Many meetings have been held with several stakeholders, and the Office has especially offered support on fundraising to our members, and coordinated YMCA Europe’s advocacy action with fellow youth NGOs.
At the end of this month the European Commission published its funding programmes, and this will kickstart our fundraising season.
Have a look to see how you can find information on fundraising and on our activities!
The Brussels Office worked in the month of March to prepare the candidature and the campaign of our Youth Policy Group Representative, Alex Taylor, to the Advisory Council on Youth of the Council of Europe.
The Advisory Council is an important institution which makes budgetary and policy decisions that influence all youth workers and youth organisations around Europe.
Let’s support Alex: speak to your National Youth Council to support her candidature, for stronger youth organisations and inclusive youth work!
The Brussels Office prepared training materials for the first session of the Leadership Academy, dedicated to Institutional Fundraising (find the resource here).
Then our Advocacy Officer Ilenia Ventroni participated to the live session on March 20, supporting the trainers’ team in the session dedicated to partnerships and negotiations, bringing the experience matured in Brussels.
While YMCA Europe is running its consultations with members on its next Strategy, it has also organised a consultation of its young people, to make sure its new Strategy will be aligned to their needs and truly relevant to their priorities.
The Brussels Office supported this work in the preparation of the consultation and supporting the moderation of the debate.
In the context of the start of the work of the new Board of the European Youth Forum, its new Secretariat and the publication of the new Funding of the European Union, the Youth Forum has organised a coordination meeting among its members, to agree on a common strategy to advocate on funding programmes for youth.
The Brussels office was present and brought the needs of the membership, especially in terms of the fragility CoVid 19 left behind in terms of resources.
The European Youth Forum also promoted a dedicated meeting to coordinate on general terms of advocacy among its members, in view of our work together during the next few years.
We held a dialogue with the WHO on ageism, and with the European Commission on the Recovery and Resilience Facility.
We also coordinated our strategies on topics like environmental action, and we held a meeting with the YFJ Board who will be our referent during the next years, Thomas Matthew.
The Brussels Office keeps contributing to the organization of coordinated YMCA action for COP26 in Scotland in October 2021.
We will be part of the Policy Framing Team, and we keep supporting the Planning Team, hoping to support European participation as much as possible to the Summit.
The Brussels Office met two of YMCA Europe members to discuss funding opportunities and offer training regarding some of them.
YMCA Thessaloniki (Greece) and YMCA Czech Republic has the chance to discuss institutional funding and private donors opportunities with the Brussels office, receiving materials and guidance on the new programmes available and fundraising strategies.
Would you like to take advantage of this service too? Contact the Brussels Office of YMCA Europe at ilenia[at]ymaceurope.com
Right before the publication on the new Erasmus+ programme, the Brussels Office participated to a meeting organised by the Erasmus coalition, a partnership between the European Youth Forum members and the members of the Life Long Learning Platform, to get the latest information on the Erasmus+ programme.
The Programme Guide of Erasmus+ is now available here and the Annual Work Programme can be consulted here.
The Brussels Office will soon organise a webinar to discuss funding opportunities, what changed in the programme and how to best approach it. Stay tuned!
