Every year the Youth in Action programme provides opportunities for young people and youth organisations.

Learn how Youth in Action funding can allow you to experience new cultures, make new friends and learn skills.

The following are examples of best practice and demonstrate the benefits of becoming involved:

On the ball (a Youth Initiative sports project)

Aunty Social (a Youth Initiative arts project)

Radiowaves (a Youth Democracy Project)

These young people carried out a Youth Initiative to make things better in their neighbourhood and changed their own lives.

Cardiff gained a new photography darkroom and club

“Before I started photography, I was shy and now, through being involved in this project, I have learnt to communicate with other people.

I used to use the photography darkroom at the Youth Centre at Howardian, Cardiff. However, after the sudden closure, there was nowhere for young people like me to go to. This was very stressful. I have autistic spectrum disorder, photography was a big part of my life and I was very sad about what had happened. I helped think up the project, Click4Inclusion, and decided that other young people like me should be able to get involved. Through Youth in Action funding, we set-up our own darkroom, ran practical photography workshops, discussions, field trips and have our own exhibition.”

We ran musical and theatre workshops for the young people in Romania

“We are a team of European film-makers, musicians and entertainers from London who gained funding to visit Romania. Our project, ‘Loop Van’, allowed us to experience a new part of the world and spend time with the local people. We ran workshops for young people on singing, clown theatre and musical instruments. We put on clown and comedy shows to the whole community which brought everyone together. The trip allowed us to learn new circus skills, be as creative as we liked, visit a new country and share experiences with new friends.  On our return to the UK, we used our film skills to produce, ‘The Strangers Within’, which focused on the life of the Roma people.”

To find out more about applying for a Youth Initiative, please read here.

17 International Climate Champions journeyed to the Arctic to investigate climate change impact.

Thanks to funding from the EU Youth in Action programme, the British Council partnered with UNEP / GRID-Arendal to deliver advanced Arctic climate training.

From the 26th of June to the 3rd of July, 18 young people from 12 different countries came together in Svalbard to learn both from each other and from our expert trainers from UNEP’s Polar Centre, GRID-Arendal.

The training focused on issues of Arctic governance and geopolitics, relating these to: climate impacts on its fragile environment and its peoples; mitigation and management methods to preserve its integrity moving forwards; and ways in which to provide financial mechanisms to protect the Arctic environment. Their interdisciplinary, intercultural learning experience as a group has strongly motivated them to take action on the vital issue of communicating the importance of the Arctic within the global climate system and as a model for environmental cooperation for other multilateral environmental problems.

Having come back from the Arctic, they bring back with them an inspiring and strong network of friends, able to learn from each other, work together and draw on our diverse expertise to act as advocates and activists for the Arctic within their home countries and transnationally.

A few examples of the many projects currently planned include:

•Adding perspectives on climate change to the work of organizations working with Youth and cultural issues in Canada (“North-South Partnership For Children”) and Germany.

•Making climate impacts personal for young people in local areas of natural beauty through a variety of methods of engagement in the UK, Finland, Slovenia and Germany.

•Writing a PhD on travel experiences and the potential they have on changing tourist’s knowledge, attitudes and behaviour towards advocacy for the environment and the natural world (UK).

•Publishing a creative photo book on all our experiences, reflections, and plans made for the future.

This is not a one-off event but builds on our work with Cape Farewell (youth expeditions 2007 & 2008 and follow-up activities in Germany) and UNEP. It will be pursued with a longer-term partnership with Youth in Action

To hear first-hand from the young people involved, you can read their blog here.