effort to honor, support, and engage with young people at all levels:
• Highlighting how the green and digital transitions offer opportunities for young people
• Helping young people to become active and engaged citizens
• Promoting opportunities available to young people
• Bringing a youth perspective to the Union’s policies
The initiative seeks to further inspire and refresh the outlooks of young people, with a principal goal to combat the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, the EU thinks that highlighting the green agenda and digital transitions for better societies, offer opportunities for young people to positively engage this part of the population with hope for their futures.
In other words, by supporting young people — whether through youth work or other means at national, regional, or local levels— the EYY will create active and engaged citizens, including those with fewer opportunities; from disadvantaged and diverse backgrounds; or those belonging to marginalized and vulnerable groups.
Therefore, many levels of EU policymaking are being promoted by mainstreaming youth policy across most relevant EU policy fields in line with the EU Youth Strategy 2019 – 2027.
Find Information, Explore Opportunities, Uncover Your Voice
To ensure success, the European Commission, the European Parliament, EU Member States, regional and local authorities, youth organizations, and young people themselves have started to come together to coordinate a range of activities for the EYY with multiple European Youth Policy Initiatives.
Young Europeans have benefitted greatly, and will continue to gain knowledge, skills, and experience for their professional and personal development to strengthen civic engagement in the EU.
How Geographic Solutions Supports Youth
Geographic Solutions supports the development of young people the world over. In the U.S., we developed the WIOA case management module to manage all U.S. federal- and state-level workforce programs. Some of our clients use this module to manage their comprehensive youth employment program which serves the young individuals who face barriers to education, training, and employment.
Geographic Solutions has thus a wealth of data and experience serving youth demographics. For a more in-depth look at how the youth are engaged by workforce development organizations, visit our Pathways to Employment page and watch the latest installment: “Preparing the Youth with Future Job Skills”.
We also recognize the pressing need to connect the young people of today with career pathways that provide a sustainable salary, minimize student debt, and align with their passions, skills, and values. To this end, we created the Virtual Career Center, a platform shared between students, educators, and workforce development professionals that bridges the gap between educational institutions and the workforce through career pathway planning.
Geographic Solutions salutes the efforts of the EU and their Member States to uplift the young people in their countries by engaging in these dynamic campaigns of the European Year of Youth. Our software solutions and wealth of data are available in many overseas markets. After all, tomorrow’s workforce is today’s youth, no matter where you live.
For more information about the availability of our products in your country, please request more information here.