Applications open for the second edition of the EYCA Youth Panel

Who we are

We are the European Youth Card Association (EYCA) - a non-governmental, not-for-profit association of 40 member organisations in 38 countries across Europe. Together we work to empower Europe’s youth.

EYCA member organisations issue the European Youth Card to 7 million young people and strive to achieve our vision of a Europe where all young people are mobile and active. We aim to encourage more young people to be socially, culturally, educationally, and economically mobile by delivering quality European Youth Card services and by contributing to better youth policy.

Find out more about us at www.eyca.org.

What’s the EYCA Youth Panel?

The EYCA Youth Panel is the idea put forward by a group of young people just like you who came together at the EYCA Annual Conference, in Belgrade (Serbia) in 2017. They made a recommendation to the EYCA Board that cardholders should have a stronger voice when European Youth Card programmes and services are designed. This is what the Youth Panel is all about – giving you the opportunity to use your insights and experiences to help create services for over 7 million young Europeans while gaining essential skills and international working experience.

The EYCA Youth Panel is composed of 10 young people, aged 18 to 29, selected from among European Youth Cardholders.

What’s your role?

As an EYCA Youth Panel member, you will be asked to provide insights into the challenges, experiences and priorities of young Europeans today. You will also act as Youth Ambassadors for the European Youth Card – promoting the programmes and opportunities offered to your friends and peers. Plus, you can receive EYCA support to organise activities in your community relating to issues you feel passionate about.

Your two-year mandate will mainly consist of:

• Participating in insights workshops where you will debate and give input on what it means to be a young European today and how young people can be supported;
• Meeting the EYCA Board to directly contribute to the development of European Youth Card services and programmes;
• Building a strong online presence to promote European Youth Card programmes and opportunities amongst young people;
• Running local or national actions to engage your peers in debates around European topics;
• Attend European youth events and promote the community of cardholders.

All EYCA Youth Panel members must attend at least two meetings a year, one of which is the kick-off training scheduled for February 2021 (If the current situation allows).

What’s in for you?

• One-of-a-kind leadership programme with like-minded young people from across Europe;
• The unique opportunity to make your voice heard at the European level, with one of the largest networks dedicated exclusively to young people;
• The opportunity to make a difference and enact change for young people in your community and abroad;
• The possibility to travel across Europe for meetings and events.

Who are we looking for?

If you tick all the boxes below, we’d love to hear from you:

• Aged 18-29 years old
• Have a valid European Youth Card on the date you apply
• Fluent in English - Yup, everything will be in English, but you’ll be encouraged to use your national language when reaching out to your peers.
• Have limited or no experience in volunteering or being active with an NGO - We believe there’s so much untapped talent out there and we’d love to provide an outlet for your passion.
• Strong motivation to be part of the EYCA Youth Panel and in a position to commit for 2 years.

Plus, you have to be passionate about one or more of the causes that EYCA supports:

• Youth mobility – opportunities for all young people to travel for leisure, education or work;
• Active citizenship – young people having safe spaces and skills to influence the decisions that affect their lives;
• Education & culture – equal access to education and culture for all young people;
• Wellbeing – easy access to mental and physical health services; education and encouragement for healthy lifestyles;
• Social inclusion – equal opportunities for all youth regardless of their ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, disabilities, political or other opinions, national, social or economic background;
• Community engagement & volunteering – quality opportunities and support for youth to make a positive difference in their communities;
• Environmental awareness – reliable information and raising awareness on climate change and sustainable economic growth.

EYCA offers equal opportunities to all young people, regardless of their gender, nationality, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or health condition.

Want to hear from the previous members of the EYCA Youth Panel?

"Joining a new team of people is always a challenge - let alone when you're all from different countries and mostly have to meet online! Nevertheless, the experience of the EYCA Youth Panel proved to be a fruitful experience for me, with core values bringing together young Europeans as teammates and friends."

Mark – Malta

“Being part of the EYCA Youth Panel has given me an opportunity to work with other dedicated and adept young people, an insight on how a European wide non-governmental organisation works and space to further improve my interpersonal and professional skills. It was a truly unique experience to develop a youth empowerment project called #IStandFor with my fellow Youth Panellists.”

Alexandra – Hungary

“Being a youth panellist has been a truly enriching experience. I had the opportunity to meet the representatives of local EYCA offices from all over Spain and even collaborate with some of them on various occasions. I also had the privilege to represent EYCA in the Advisory Council on Youth of the Council of Europe, where I could meet youth representatives from all over Europe and discuss the implementation of much-needed youth policies. If you are a youth advocate and want to get involved both at the European and local level, I strongly recommend you to apply!”

Julia – Spain

How to apply?

Step 1

Record a video about yourself (no longer than 2 minutes). Please tell us:

• Why do you want to be part of the EYCA Youth Panel?
• What are the causes you feel passionate about and you’d like to work on? If you’ve already worked in support of a cause, let us know. Every little thing counts!
• How can you help promote European Youth Card opportunities to young people across Europe?
• How do you think this experience will help you?

Step 2

Upload the video on YouTube. (We recommend to set the video as unlisted so only those with access to your link can view it.)

Step 3

Fill in the application form and don’t forget to include your YouTube link by the 30th of November 2020.