YMCA Europe is a long-standing partner of the Erasmus+ Programme, which is the European Union’s flagship initiative for education, training, youth, and sport.

The Erasmus+ Programme provides funding opportunities for various types of projects and initiatives related to education, training, youth work, and sport, with the aim of promoting the development of skills and competencies among young people in Europe.

YMCA Europe has been involved in numerous Erasmus+ projects over the years, ranging from youth exchanges to training courses and strategic partnerships. One of the key areas of cooperation between YMCA Europe and the Erasmus+ Programme is the promotion of non-formal learning among young people.

Non-formal learning is a type of learning that takes place outside of the traditional classroom setting, and it is a key component of youth work and non-profit organizations like YMCA. Through Erasmus+ projects, YMCA Europe has been able to develop and implement innovative non-formal learning programs that empower young people with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in today’s rapidly changing world.

These projects have also helped to foster cross-cultural understanding and promote social inclusion among young people from different countries and backgrounds.

YMCA Europe receives an annual mono-beneficiary operating grant from the European Union in the form of a Framework Partnership Agreement (FPA) under the Erasmus+ programme which is in effect from 2023-2025. For 2023, we currently have an ongoing a specific grant agreement (SGA) project.

YMCA Europe is the umbrella organisation for 37 national YMCA movements, embracing over 4,000 local YMCA organisations which develop youth work in local communities and serve more than 2,000,000 young people across Europe. The activities in this SGA will directly impact not less than 186,500 young people and youth workers in Europe and not less than 300 other youth organisations as well as indirectly impact not less than 550,000 young people.

The objectives of this SGA will directly contribute to the fulfilment of the call’s goals and priorities:

1. To ensure democratic governance and efficient management of YMCA Europe as an essential condition to the strategic growth of youth civic space and implementation of youth empowerment projects, programmes, and events.
2. To safeguard the viability and sustainability of the YMCA Europe membership (European Youth NGOs) through capacity-building activities that develop and improve the governance, internal policies, operations, and reach to young people as well as promote EU priorities and access to EU funding instruments among them.
3. To ensure the implementation of key thematic impact areas of YMCA Europe through the design, delivery, monitoring, and evaluation of projects, programmes and events contributing to the personal development, wellbeing, social and digital inclusion, and active participation of youth.
4. To cultivate advocacy spaces and networks of young people that enable them to raise their voices, champion solutions to issues most affecting them, and be active contributors to EU policy debate, consultation, and creation.
5. To amplify dissemination and visibility, within and outside the network, of information and intellectual outputs of projects, programmes, and events to facilitate more efficient communication and cooperation with stakeholders and active youth participation.

These objectives will be achieved through the various departments, programmes, and events of YMCA Europe, most notably through the development and continued use of capacity-building tools, knowledge-sharing networks, international projects, and youth advocacy.

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Project Coordinator:
Jessica Woitalla – Project Manager and Proposal Writer
If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact: jessica[at]ymcaeurope.com

Project results:
Project results are anticipated to be presented in March 2024.

Co-Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.