In the past five years, youth groups have benefited from more than €3 million in EU funds to implement
218 projects
Clyde Puli, Parliamentary Secretary for Youth and Sport, on Friday presented 23 youth organisations with funding grant agreements under the EU-funded Youth in Action programme managed by the European Union Programmes Agency (EUPA). The total value of these agreements amounts to €336,581.
Mr Puli said these European Union programmes give young people direct access to EU funds and provide opportunities for them to acquire and develop new skills that are important for their personal, social and professional lives. These skills include planning, budgeting, public relations, leadership, and how to become member of a group. He said that the Youth in Action Programme gives young people the opportunity to visit countries and meet people from cultures that are different from ours.
The Parliamentary Secretary said these educational programmes are non-formal and complement the investment the government is making in the formal education sector, in particular schools. In his speech, the Parliamentary Secretary encouraged more groups and young people to get involved in projects and obtain help from Aġenzija Żgħażagħ, EUPA and MEUSAC to apply for funds.
During this event, a series of information booklets were also launched. These contain clear and simple guidelines and criteria related to the Youth in Action Programme to entice more youth people and organisations to apply and make use of these funds.
In his introduction, EUPA National Coordinator Robert Debono stated that “in the coming months the agency shall be reaching out to young people, youth organisations and youth workers to inform them about this fund, which is ultimately aimed to create opportunities for them. Apart from printed material for interested applicants, we shall be going on radio, television, the Internet and a variety of other tools. The next deadline to apply for funds is round the corner, so we urge young people to get their facts right and come back to us with ideas. We can meet and explain on how to apply for such funds”.
The Youth in Action programme is for young people aged between 13 and 30. It aims at promoting mobility, non-formal learning, intercultural dialogue, encourages inclusion of all young people and provides support to youth work. The types of projects funded by the Youth in Action programme include youth exchanges, youth initiatives, democracy projects, European voluntary services, cooperation with neighbouring partner countries of the EU, training and networking for youth workers and organisations as well as meetings with policy Makers. The next deadline for Youth in Action applications is 1st October, which is the third and last for this year.
The organisations that are benefiting from this programme include the Mosta Youth Empowerment Centre, the Swatar Youth Group, Din l-Art Ħelwa, the Malta Medical Students’ Association, the Society of Contemporary Arts, the Ħal Tarxien Youth Centre, Inspire, Ċentru Tbexbix, Nature Trust (Malta) and Aġenzija Żgħażagħ. These projects were selected as a result of the second call for applications that closed on 1 May.
Further information can be found online by visiting www.facebook.com/yiamalta and www.yia.eupa.org.mt.
These initiatives are funded with the support of the European Commission (Directorate General Education and Culture). Information on the European Union Programmes Agency can be found on the agency’s website www.eupa.org.mt.