Primarily targeting young people aged 15-25, the YOUTH programme provides information, training possibilities, opportunities for promoting new forms of cooperation throughout Europe, plus financial assistance. The programme is structured around the following five actions: 

Action 1
Broaden your horizons  
This Action concerns exchange programmes with a duration of between 6 and 21 days, which have a pedagogical value and a non-formal learning objective. Their aim is to bring together groups of young people from different backgrounds from two or more countries and provide them with an opportunity to discuss and confront various themes, whilst learning about each other’s countries and cultures.

Action 2
Become a volunteer
Under this Action you will be given the opportunity to work as a volunteer in another country for 6 to 12 months, helping in local projects in a wide range of fields, including the arts, environment, technology, cultural heritage, sports and leisure. The minimum age for participation is 18.

Action 3
Take the initiative
Here you will have the chance to express your creativity and develop initiatives. The programme includes:
Α) Group Initiative projects
Support is provided to groups of young people to help them develop initiatives at a local level which can serve as innovative examples for other groups all over Europe. The duration of a Group Initiative project should be between three months and one year.
Β) Future Capital projects
These projects allow former European Voluntary Service (EVS) participants to make use of the skills they have acquired by passing on their experience to the local community. They also provide opportunities for supporting an ex-volunteer’s professional and personal development. Such projects cannot run for more than one year.
 
Action 4
Joint Actions
This brings together the YOUTH (non-formal education), SOCRATES (education) and LEONARDO DA VINCI (vocational training) programmes. It provides support for initiatives that build on the complementary nature of the three programmes being implemented by the competent authorities in the fields of education, training and youth policy.

Action 5
Support measures
These measures underpin the other YOUTH programme Actions, so as to consolidate their benefits but also improve the quality of services provided. Additionally, they encourage the continuation and development of innovative actions at Community level, strengthen European youth policy and promote broader cooperation with third countries in this field.

Further information is available at the General Secretariat for Youth web site: www.neagenia.gr
Applications pertaining to all Actions should be submitted to the respective National Agency.
Applications concerning special activities should be sent by the competent authorities directly to the European Commission at the following address:
European Commission
Directorate General for Education and Culture
Youth, Civil Society, Communication
Rue de Loi 200/ Wetstraat 200
B- 1049 Bruxelles/ Brussels
Tel.: (32-2) 299 6177
www.europa.eu.int/comm./education/youth.html
E-mail: youth@cec.eu.int

The National Agency for Greece is the General Secretariat for Youth:
417, Acharnon St., 111 43 Athens
Τel.: +30 210 2531349, 2532259
Fax: +30 210 2531879
www.neagenia.gr/youth.html
E-mail: youth@neagenia.gr

Application deadlines
For projects selected at national level, there are five application deadlines a year:

For projects starting between Application deadline
May 1 and September 30 February 1
July 1 and November 30 April 1
September 1 and January 31 June 1
December 1 and April 30 September 1
February 1 and June 30 November 1

For projects selected at European level, there are three application deadlines a year:

For projects starting between Application deadline
July 1 and December 31 February 1
November 1 and April 30 June 1
April 1 and September 30 November 1