Deadline: 15 January 25

Are you a civil society organisation working for and with young people? Are you interested in youth involvement and civic participation? The European Local Democracy Association (ALDA) is looking for you! Take part in the call for proposals with your project idea!

The Youth Participation in Public Affairs programme of the EU's Women and Youth in Democracy (WYDE) civic initiative is funded by the European Union. It aims to improve the emancipation, empowerment and inclusion of young people at all levels of democratic participation at national, regional and global levels. WYDE-Civic Engagement's tripartite approach is informed by the need for youth engagement and inclusion, not just at national level, but beyond and beyond. With half the world's population under the age of 30, the continued survival of democracy depends heavily on the buy-in and support of its young people.

Objectives 

• General objective 
  • Through the re-granting scheme, cluster 1 of the WYDE-Civic Engagement project aims to fund and implement national and transnational projects in support of young people's civic engagement and participation in decision-making processes in sub-Saharan countries.
• Specific objectives 
  • Empower organisations working in the youth field to play a relevant role in supporting young people's democratic participation.
  • Supporting peer learning between youth organisations
  • Strengthen an international network of youth organisations and youth leaders.
  • Improving co-operation between civil society young people and policy-makers at local, national and international level.
  • Defend the creation or improvement of representative youth structures (such as youth councils or youth parliaments)

Cross-cutting priorities 

• This call for proposals will fund actions that respect the five operating principles of the Human Rights Based Approach methodology:
  • Enforcing all human rights for all
  • Meaningful and inclusive participation and access to decision-making
  • Non-discrimination and equality; responsibility and the rule of law for all
  • Transparency
  • Access to information supported by disaggregated data.
• These principles must be rigorously applied in all programming, design and implementation and in all sectors.
• Gender equality must be integrated into these working principles. The working principles are also relevant to the process. Therefore, all proposals in this call for proposals will be drafted according to an HRBA.

Information on financing

• Each applicant can apply for three different lots and must request the following grant amounts (potential co-financing is excluded):
  • Lot 1: €10,000
  • Lot 2: €20,000
  • Lot 3: €30,000

Project duration 

• The duration of the action will depend on the amount of funding requested, which will be divided into three batches.
  • For Lot 1: the action must last a maximum of 6 months.
  • For Lot 2: the action must last a maximum of 9 months.
  • For Lot 3: the action must last a maximum of 12 months.
• Two additional months will be included in the contract to ensure the procedures related to the final project report and the disbursement of the final financial instalment.

Activities 

• Defence campaigns,
• civic mobilisation and awareness-raising initiatives,
• Training for young people
• CSO networking events,
• National and transnational study visits,
• work monitoring,
• training in participatory democracy

Target groups and final beneficiaries

• The action sees young people aged between 15 and 35 as its main beneficiaries, in line with the African Union's Youth Charter. WYDE-Civic Engagement's main actions will therefore cover this age group. However, it will not limit its beneficiaries and others from working with a broader definition of youth, namely to include children (defined here as the 9-14 age group) or working through the Democracy Summit's Youth Participation Cohort, which sometimes consider active citizens up to the age of 40.
• When reporting and measuring, the action will pay attention to disaggregated groups of beneficiaries, not only by sex but also by age.
• Considering that young people's participation has different dimensions, the Action distinguishes five target groups, depending on their level of involvement in public affairs, in order to better determine their needs and fine-tune its support: - Young citizens - Youth-led organisations and movements - Young aspirants/inspiring leaders - Young decision-makers - Local authorities - CSOs working for/with young people (not necessarily led by young people)

Project localisation 

• The organisations selected must implement national/transnational projects in support of civic engagement and youth participation in decision-making processes in the countries of the Global South, with a special focus on sub-Saharan African countries.

Election criteria

• Every organisation must be:
  • Legally registered
  • Civil society organisation working for and with young people.
• Please note that local authorities are not eligible to apply, although it is highly recommended that applicants co-operate with them.
• Organisations with limited experience are highly encouraged to apply. Those selected will receive customised training and tailored technical support.

Rules

• To be eligible for each lot, CSOs must comply with the following rules:
  • For Lot 1: (National call) Applicants can apply alone or in partnership. This lot is specifically designed for actions at local/national level.
  • For Lot 2: The consortium must be made up of at least two partners (including the lead applicant) from the same or different countries.
  • For Lot 3: (international tender) The consortium must be made up of a minimum of three partners (including the lead applicant) from at least two different countries. This lot has been designed specifically for international activities.

For more information, visit ALDA .