Youth on the Move Europe supports young people in EUROPE
Neither the European Commission nor any person acting on behalf of the Commission may be held responsible for the use that may be made of the information contained in this publication. Cover photos: 123RF/iStock For any use or reproduction of photos which are not under European Union copyright, permission must be sought directly from the copyright holder(s). Europe Direct is a service to help you find answers to your questions about the European Union Freephone number (*): 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (*) Certain mobile telephone operators do not allow access to 00 800 numbers or these calls may be billed. More information on the European Union is available on the Internet (http://europa.eu). Cataloguing data can be found at the end of this publication. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2012 ISBN 978-92-79-22945-9 doi:10.2767/54440 European Union, 2012 Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. Printed in Luxembourg PRINTED ON ELEMENTAL CHLORINE-FREE BLEACHED PAPER (ECF)
Are you looking for a job in your own country or hoping to try your luck elsewhere in Europe? Would you like to pursue part of your studies abroad? Do you already have a job but want to keep on improving your knowledge? Are you looking to get better qualifications? Do you dream of setting up your own small business? Would you like to do voluntary work? Europe can help you! Of course, Europe cannot do everything for you, but it has a whole range of tools available to help your dreams become reality. Europe and young people Almost everyone has heard of Erasmus, the wellknown European programme, which has given almost 3 million young people the chance to study abroad since 1987. And almost everyone has surfed the EURES site, the European mobility portal offering over 1 million jobs on line every day. Europe has always cared about the future of its young people. But given the staggering rise in youth unemployment due to the recent economic and financial crisis, it has decided to give things a boost. Young people are the future of Europe. An unemployment rate of 22.3 % is therefore quite simply unacceptable and endangers the future prosperity of the whole of Europe. Did you know that this problem often stems from a lack of qualifications and experience, and that Europe has a range of innovative tools available in these very areas?
What can Europe do for you? The Youth on the Move initiative, launched by the European Union as part of the Europe 2020 strategy, is a toolbox containing measures, both current and future, that will help create the right conditions for you to achieve your career objectives. Education needs to be modernised, learning adapted to labour market requirements and spending time abroad made easier. You could be one of the 400 000 young people to benefit from a mobility programme this year. To give you more information on this initiative and the various European programmes available to you in education, training, culture, employment, business start-ups, voluntary work and research, the European Commission has launched the Youth on the Move information campaign. Throughout the campaign the Commission invites you to take part in debates, share experiences and raise questions with European representatives. Find out about what Europe can do for you! As a response to the crisis that has hit European youth so harshly with a further increase of youth unemployment by more than 1 million in comparison to the situation before 2008, the Commission adopted on 20 December 2011 a Youth Opportunities Initiative calling for immediate action in 2012 and 2013! This brochure will give you a good overview of the programmes and activities you may find useful and if you want to keep up to date, join us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/youthonthemoveeurope! Youth on the Move: http://ec.europa.eu/youthonthemove Youth Opportunities Initiative: http://ec.europa.eu/social/yoi Youth Information: http://europa.eu/youth European Job Mobility Portal: http://ec.europa.eu/eures Help and advice on life, work and travel in the EU: http://ec.europa.eu/youreurope
Go abroad in EUROPE http://ec.europa.eu/youthonthemove European Union / Pictures: istock
MOVE Go abroad EU citizens have the right to study and work in another Member State. Moving to a foreign country provides a unique chance to learn a new language and new skills and to discover different cultures. It also improves your chances of finding a job. Additionally, under the Youth Opportunities Initiative, Erasmus and Leonardo da Vinci programmes are geared towards placing higher education and vocational training students in enterprises. The objective is to reach at least 130 000 placements in 2012. Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs will foster a further 600 exchanges for young new entrepreneurs in 2012 and 2013. European Job mobility portal: http://ec.europa.eu/eures Youth on the Move website: http://ec.europa.eu/youthonthemove Your Europe: http://ec.europa.eu/youreurope Youth Opportunities Initiative: http://ec.europa.eu/social/yoi Leonardo da Vinci: http://ec.europa.eu/education/ldv100.htm Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs: http://www.erasmus-entrepreneurs.eu
Boost your skills http://ec.europa.eu/youthonthemove in EUROPE European Union / Pictures: 123RF
TRAIN Boost your skills The EU offers numerous programmes which enable Europeans to receive training meeting their expectations and the needs of the economy. The different programmes, such as Leonardo da Vinci, Comenius or Grundtvig, propose a wide range of options for students, apprentices, recent graduates, professionals and teachers. Under the Youth Opportunities Initiative, European Social Fund Technical Assistance worth EUR 1.3 million will support apprenticeshipstype schemes. Member States will contribute to reaching the objective of 370 000 new apprenticeship placements by the end of 2013. Leonardo da Vinci: http://ec.europa.eu/education/ldv100.htm Comenius: http://ec.europa.eu/education/cms201 Grundtvig: http://ec.europa.eu/education/grv401 Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs: http://www.erasmus-entrepreneurs.eu Youth Opportunities Initiative: http://ec.europa.eu/social/yoi European Social Fund: http://ec.europa.eu/esf
Broaden your knowledge http://ec.europa.eu/youthonthemove in EUROPE European Union / Pictures: Getty Images
STUDY Broaden your knowledge Several EU programmes have been set up to allow Europeans to study abroad. By opening up these opportunities, the EU enables you to discover new countries and languages and to broaden your horizons. Since 1987, the Erasmus programme has given nearly 3 million students the chance to study or do a work placement abroad. Erasmus: http://ec.europa.eu/education/era601 Erasmus Mundus: http://ec.europa.eu/education/emu101 Leonardo da Vinci: http://ec.europa.eu/education/ldv100.htm Tempus: http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/tempus/index_en.php
Share your experience http://ec.europa.eu/youthonthemove in EUROPE European Union / Pictures: istock
LEARN Share your experience The EU promotes learning mobility because it is a part of being European and a possibility which is open to all young people in Europe. It helps present and future generations to face new challenges, to enhance European identity and to encourage cooperation. The EU s Youth in Action and Lifelong Learning programmes fund actions including exchanges, study visits and networking activities. Under the Youth Opportunities Initiative, a quality framework for traineeships in Europe will be proposed in the first half of 2012. Youth in Action Programme learning activities outside school: http://ec.europa.eu/youth/index_en.htm Lifelong Learning Programme: http://ec.europa.eu/education/llp100 Youth Opportunities Initiative: http://ec.europa.eu/social/yoi
Share your talent in EUROPE http://ec.europa.eu/youthonthemove European Union / Pictures: istock
TAKE PART Share your talent The EU wants citizens to have a say on issues that concern them. The European citizens initiative allows 1 million EU citizens to participate directly in the development of EU policies, by calling on the European Commission to make a legislative proposal. The EU s structured dialogue involves consultations with young people and youth organisations at all levels in Member States, at EU Youth Conferences and during the European Youth Week. The European Youth Portal offers plenty of information and allows young people to ask questions and exchange experiences. European citizen s initiative: http://ec.europa.eu/citizens-initiative/public/welcome?lg=en Structured dialogue: http://ec.europa.eu/youth/youth-policies/structured-dialogue_en.htm European Youth Portal: http://europa.eu/youth/index.cfm
Discover research careers in EUROPE http://ec.europa.eu/youthonthemove European Union / Pictures: GraphicObsession
INNOVATE Discover research careers The Marie Curie Actions provide international training and career development for researchers. Since 1996, the programme has helped thousands of young researchers to acquire experience in another country. These actions are complemented by the Euraxess network of centres which assist researchers in moving from one country to another by providing information and assistance on all matters related to professional and daily life. The European Institute of Innovation and Technology promotes innovation by bringing together higher education institutions, research centres and businesses to focus on challenges such as energy, climate change and information society. It puts researchers, entrepreneurs and students at the heart of its efforts, giving them the right skills, knowledge and attitudes to bring new ideas to the market and foster business creation. Marie Curie Actions: http://ec.europa.eu/mariecurieactions Euraxess: http://ec.europa.eu/euraxess/ European Institute of Innovation and Technology: http://eit.europa.eu
Make a difference in EUROPE http://ec.europa.eu/youthonthemove European Union /Pictures: 123RF
VOLUNTEER Make a difference It is estimated that 100 million Europeans have already undertaken some form of voluntary action. Volunteering provides a chance to make a difference by contributing to fostering a greater sense of social cohesion and to the harmonious development of society. In addition, under the Youth Opportunities Initiative, the European Voluntary Service will create at least 10 000 volunteering opportunities in 2012 and 2013. European Voluntary Service: http://ec.europa.eu/youth/youth-in-action-programme/europeanvoluntary-service_en.htm Youth Opportunities Initiative: http://ec.europa.eu/social/yoi
Make dreams come true http://ec.europa.eu/youthonthemove in EUROPE European Union / Pictures: Getty Images, 123RF
CREATE Make dreams come true Some 99 % of start-ups in Europe are micro or small enterprises and one third of these are launched by unemployed people. The European Progress Microfinance Facility has been set up to help microfinance institutions in the EU to increase lending to independent entrepreneurs and businesses with up to 10 employees. This could lead to around 45 000 loans of up to EUR 25 000 being made available for young Europeans to start their own businesses over the coming years. The Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme enables new or would-be entrepreneurs to learn how to successfully run a business by working alongside an experienced entrepreneur from another country for up to 6 months. The stay is financed by the EU. Under the Youth Opportunities Initiative, European Social Fund Technical Assistance worth EUR 3 million will focus on setting up support schemes for young business starters and social entrepreneurs. European Progress Microfinance Facility: http://ec.europa.eu/epmf Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs: http://www.erasmus-entrepreneurs.eu/ EU finance for small and medium-sized enterprises: http://www.access2finance.eu/ Youth Opportunities Initiative: http://ec.europa.eu/social/yoi
Get informed http://ec.europa.eu/youthonthemove in EUROPE European Union / Pictures: 123RF
YOUR RIGHTS Get informed The EU ensures that all Europeans can take advantage of their fundamental rights. These include the fight against discrimination and exclusion, equality between men and women and the right to medical assistance. Throughout Europe, the EU supports actions aimed at raising awareness of the need to combat social injustice and ensure data protection. Building a European Area of Justice: http://ec.europa.eu/justice Tackling discrimination: http://ec.europa.eu/justice/discrimination/index_en.htm For Diversity. Against Discrimination: http://www.stop-discrimination.info Your Europe: http://ec.europa.eu/youreurope/citizens
Achieve your goals http://ec.europa.eu/youthonthemove in EUROPE European Union / Pictures: 123RF
WORK Achieve your goals Getting access to the job market is difficult, particularly for the young. The EU is providing all European citizens with a range of tools to improve their job opportunities. The European Social Fund (ESF) is one such example. Around 10 million people benefit yearly from the labour market insertion and training programmes financed by the ESF. Another example is the EURES European Job Mobility Portal which provides about 1 million job offers each day. Your first EURES job is a job mobility scheme to help young people find work and to help employers find workers. It aims to match young jobseekers and job changers with hard-to-fill vacancies across Europe. Within the Youth Opportunities Initiative, Your first EURES job will help up to 5 000 young people find a job placement in another EU country, in 2012 and 2013. Last but not least, the Enterprise Europe Network supports entrepreneurs in expanding their business in Europe and beyond with a wide range of services. The Network has 600 partners in more than 50 countries. European Social Fund: http://ec.europa.eu/esf EURES: http://ec.europa.eu/eures http://ec.europa.eu/social/yourfirsteuresjob Youth Opportunities Initiative: http://ec.europa.eu/social/yoi Enterprise Europe Network: http://www.enterprise-europe-network.ec.europa.eu
European Commission Youth on the Move Europe supports young people Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union 2012 22 pp. 17.0 10.5 cm ISBN 978-92-79-22945-9 doi:10.2767/54440 This publication is available in printed format in all EU official languages. Visit us at: Youth on the Move webpage: http://ec.europa.eu/youthonthemove Youth on the Move on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/youthonthemoveeurope Youth on the Move photo gallery: http://www.flickr.com/photos/socialeurope
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