Working with Partners on new cooperation

Empowering Youth at the fringes of Europe

In the first quarter of the year, we have been working with three partners to develop a program on empowering youth that live in border areas. The good thing was that one of our partners had found a way to co-fund the idea we had  in 2022 through the EU's Erasmus+ program. This gave a us a clear deadline to work on for 22 March 2023. 

Erasmus+ proposal: FRINGE-ACT

And Yes! we submitted our plan in time, and we think we found a tantalizing acronym 'FRINGE-ACT' for our project that symbolises the core of our idea; acting with our empowerment and entrepreneurship program in border regions. Through interaction with organisations that operate in border areas we realised that our program has real value to offer in specifically that context. Together with Changemakers4all from North-Macedonia, Market Leader from Turkey and Stichting International Youth Bridges we gave further shape to the initial idea to use our Impactleaders program to strengthen youth organisations in border regions, so that more young people can be empowered to become Impactleaders and Peacebuilders, finding their purpose in life through initiatives that serve humanity and peace.

Our partners 

With such great volunteer driven partner organisations we're bound to reach great impact for the future generation. Typically border regions are more dynamic because of the interaction between bordering countries. At the same time challenges of our time seem to be exaggerated in those regions; youth unemployment is high, there is growing unease between local and newcomer populations and polarising politics. This results in a brain drain of talented people, who at the same time are needed to contribute to the changing society. Together with our partners we can build a strong partnership that will equip them to enhance their intervention potential. We will train their youth workers to become trainers of our 'Become an Impactleader and Peacebuilder' program and strengthen their organisational capacity. That way together we can empower and train many more youth that need to give shape to their purpose in life.

By the end of June we'll know if we receive the funding from Erasmus+, but we already have learned together how to give shape to our cooperation and what potential that has.