'ERASMUS FOR ALL' - a threat to Youth Service?

In November 2011, the European Commission published a proposal for a single integrated EU programme for education, training, youth and sport. Currently there are separate funding streams for non-formal education: the Youth in Action Programme; and formal education: the Lifelong Learning Programme.

Under the present arrangements, youth organisations in Northern Ireland in total benefit by around €700,000 from the Youth in Action Programme on an annual basis.

The EC is proposing a single programme called 'Erasmus for All' which will replace seven existing programmes. The integration of these separate programmes is expected to reduce administrative costs.

The interim evaluation of the current Youth in Action programme reveals positive results: the programme is well embedded in the EU strategic objectives, it is complementary to other EU programmes, and fits the needs of the target groups, including young people with fewer opportunities. The management structures are considered efficient, considering also the need to support grass-root level and often inexperienced target groups.

The results of the public consultation on YiA (September - November 2010) express support to the continuation of the current, separate framework for a youth programme, the majority also indicating the need to continue using the same name.

There are, however, growing concerns from a number of EU member states, the European Youth Forum and Youth Service colleagues in Scotland and Wales that there is a significant danger that the current level of funding available to non-formal education will be eroded under the proposed new arrangements.

YCNI shares these concerns and has already alerted the Department of Education to this potential future threat to funding.

While we do understand that the current proposals being considered by the European Commission do propose that the percentage of the total funds allocated to non-formal education will not change (currently 7%), it is important that youth service colleagues within the UK co-operate and work with other relevant bodies within the EU to ensure that there is no reduction in funding of non-formal education from these EU programmes.

The Youth Council continue to lobby for this outcome.

YOUTH WORKS

Background
The Youth Works programme is an initiative developed by the Department of Education, with the International Fund for Ireland and managed on behalf of DE by the Youth Council for Northern Ireland. The overall aim of the Youth Works programme is:

"to identify and target (270) 16-17 year olds, not in education, employment or training and with no formal qualifications (i.e. at level 1 or above), within communities suffering the greatest economic and social deprivation and using those economic concerns as a platform to build stronger relationships with other 16-17 year olds in similar circumstances, whilst at the same time enabling them to re-engage with formal education and training and help them fulfil their potential."

A Youth Work Approach
A secondary aim of the programme is to illustrate the value and impact of a Youth Work approach on engaging the target group and supporting them to gain recognised qualifications that will make a positive difference to their long term employment, education and training prospects. Underpinning the youth work approach are three core themes which are embedded throughout each of the programme elements:

» Peace and Reconciliation;
» Personal Development; and
» One to One Mentoring.

Delivery & Engagement
Following public advertisement in May 2011 calling for applications for a Delivery Agent to deliver a 26 week full-time pilot programme involving a minimum of 30 young people from north Belfast, a partnership made up of Include Youth (lead partner), Artillery Youth Centre, Challenge for Youth and NI Alternatives were appointed. After an extensive recruitment process in the late summer, delivery of the programme to young people started on 19th September 2011, with 37 having taken part.

Next Steps
Evaluation of the pilot programme is expected to be completed in March 2012.  Based on the learning distilled from this it is anticipated that a second call for applications will be made for Delivery Agents to roll-out the programme in other locations in Northern Ireland.