COMMISSION REPORT TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Interim evaluation of the ‘Youth in Action’ Programme
Date: 2011-04-20
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU financing, EU programme, continuing education, education policy, vocational training, young person, youth policy

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EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

Brussels, 20.4.2011 
COM(2011) 220 final 

COMMISSION REPORT TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, 
THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE 
COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

Interim evaluation of the ‘Youth in Action’ Programme 

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COMMISSION REPORT TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, 
THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE 
COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

Interim evaluation of the ‘Youth in Action’ Programme 

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

The Youth in Action (YiA) Programme, which aims at developing cooperation in the field of 
youth  in  the  European  Union,  covers  the  years  2007  to  2013.  Pursuant  to  Article 15  of  the 
Decision N° 1719/2006/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 November 
2006 establishing the Programme1, “the Commission shall submit (...) an interim evaluation 
report  on  the  results  obtained  and  the  qualitative  and  quantitative  aspects  of  the 
implementation of the Programme”. 

This  is  the  subject  of  this  report,  based  on  an  independent  external  evaluation  and  on  the 
reports  on  the  implementation  of  YiA  submitted  to  the  Commission  by  the  countries 
participating inYiA. 

The evaluation can be consulted at: http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/education_culture/evalreports 

2. 

PROGRAMME OBJECTIVES 

The implementation of YiA since 2007 has: 

•  offered non-formal learning opportunities to young people, with a view to enhancing their 
skills and competences (employability) as well as their active citizenship (participation),  

•  offered  to  youth  organisations  and  youth  workers  opportunities  for  training  and 
cooperation, with a view to enhancing the professionalism and the European dimension of 
youth work in Europe. 

This stems from the general objectives of YiA which are: 

(1) 

(2) 

“to  promote  young  people's  active  citizenship  in  general  and  their  European 
citizenship in particular; 

to develop solidarity and promote tolerance among young people, in particular in order 
to reinforce social cohesion in the EU; 

(3) 

to foster mutual understanding between young people in different countries; 

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OJ L 327, 24.11.2006, p.30. 

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(4) 

to contribute to developing the quality of support systems for youth activities and the 
capabilities of civil society organisations in the youth field; 

(5) 

to promote European cooperation in the youth field” 

and which “complement the objectives pursued in other areas of the Community's activities, 
in particular in the field of lifelong learning, including vocational training and non-formal and 
informal learning, as well as in other fields, such as culture, sport and employment”. 

3. 

KEY FIGURES 

The main quantitative outcomes of YiA over the three years 2007-2009 (see Annex) are the 
following: 

•  more  than  380 000  persons  (278 000 young  people  and  102 000 youth  workers)  have 

participated in YiA; 

•  21 800 projects were granted out of 42 700 (an increase by 14% from 2007 to 2008 and by 
18%  from  2008  to  2009)  projects  submitted;  the  proportion  of  the  projects  granted  has 
fallen from 52% in 2007 to 43% in 2009; 

•  YiA has involved annually around 20 000 promoters (youth organisations, informal groups 
of young people, public bodies...), presenting, according to an analysis conducted on 2009 
data, a significant renewal rate from year to year (only 28% of the 2009 beneficiaries were 
already beneficiaries of YiA in 2008). 

The  operational  appropriations  allocated  to  YiA  from  2007  to  2009  amounted  to 
EUR 405.4 millions 
and 
EUR 44.5 millions  corresponding  to  additional  appropriations  including  contributions  from 
the EFTA/EEA and candidate countries) and have been fully used. 

annual  EUR27  budget 

(EUR 360.9 millions 

from 

the 

Given the high number of projects and the need for close proximity to the beneficiaries, YiA 
is  largely  (81%  of  the  budget)  managed  in  a  "decentralised"  manner  by  national  agencies 
(NAs)  established  in  the  participating  countries.  Eight  NAs,  in  addition  to  their  mission  as 
NAs  for  their  countries,  constitute  SALTOs  (Support,  Advanced  Learning  and  Training 
Opportunities) - Resources  Centres  providing  support  for  all  the  NAs  by  developing  special 
areas of geographic or thematic competence. YiA also supports centres providing information 
on Europe-wide opportunities for young people (the Eurodesk network). 

Some strands ofYiA, which require a "centralised" approach at European level, are managed 
by the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). 

4. 

EVALUATION 

4.1. 

Procedures 

The interim evaluation is based on: 

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•  evaluation  reports  from  the  Member  States  and  other  participating  countries  (national 

reports);  

•  a  report  drawn  up  by  an  external  independent  evaluator  which,  in  addition  to  the 
aforementioned national reports  and  the  results of the permanent monitoring put in place 
by  the  Commission,  used  the  results  of  its  own  research.  This  external  evaluation  was 
carried out by ECORYS, under a framework contract concluded with the Commission in 
2006 following a call for tenders. 

The approach retained for the external evaluation was based on the following activities: 

•  desk research; 

•  interviews (notably with beneficiaries, National Authorities and NAs); 

•  focus groups with young people; 

•  exploitation  of  the  results  of  a  survey  launched  by  the  Commission  in  January  20102 
among  a  sample  of  4 550 participants  (young  people,  youth  workers  and  youth 
organisations), aimed at measuring the impact of YiA regarding its learning outcomes and 
the active citizenship of young participants; 

•  online questionnaire launched by ECORYS in June 2010 among a sample of 3 920 young 

participants; 

•  online questionnaire amongst 2 000 non participating young people (control group); 

•  the national reports. 

4.2. 

The evaluators' conclusions 

The  evaluators  come  to  very  positive  conclusions  on  a  number  of  aspects  regarding  the 
relevance, complementarity and added value of YiA, its effectiveness and its efficiency. Their 
assessment is largely supported by the conclusions drawn by the national authorities in their 
reports. 

Moreover they highlight several improvements compared to the previous Programme, though 
the intervention logic still has some weaknesses and YiA remains complex. 

They also come to the conclusion that YiA compares well with other schemes as regards the 
“client  satisfaction”  expressed  by  the  participants.  The  very  positive  results  in  terms  of 
satisfaction of YiA participants are confirmed when compared to the satisfaction level of the 
sample group of “non-participants” that took part in youth projects funded by other schemes.  

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http://ec.europa.eu/youth/focus/focus1757_en.htm 

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4.2.1.  Relevance, complementarity and added value 

YiA addresses the problems identified at the time of its adoption (such as a low participation 
in community life and the employability issue). The various Actions are considered relevant 
by the young participants and other stakeholders. In line with the current problems identified, 
some  stakeholders  ask  for  a  further  strengthened  focus  on  employability;  based  on  the 
problem analysis, this factor could be reinforced, without diluting the participation objectives 
and taking into account the complementarity of activities to other programmes. The support to 
youth  workers  is  considered  relevant  as  it  contributes  to  the  quality  of  youth  work  and  its 
recognition  as  well  as  to  the  quality  of  non-formal  education.  Youth  organisations  consider 
YiA relevant as it enables them to test innovative approaches and to build their capacities. 

YiA is well-embedded in the wider EU policies for youth defined when it was established; it 
is also largely complementary to the strategies more recently adopted, such as the Renewed 
framework  for  European  cooperation  in  the  youth  field  (2010-2018)3  and  Youth  on  the 
Move4.  

In terms of complementarity, YiA complements the Lifelong Learning Programme through its 
focus on non-formal education and by targeting youth workers  supporting  young people. In 
addition,  its  objectives  are  connected  to  the  Europe  for  Citizens  and  Culture  Programmes 
although  the  scope  of  YiA  is  different  because  of  the  distinctiveness  of  the  non-formal 
learning  focus  and  of  youth  as  the  target  group.  The  fact  that  it  focuses  on  the  inclusion  of 
young  people  with  fewer  opportunities  is  another  unique  feature  compared  to  other 
programmes. 

There  is  also  a  significant  degree  of  complementarity  in  relation  to  national  programmes. 
National contexts differ considerably among the Programme countries in terms of policies and 
other  programmes  available.  Some  countries  have  national  activities  that  are  comparable  to 
those of YiA, especially supporting youth initiatives and volunteering. For another group of 
countries, YiA is mainly a complementary instrument, as it has a specific focus on non-formal 
learning,  covers  exchange  of  knowledge  and  experience  among  the  participating  countries, 
offers  transnational  opportunities  and  places  the  emphasis  on  civil  society  and  social 
inclusion.  In  a  third  group  of  countries,  there  are  hardly  any  programmes  directed  at  youth, 
and YiA compensates for the lack of funding for this target group in these countries.  

In  terms  of  added  value,  the  main  contribution  of  YiA  is  that  it  facilitates  international 
cooperation in the field of youth. Furthermore, there is a positive evaluation of certain aspects 
such  as  the  non-formal  learning  scope,  active  participation  of  youth  and  the  possibilities  to 
learn  more  about  Europe,  and  the  fact  that  young  people  with  fewer  opportunities  are  a 
specific target group. For youth organisations and youth workers, the international exchange 
of  experiences,  intercultural  and  international  learning,  and  networking  and  training 
opportunities are highlighted as added value. Young people themselves stress the cooperation 
aspect, the international component and the wide choice of activities as important added value 
aspects of YiA. 

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OJ C 311, 19.12.2009, p.1. 
COM/2010/0477 final of 15.09.2010. 

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The exchange of experience and cooperation are some of the most valued elements of YiA, 
which  cannot  be  easily  achieved  by  a  national  or  regional  programme;  the  same  applies  in 
relation to the mobility aims of YiA. Activities that can be implemented in one country only 
(like the sub-Action Youth initiatives) are often seen as the first step in YiA and as having a 
low  threshold  for  participation,  which  is  especially  true  for  young  people  with  fewer 
opportunities; the added value is therefore rather found in the international exchange. 

4.2.2.  Effectiveness 

YiA  is  effective  in  meeting  its  objectives  related  to  young  people  and  has  social  impacts 
beyond  non-formal  learning.  Although  all  Actions  contribute  significantly  to  the  objectives, 
there are differences in the extent to which the various sub-Actions do so. Youth exchanges, 
in particular, contribute to the sense of belonging to the EU and participation in democratic 
life; the European Voluntary Service has the highest contribution to employability, personal 
development,  mobility  and  language  skills  and  youth  initiatives  specifically  contribute  to 
encouraging  entrepreneurial  spirit  and  creativity.  The  Youthpass  certificate  (aimed  at 
assessing  the  learning  outcomes  of  the  participation  in  a  YiA  project)  is  a  useful  tool  for 
improving chances on the labour market. 

YiA effectively targets young people with fewer opportunities through the projects supported. 
Other activities are organised to reach the target group, such as the training and provision of 
information on inclusion, which have a wider effect. There might be, however, opportunities 
for  increasing  the  inclusion  of  less  advantaged  youngsters  by  further  encouraging  youth 
organisations to target this group.  

The  majority  of  youth  organisations  indicate  a  positive  contribution  of  YiA  to  the 
development  of  the  quality  support  systems  for  youth  activities  and  the  capabilities  of  civil 
society organisations as well as to the promotion of European cooperation in the youth field. 
The majority of youth organisations and youth workers are involved in the exchanges of good 
practice,  and  networks  are  created.  The  international  dimension  is  much  appreciated  and 
knowledge is gained on non-formal learning in youth work. It is therefore generally reported 
that the quality in youth work has been improved.  

The influence of YiA on national legislation is limited. Its impact on the national youth policy 
and  practices  is  more  promising  partly  because  the  NAs  are  increasingly  involved  in  policy 
making.  

More than one out of three young people have heard about YiA or its Actions5. At the same 
time,  the  participants  and  non-participants  of  YiA  consider  that  it  is  not  visible  or  well-
publicised enough, which suggests that there is still room for improvement. 

YiA has a sustainable impact on  participants and youth workers in terms of participating in 
events after YiA, follow up work for NGOs and increased subsequent mobility. Sustainability 
in  terms  of  partnerships  and  networks  of  organisations  varies  while  being  more  consistent 
with regard to networks of young people. 

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Survey amongst non-participants 

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YiA is important in terms of the long-term sustainability of the type of activities it supports. 
Such activities could probably not be financially supported from other sources in the absence 
of  YiA.  Stakeholders  are  generally  not  able  to  access  to  additional  budget  in  the  current 
economic  climate.  Consequently,  there  are  limited  possibilities  for  raising  the  co-financing 
level.  However,  where  possible,  co-financing  should  be  required,  as  it  stimulates  the 
ownership and generates additional sources.  

4.2.3.  Efficiency 

YiA  is  on  track  in  expenditure  with  a  high  absorption  rate  stemming  from  a  strong  interest 
among stakeholders. 

Although management costs of YiA as a whole have appeared relatively high, justification is 
found  in  the  involvement  of  youth  organisations  that  apply  for  the  first  time  and  are  quite 
often  inexperienced  grass  root  organisations.  NAs  have  developed  a  high  level  supportive 
approach, which also contributes significantly to the capacity building of these organisations. 
In addition, the small project focus leads to a relatively large number of projects which need 
to be selected, contracted and monitored. Lastly, there are five application rounds per year in 
order  to  provide  more  opportunities  to  apply  and  not  to  lose  momentum.  Consequently, 
management resources are needed to support the focus of YiA and building capacity in line 
with the objectives of the Programme.  

The breakdown of the budget is appropriate and there is some flexibility for the NAs to shift 
budget  between  sub-Actions,  so  that  the  division  is  adapted  to  actual  needs.  In  general,  the 
NAs consider themselves to be sufficiently staffed for their tasks, which some of them see as 
a  relatively  high  administrative  burden,  although  most  would  like  to  accomplish  more. 
Improvements in some tools, such as the monitoring tool YouthLink, can potentially help in 
reducing this burden. 

The application process does not pose significant problems in terms of selection procedures 
and  of  information  on  where  to  apply  (centralised  or  decentralised).  The  administrative 
burden connected to filling out the application form and the reporting is generally perceived 
as high in relation to the project budgets available. There is a call for further simplification, 
less jargon and the provision of electronic application and reporting tools. 

The  division  of  tasks  between  the  NAs  and  the  Executive  Agency  (EACEA)  is  generally 
clear,  including  in  cases  where  an  Action  is  implemented  on  both  levels.  Further 
decentralisation  could  nonetheless  be  helpful.  Centralised  implementation  remains  desirable 
for  (a)  sub-  Actions  with  budgets  too  limited  to  be  implemented  efficiently  at  decentralised 
level, and (b) projects involving stakeholders/beneficiaries at EU level. 

Management tools have been considerably improved in comparison to the former Programme. 
Monitoring  is  based  on  indicators  and  many  standard  formats  have  been  developed. 
Moreover,  there  is  a  high  level  of  satisfaction  among  beneficiaries  vis-à-vis  the  structures 
implementing YiA. 

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4.2.4.  Overall impact of YiA 

A noteworthy convergence can be demonstrated both among the national evaluations, and in 
relation  to the evaluation conducted  at European  level, particularly as regards the impact of 
YiA. 

Participating  in  YiA  is  seen  as  a  strong  learning  experience:  "[YiA]  makes  an  important 
contribution  to  promoting  non-formal  learning  and  to  promoting  and  developing  key 
competences.  Furthermore,  (...)  YiA  helps  to  distinguish  non-formal  learning  as  a  separate 
area of skills acquisition." (DE) "[It] has a life-changing impact on its beneficiaries and leads 
to better education and employment opportunities." (UK) 

This learning experience in a non formal setting can create bridges  to formal education and 
training: "YiA provides the participants with possibilities that they would not find within the 
framework  of  the  formal  educational  institutions.  These  added  possibilities  also  have  the 
effect  that  they  increase  the  desire  by  participants  who  are  not  doing  well  in  the  formal 
educational system to continue or return to the formal educational sector. By participating in 
YiA activities it therefore seems as if some of the "hard-to-reach" groups might be eased into 
learning, thereby adding to the national priority of 95% of a cohort finishing upper secondary 
education." (DK)  "Broader  societal  impacts  and  side-effects  are  that  [YiA]  stimulates 
innovation and increases the motivation of young people to study." (NL) 

Regarding  participation  and  active  citizenship:  "From  the  perspective  of  European  youth 
policy, YiA is an important education tool in order to stimulate interest for European social 
and  political  realities  and  civic  behaviour  based  on  European  values." (RO)  "The  activities 
(...)  are  seen  to  improve  the  young  people's  view  of  the  EU.  (...)  YiA  to  a  great  extent 
improves  the  participants'  social  awareness  as well  as  their  sense  of  responsibility  and  their 
maturity." (DK) 

National  contributions  report  on  the  openness  of  YiA  vis-à-vis  young  people  with  fewer 
opportunities: "Unemployed young people (...) have been made targeted offers. There is also 
cooperation  with  the  Estonian  Unemployment  Insurance  Fund." (EE)  "For  many  of  the 
participating young people, this is the first time they are outside not only Sweden, but their 
home region." (SE) 

YiA is seen as having a strong impact on the professionalization of youth work: "YiA has a 
strong education dimension, continuously producing new competent contributors to national 
and  European  youth  policies.  Training  produced  within  YiA  is  of  high  quality,  specifically 
targeted and topical." (FI) "The added value of YiA, for the promoters, is on one hand in the 
(further)  training  of  their  staff  in  terms  of  topics  and  methods  of  work  in  the  international 
youth field, on the other in the establishment and development of network structures and the 
extension or profile of their offers." (DE) "By extended accessibility, YiA managed to attract 
new  organizations,  as  well  as  youth  categories  having  a  reduced  access  to  ordinary 
educational  programmes." (RO)  "It  is  unlikely  the  project  will  continue  if  funding  stops 
because  there  will  be  no  funding  from  the  Dutch  government  to  replace  it  and  most 
beneficiaries  indicate  that  without  funding  they  would  not  have  started  the  project.  The 
dissemination and exploitation of results from the projects occurs well." (NL) 

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National contributions report a wider systemic impact of YiA: "YiA has created a significant 
added  value  at  national  level.  It  has  brought  the  concept  of  non-formal  education  in  the 
education  field.  (...)  Additionally  (...)  this  Programme  provides  significant  contributions  to 
establishment  of  youth  policies  in  Turkey." (TR)  "A  new  law  of  youth  work  enforced  on 
September 1, 2010 is to some extent based on the experience received in the course of YiA, 
for example it stresses the context of informal and non-formal learning in youth work." (EE) 
"Non-formal  learning  is  key  in  YiA  and  represents  an  important  asset  to  improve  the 
transition between studies and the working life of young people. This Programme has a strong 
link with national priorities and plays an important role to support them. Among the national 
developments  influenced  by  YiA,  one  can  name  the  adoption  of  national  schemes  like  the 
"Service volontaire d'orientation" (...) inspired by the European Voluntary Service." (LU) 

The importance of YiA in the national context is further illustrated by various examples: "YiA 
plays  a  particular  role  as  there  is  no  coherent  youth  policy implemented  by  the  state  on  the 
national level. It enables the implementation of the European [youth] policy on the national 
level, making the NA a very important player in this field in Poland. (...) [It] is the largest tool 
used for promoting and implementing non-formal education in Poland. (...) [It] is second to 
none  in  certain  areas  (multilateral  exchanges,  in  particular  with  non-EU  countries).  (...)  [It] 
offers extensive developments opportunities for youth organisations, both as regards the use 
of  a  wide  range  of  opportunities  to  co-finance  activities  and  personal  development  of 
employees." (PL) "The wide range of actions and types of activities provide the target groups 
with different opportunities that are not available in the national system." (DK) "YiA provides 
a  number  of  opportunities  which  are  not  supported  anywhere  else,  may  this  be  the  unique 
concept  of  the  European  Voluntary  Service  or  the  support  for  local  initiatives  of  young 
people,  who  can  acquaint  here  with  the  project  management  for  the  first  time." (CZ)  "YiA 
supports activities for which almost no other funding is available". (BE-NL) "YiA [supports] 
the youth sector in Malta allowing youth organisations to  organise activities which, without 
the Programme's support, would not have been possible." (MT) 

5. 

MAIN RECOMMENDATIONS AND COMMISSION COMMENTS  

The evaluators have made a series of recommendations which constitute invaluable feedback 
and  food  for  thought  in  relation  both  to  the  ongoing  implementation  of  YiA  and  the 
conceptual  exercise  regarding  a  future  programme.  The  main  recommendations  made  have 
been  highlighted  hereunder  (in  italics),  including  an  indication  of  how  the  Commission 
intends to respond to them. 

5.1. 

Improve the rationale of a future Programme 

Although  improved  compared  to  the  previous  Programme,  there  is  still  room  for  improving 
the intervention logic of YiA.  

The Commission intends to reduce the number of Actions proposed in a future Programme, 
with a view to streamlining and simplifying it, to increasing its readability and visibility and 
to making its results more easily measurable. 

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5.2. 

Consider an increased focus on employability 

New  strategies  that  provide  the  base  for  future  programmes  suggest  an  increased  focus  on 
employability. However, this should be achieved without losing sight of the participation and 
civic society objectives. 

In the context of Youth on the Move and the Europe 2020 Strategy, the Commission intends 
to reinforce the focus of the activities proposed for young people on their learning dimension, 
with a view to supporting in the most effective way the acquisition of skills and competences 
through such non formal activities. 

5.3. 

Keep  the  mix  of  support  to  youth  organisations  and  youth  workers  and  direct 
grants for young people 

Strengthening the capacities of the youth work contributes to an increase in quality, and, for 
the  participation  of  young  people  in  non-formal  learning  activities,  funding  is  still  needed. 
The  current  balance  is  appropriate  and  a  shift  towards  support  to  youth  organisations  and 
youth workers at the cost of grants for young people is not desirable, as there are not many 
other resources for their participation in YiA-type activities.  

The  Commission  shares  the  view  that  a  future  Programme  should  continue  to  target  young 
people themselves, taking into account the effectiveness of the activities and the fact that they 
are in certain countries the only transnational opportunities offered. On the other hand one has 
to  consider  the  extent  to  which  a  wider  impact  can  be  reached  by  enhancing  the  support  to 
youth  work.  The  future  Programme  will  have  to  strike  the  right  balance  between  these  two 
objectives. 

5.4. 

Further promote Youthpass 

In order to increase the value of Youthpass, more promotion and awareness-raising activities 
should be used.  

Youthpass was introduced for the first time in 2007 and applied in the beginning to a limited 
number of Actions of YiA. The Commission now intends to promote it more widely. 

5.5. 

Further promote and define costs covered for "youth with fewer opportunities" 

The additional financing opportunities proposed for youth with fewer opportunities could be 
better promoted and defined. 

The  Commission  intends  to  take  this  recommendation  into  consideration  when  defining  the 
future funding rules. 

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5.6. 

Improve the targeting of youth through additional communication strategies 

Youth organisations and youth workers seem to be sufficiently reached. Hence, the visibility 
and promotion of YiA should be channelled through additional channels in order to reach out 
to  a  wider  group.  Suggestions  include  promotion  through  schools,  better  Internet  use  (with 
information that better relates to the interests of young people) and the use of social media.  

The Commission intends to follow this recommendation on both aspects: better dissemination 
and  exploitation  of  the  results  of  the  projects  granted  (notably  through  a  platform  aimed  at 
showcasing  the  outcomes  of  various  European  programmes  in  the  field  of  Education  and 
Culture); enhanced visibility of YiA (possibly by recourse to new social media). 

5.7. 

Consider measures to reduce the administrative burden  

The  financing  of  relatively  small  projects  involving  grass  root  organisations  is  an  explicit 
choice made within YiA according to its legal basis and contributes to capacity building on 
the one hand but entails a relatively high administrative burden and management costs on the 
other.  It  is  recommended  that  an  investigation  is  undertaken  as  to  whether  these  can  be 
reduced by implementing some efficiency measures.  

The  implementation  of  the  future  Programme  should  be  simplified  by  various  means 
(streamlining the actions proposed, striking the optimal balance between costs and benefits of 
controls,  enhancing  the  recourse  to  simplified  forms  of  flat  rate  financing...)  with  a  view  to 
making  it  more  user-friendly  for  its  beneficiaries  but  also  less  consuming  in  terms  of 
administrative  resources  for  the  implementing  bodies.  Some  measures  will  already  be 
introduced under the current Programme. 

5.8. 

Improve the monitoring system 

Transforming the monitoring system to a wider management tool would be useful. 

The  Commission  has  already  launched  the  process  aimed  at  defining  a  more  suitable 
management and monitoring system for the future Programme. This process involves a user-
group including representatives of NAs.  

6. 

COMMISSION'S CONCLUSIONS 

The  positive  assessment  resulting  from  this  interim  evaluation  backs  up  the  results  of  the 
monitoring  survey  launched  in  2010  among  the  various  categories  of  beneficiaries  of  YiA, 
which demonstrated inter alia that: 

•  77% of young participants learned better how to identify opportunities for their personal or 
professional  future  and  66%  believe  that  their  job  chances  have  increased  thanks  to  the 
project experience; 

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•  88% of youth workers consider that they gained skills and knowledge which they would 

not have been able to gain through projects organised at national level; 

•  92% of youth organisations consider as "very true" or "somewhat true" that participating in 

a project supported by Youth in Action increased their project management skills. 

The Commission intends to implement all the recommendations issued by the evaluators with 
a view to further improving the effectiveness and efficiency of a Programme which receives, 
year after year, an increased number of grant requests. Some of these recommendations will 
lead to an action plan aimed at already improving the management of the current Programme, 
while others will contribute to the definition of the actions to be proposed for young people at 
European level after the current Youth in Action Programme comes to an end. 

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Youth in Action - Outcomes 2007-2009 

Outturn 
(MioEUR) 

Number of 
projects 
selected 

Number of 
partici-
pants 

Annex 

Youth for Europe 
1.1  Youth 

exchanges 

1.2  Support for young people's 

initiatives 

1.3  Participative democracy 

projects 

European Voluntary Service 

  European 

Voluntary Service 

Youth in the World 

3.1  Cooperation with the neighbouring 

countries of the EU 

3.2  Cooperation with 

other countries 
Youth support systems 

4.1  Support for bodies active at European level 

in the field of youth 

4.2  Support for the 

European Youth Forum 

4.3  Training and networking of those active in youth 

work and youth organisations 

4.4  Projects encouraging 

4.5 

innovation and quality 
Information activities for young people and those 
active in youth work and youth organisations 

4.6  Partnerships 
projects 

4.7  Support for the structures 
of the Programme 

4.8  Adding to the value 

of the Programme 

Support for European cooperation in the youth field 

5.1  Meetings  of  young  people  and  those  responsible 

for youth policy 
5.2  Support  for  activities 

to  bring  about  better 
understanding and knowledge of the field of youth 

5.3  Cooperation with 

international organisations 

82.293 

3 947 

123 286

29.244 

3 970 

40 396

21.315 

301 

22 647

128.023 

6 675 

16 491

23.140 

1 511 

40 807

7.360 

85 

8.965 

6.855 

275 

- 

-

-

-

37.634 

4 630 

88 313

2.314 

2.448 

1.950 

39.552 

1.311 

28 

37 

30 

- 

- 

-

-

11 785

-

-

10.363 

283 

37 432

0.134 

2.476 

- 

- 

-

-

Total

405.377 

21 772 

381 157

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