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 Mobilisation.
Launched in October 2023, the Youth Empowerment Fund is a flagship initiative of the Youth Action Plan designed by, with and for young people.
Activities
The €10 million pilot initiative will provide and facilitate access to vital resources for young people to contribute to the sustainable development of their local communities and societies in EU partner countries to reach the objectives of Agenda 2030, in line with the EU’s Global Gateway strategy.
The partnership will
- break down barriers to funding
- provide opportunities for mentoring, coaching and capacity strengthening
- unlock opportunities for marginalised and under-represented communities
- engage, empower and mobilise young people to create local solutions to the world’s biggest challenges from climate change and gender equality to access to education and employment
Young people will lead on all aspects of the Youth Empowerment Fund, from selecting grant beneficiaries, to sitting on the board of the initiative, supporting mentoring and capacity strengthening programmes, and participating in the design, leadership and implementation of projects in their communities.
Join us as Youth Panellist!
To celebrate Europe Day on 9 May, the European Union and the Big Six are opening applications to join as a Youth or Senior Youth Panellist. The Youth Panel is a youth-led initiative to decide how and where Youth-led solutions funding is awarded.
As a Youth Panellist, the member selected will have the chance to make an impact in accelerating youth-led progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.
The deadline for applications is Friday 31 May 2024.
Find out more here!
Background
The EU Youth Empowerment Fund is a flagship launched on the first anniversary of the Youth Action Plan for EU External Action (2021 – 2027), the EU’s policy framework for a strategic partnership with young people to build a more resilient, inclusive and sustainable future. This initiative had been co-designed with young people to provide easier, youth-friendly access to finance. It is implemented via the Global Youth Mobilisation, a grassroots movement of the Big Six that invests in and empowers young people to lead solutions to the world's most pressing challenges.
Despite facing unparalleled challenges and being disproportionately affected by worsening inequalities in society, young people are a powerful force for change. Youth-led and youth co-created initiatives have enormous potential to contribute to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Yet young people often face barriers in accessing funds and opportunities to scale up successful initiatives.
The Youth Empowerment Fund focus on youth-led decision making and solutions related to the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals at a local level. Through low-barrier funding accessible for young people at the grassroots level, the Youth Empowerment Fund create opportunities relevant to the needs and priorities of young people.
Partners
Established in 2020, the Global Youth Mobilization is an initiative of the Big Six. From 2020-2022, it invested more than $5 million to support 640 youth-led projects, which engaged more than 600,000 young people and reached over 3.6 million people across more than 125 countries.
Formed in 1996, the Big Six Youth Organisations 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).