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Celebrating the European Year of Youth in Ireland

In this open letter to Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps beneficiaries in Ireland, our Executive Director welcomes the opportunity for Léargas to coordinate the European Year of Youth in Ireland. We’ll be working with all our beneficiaries and partners to ensure that this year is a memorable year for Youth!

Introducing the European Year of Youth 2022

Dear beneficiaries,

Last September, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced that 2022 would be the European Year of Youth (EYY). This is the perfect time for the Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps family in Ireland to put the spotlight on what it has already achieved when it comes to involving young people.

It is also an occasion to take stock with young people on how they see their place in the future, and what steps we should take together to make youth engagement a permanent feature of our programmes.

How Can You Get Involved?

Firstly, we would like to ask you to think about how you could give even more opportunities to young people, under the umbrella of the European Year of Youth. Both the budget of Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps have been reinforced for this celebratory year, which means that this year, young people will have more opportunities than ever to be part of an active and engaged community. They can explore a Youth Participation activity or a Solidarity Project for example.

Secondly, we encourage you to consider how you can make sure young people are represented in your projects in a sustainable and meaningful manner, including through financial support for projects promoted by young people.

All this will require that we all play our role in communicating and disseminating a better understanding of the various opportunities available to young people at EU, national, regional or local level.

Where Can You Find More Information?

The European Commission has launched a dedicated European Year of Youth section on the European Youth Portal, and this will remain the main channel of communication at EU level. It will house:

This is the best place to visit to stay informed about everything happening across Europe for Youth in 2022. You can filter by topic, country and dates.
A button on the portal has been made available so that you can upload organised youth activities and events by yourself. We in Léargas will act as a validator of these activities and once validated they will appear on the portal. We encourage you to upload, promote and get inspired by youth activities. If you have any queries, you can contact our dedicated European Year of Youth team.

How Can You Help Us Welcome in the European Year of Youth?

On 22 March 2022 we will be welcoming in the European Year of Youth at our ‘Connecting with Europe’ event. The event will explore how young people can access opportunities in Europe through information and support initiatives like Eurodesk and Youth Wiki. There will be stands with information on European opportunities for young people and interactive and networking activities will take place throughout the day. To book your place visit the Connecting with Europe event page.

How Can You Spread The Word?

The official logo of the European Year of Youth is available in all European languages. You can download the logo from the European Commission website. We encourage you to use it for youth activities and communication that contributes to the European Year of Youth objectives and spirit. You can also access the logos through our Brandox page, along with all other Léargas and European logos you might need.

We also encourage you to use the official hashtags #EuropeanYearOfYouth and #EYY2022 in your social media posts. The European Commission is also developing a visual identity, that will be available in the coming weeks.

Let me assure you that we will make every effort to work with you to make this a successful and memorable European Year of Youth. I very much look forward to seeing youth initiatives being showcased across the EU and I count on you all to help us develop a strong national narrative to inspire the new generation of Europeans.

Yours sincerely,

Lorraine Gilligan

Executive Director, Léargas