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Call for Applications

2021 DEADLINE: 21st January 2017 (23:59 CET) www.europeanyouthcapital.org Applications to: eyc2021@youthforum.org Contact person: Rita Jonusaite (rita.jonusaite@youthforum.org)

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The European Youth Forum is delighted to open the call for applications for the European Youth Capital (EYC) 2021 title. The EYC title is awarded by the European Youth Forum to a European municipality for a period of one year, during which it is given the chance to showcase its youth-related cultural, social, political and economic life and development. The EYC initiative encourages municipalities working hand in hand with young people to both continue and expand the implementation of new ideas and innovative projects with regard to the active participation of young people in society. It seeks to present role models for the future development of youth policies in other European municipalities. The EYC initiative also aims to strengthen the relationship between the European and local levels, fostering youth participation by applying common European objectives regarding youth policy.The title works to demonstrate the complementary nature of European, national and local citizenships, especially regarding youth. Together with institutional partners and other relevant stakeholders, the EYC initiative looks to empower and work with young people at all levels, offering them increased opportunities to shape and develop their communities and together with the municipality take the ownership of the project. In this sense, applicant municipalities together with participating youth structures are invited to present a multi-faceted programme highlighting their approach to youth participation and plans for the empowerment of young people. The programme should also present a clear link with European youth policies as well as policies of the European Youth Forum (such as young people's access to rights, social and economic inclusion of young people, participatory policymaking and co-management, recognition of the value of non-formal education and competences gained in youth organisations etc.). The chosen municipality will be supported through contact, development and promotion from the European Youth Forum and partner institutions. The first European Youth Capital was Rotterdam (the Netherlands) in 2009 followed by Torino (Italy) in 2010, Antwerp (Belgium) in 2011, Braga (Portugal) in 2012, Maribor (Slovenia) in 2013, Thessaloniki (Greece) in 2014, Cluj-Napoca (Romania) in 2015, and Ganja (Azerbaijan) in 2016. The 2017 European Youth Capital is Varna (Bulgaria), which will be followed by Cascais (Portugal) in 2018 and Novi Sad (Serbia) in 2019. Since 2014, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe is an official endorsing partner of the European Youth Capital title.

HOW TO APPLY? - TIMELINE The call for applications opened on November 2nd 2017, with the following timeline: 1st APPLICATION DEADLINE: SUBMISSION OF INITIAL CONCEPT NOTE Municipalities are invited to complete and submit the first ‘concept note’ application form, setting out their vision for the proposed EYC year. This document details the municipality’s

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past performance in the youth field, the motivation to become EYC, the key challenges to be tackled, and an expansive programme of activities to meet these goals. It should clearly outline the involvement of young people in this process, the proposed governance structure and financial resources, as well as the longer-term impact of the EYC year. The concept note application form is available at: www.europeanyouthcapital.org/yfj/apply/ DEADLINE: The concept note form and annexes should be completed entirely in English, and sent by email to eyc2021@youthforum.org before the first application deadline on January 21st 2018 (23:59 CET). Applications received after this date will not be considered. Applications should be submitted in PDF and Microsoft Word formats with the document title “Concept Note EYC 2021 Municipality Name”. FEE: All applications must include the application fee of €300, to be transferred before the first application deadline to the European Youth Forum bank account provided at the end of this call. ANNOUNCEMENT: The European Youth Forum convenes an independent Jury (detailed below) to assess all the applications for European Youth Capital. This Jury will shortlist five candidate cities best fulfilling the aims of the EYC initiative to progress to round two of the competition, where they will be invited to submit a longer, more detailed application form. All applicant cities will receive feedback from the Jury on the strengths of their bids and areas for improvement. The shortlisted candidates will be published on the European Youth Forum’s website and social media channels on March 16th 2018. 2nd APPLICATION DEADLINE: SUBMISSION OF DETAILED APPLICATION FORMS The five shortlisted municipalities will be invited to complete and submit the second round application form, providing more details and expanding on their plans for EYC 2021. DEADLINE: The second round application form should be completed entirely in English, and sent by email to eyc2021@youthforum.org before the application deadline 3rd June 2018 (23:59 CET). Applications received after this date will not be considered. Applications should be submitted in PDF and Microsoft Word formats with the document title “Application Form EYC 2021 Municipality Name”. FEE: All second round applications must include the application fee of €700, to be transferred before the application deadline to the European Youth Forum bank account provided at the end of this call. ANNOUNCEMENT: The five shortlisted candidates will then receive detailed feedback and recommendations for improvement of their applications. These recommendations will be developed by the independent, high-level Jury and a Youth Focus Group with experience in the European Youth Capitals, and will be sent by August 13th 2018.

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3rd APPLICATION DEADLINE: SUBMISSION OF FINAL APPLICATION FORMS The five shortlisted municipalities will be invited to update their applications from the second round of the competition, based on the recommendations made by the Jury and the Youth Focus Group. The same detailed application form will be updated and resubmitted, and sent by email to eyc2021@youthforum.org before the third application deadline on 30th September 2018 (23:59 CET). Applications received after this date will not be considered. The detailed application form should be completed entirely in English. Applications should be submitted in PDF and Microsoft Word formats with the document title “Final Application Form EYC 2021 Municipality Name”. If a candidate does not send an improved application within the given deadline, the application from the second application phase will be considered. FEE: The third application round does not include a fee. ANNOUNCEMENT: The independent, high-level Jury will meet in November 2018 to assess the final applications and select the European Youth Capital 2021. The winner will be announced at the European Youth Forum’s statutory meeting1 in November 2018.

HOW THE AWARD IS GRANTED ? – ASSESSMENT PROCEDURE All applications for the European Youth Capital title are assessed by an independent, high-level Jury comprised of institutional and civil society experts and practitioners, representatives from youth organisations, the private sector, the media, and from local and regional authorities. This Jury is selected and convened by the European Youth Forum, and published on the European Youth Capital website. As an indication, the organisations participating in the EYC 2020 Jury are listed here: http://www.europeanyouthcapital.org/yfj/eyc-jury-2020/ Additionally, a Youth Focus Group, composed of youth representatives with experience in running an EYC year, will provide feedback for the improvement of the applications of the five shortlisted candidates. The EYC 2020 focus group included representatives from the cities of Braga, Maribor, Thessaloniki, Cluj-Napoca, Ganja, Varna, and Novi Sad, and met in Cluj-Napoca in August 2017. KEY CRITERIA: In completing the concept note, cities are asked to set out their vision for the EYC 2021 and how it can empower young people, boost youth participation, and society as a whole. Applicants are invited to be creative and push the boundaries of what they want to achieve through this process. The questions are open-ended enough to allow cities to present their own unique perspective and goals, but are directed enough to give the Jury a well-rounded picture of the scope, intent and feasibility of each proposal. As such, the key themes and focus of the proposed EYC year are ultimately the decision of the applicant city and the young people therein. However, there are certain key elements 1 By statutory meeting it is meant either the Council of the Members of the European Youth Forum ("COMEM") or General Assembly of the European Youth Forum (“GA”).

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that are essential to any bid for the EYC title: - Youth Participation: Young people should be at the heart of any EYC bid. This

applies to the design of the application itself, the development of the programme, and the governance and implementation structures of the proposed EYC year – in every step of the application process it should be clear to the Jury that young people are at the core of it. The applicant should outline in a clear way how the title would benefit young people in the municipality and their engagement in the development of the proposal.

- Co-management 2 : Youth participation is important not only in developing the proposal, but also in terms of how the EYC year will work in practice. This should not be solely a municipal initiative – it must be developed and delivered in an equal partnership between the municipality, local youth organisations and the city’s young people. When it comes to implementation and governance, what formal role will young people hold? How will decision-making be shared between the municipal authority and participating youth structures? Cities that are willing to genuinely hand over the reins and trust young people with responsibility will fare best, striking a balance between offering the necessary support and resources while empowering young people to co-manage the implementation of the EYC year.

- European Dimension: A key goal of the EYC initiative is to emphasise and strengthen

the relationship between the European and local levels, and this is an important aspect of any proposal. The proposed EYC year should include clear links to the European level, particularly in terms of common European processes and objectives regarding youth policy. It also should reflect policies of the European Youth Forum: young people's access to rights, social and economic inclusion of young people, participatory policymaking, recognition of the value of non-formal education and competences gained in youth organisations just to name a few.

- Coherence: The concept note application form requires applicants to outline a vision

of what they want to achieve through the proposed EYC year, but this must be coherent from start to finish. The Jury should be able to draw a clear line right through from the city’s track record, motivation, challenges and key goals, to a targeted programme designed to meet these goals and a longer-term legacy of what this can change for young people. The different sections of the concept note are related, and there should be a coherent link running through each of the answers provided.

- Credibility: Applications should be as convincing and credible as possible, particularly by providing clear evidence and data to support the claims made and plans outlined. When assessing the documents, jury members will be tasked with judging the credibility of the answers – is the level of youth participation genuine and effective? Is the governance structure feasible? Is there a solid level of support (financial or otherwise) to implement the proposed programme? The more detail provided in this regard, the better.

2 As an example of co-management you can refer to the Council’s of Europe co-management system in the field of youth. You can find out more here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnsAzXKU1a4.

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Should you have any questions relating to the selection procedure, please contact Rita Jonusaite at the European Youth Forum’s Secretariat: rita.jonusaite@youthorum.org. More information is also available on the European Youth Capital website: http://www.europeanyouthcapital.org/become-an-eyc Please note that in order to ensure a transparent and fair process the European Youth Forum neither (a) reviews applications before the application deadline nor (b) attends meetings with candidate cities.

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FAQ 1. Who can apply? The European Youth Capital competition is open to any local authority from Member States of the Council of Europe (Cultural Convention). A local authority is defined as a municipality or group of municipalities located in a common geographical area, such as a metropolitan area. If you are unsure about your eligibility to apply, please contact Rita Jonusaite at the European Youth Forum secretariat (rita.jonusaite@youthforum.org). 2. Why should a municipality apply to be the next European Youth Capital? There are a number of benefits for municipalities that consider applying for selection as the next European Youth Capital, including: - Recognition: the EYC initiative offers a municipality the chance to showcase its youth-

related cultural, social, political and economic life and development. As a result, heightened public recognition is fostered by media and press coverage and participation in high-profile international events.

- European dimension: the EYC initiative is distinctly European in focus, and develops strong links between the municipality, European institutions, and the Network of past (and future) European Youth Capitals.

- Tourism: the EYC initiative is international in its outlook, encouraging increased tourism and an influx of young people from across Europe for international and European events.

- Local and regional development: the EYC initiative serves as a framework and impetus for new projects and ideas, stimulating more active social development throughout the municipality and its neighbouring areas.

- Support: the EYC title is endorsed and recognised by many public funding bodies and European institutions.

3. Is the support of a youth organisation an essential criterion of an application? Yes, support of at least one youth organisation is a crucial selection criterion. We request a signed statement of support by at least one independent local or regional youth structure. If no local youth council exists, a relevant coalition of local youth NGOs should support the application of the municipality, in written form. The youth organisation(s) should be active for young people and run by young people, and involved in the EYC application process. 4. Is there any specific funding connected with the EYC title? There is no direct funding provided by the European Youth Forum to the European Youth Capitals. However, the EYC title is recognised or endorsed by several European institutions and public funding bodies, and the initiative provides a clear framework for funding applications through diverse EU programmes, such as Erasmus+ and Cohesion Policy funding. The European Youth Forum can assist in this process. 5. What is the European Youth Forum’s Council of Members and General Assembly? The Council of Members (COMEM) is a biannual meeting of the 104 Member Organisations of the European Youth Forum. It is the key decision-making body of the platform, bringing together youth delegates from across Europe to debate crucial issues facing young people and determine the policies of the European Youth Forum.

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Traditionally, this meeting is held once in Brussels in springtime (April) and once in the upcoming European Youth Capital later in the year (November). The General Assembly (GA) is the highest decision making body of the Forum. It meets every two years and takes place instead of the Council of Members. It has the broadest power to take, execute and ratify all decisions taken into the interest of the association. For example:

Ø The November 2016 GA was helld in Varna (EYC 2017), hosted by the municipality, Ø The April 2017 COMEM was held in Brussels, hosted by the European Youth Forum,

Ø The November 2017 COMEM will be held in Cascais (EYC 2018), hosted by the municipality,

Ø The April 2018 COMEM will be held in Brussels, hosted by the European Youth Forum,

Ø The November 2018 GA will be held in Novi Sad (EYC 2019), hosted by the municipality, and so on.

This gives the municipality the opportunity to welcome youth delegates from across Europe, showcase their work on youth participation, develop links with local youth organisations, and mark the fact that their EYC year is about to begin. The European Youth Forum covers the travel costs for this meeting, while the hosting Municipality covers the costs of accommodation and venue facilities. The awarded European Youth Capital 2021 will be hosting the General Assembly of the European Youth Forum in November 2020. 6. Further questions on the application process? Please see the ‘About/FAQ’ and ‘Become an EYC’ sections of the European Youth Capital website, or contact Rita Jonusaite at the European Youth Forum secretariat (rita.jonusaite@youthforum.org). EUROPEAN YOUTH FORUM BANK DETAILS

Name of Bank ING bank Marnix Business Branch

Address of bank 1, rue du Trône 1000 BRUXELLES BELGIUM

SWIFT or BIC code BBRUBEBB

Account number 375-1009152-43

IBAN BE66 3751 0091 5243

www.youthforum.org

www.europeanyouthcapital.org

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