The theme of this project was the empowerment of young people from less privileged groups and the promotion of their increased participation in the Youth in Action programme. The general aim of the project was to promote and foster the empowerment and participation in the Youth in Action programme of young people from less privileged groups, e.g. ethnic or religious minorities, youth from rural areas, socially disadvantaged families or other groups confronted with prejudices, discrimination or social exclusion such as disabled or LGBT youth.

The project brought together NGOs that were active in youth work on an international and European level and which had a rich experience in developing and implementing projects in the context of the Youth, Youth in Action and Euromed Youth Programme. UCYVROK provided a framework for exchange of experiences from various projects developed, especially youth exchanges, trainings, seminars, youth initiatives and youth democracy projects.

This project used the SDDP methodology (Structured Dialogic Design Process) to generate new ideas and strategies to promote the rights, opportunities and knowledge of less privileged youth and their participation in the Youth in Action programme. The approach promoted focused communication among the participants in the design process and their ownership of and commitment in the outcome. This method is designed to prevent groups from prematurely focusing on decisions before they have adequately defined the situation, and conceptualize alternatives.

The main objectives of the project were to:

• Create a platform for the exchange of expertise, materials and best practices of youth organisations working with the concepts of cultural diversity, human rights, empowerment, social inclusion and active citizenship;
• Actively engage youth organisations in developing a Joint Vision of a European youth environment based on those concepts and a Joint Action Plan towards an increased participation of less privileged youth in European youth projects and activities.

Read more about the project here: http://ucyvrok.wikifoundry.com.