The YOUTH programme is the EU’s mobility and non-formal education programme targeting young people aged between 15 and 25 years.

The Programme is open to youth in 31 European countries. The YOUTH programme offers possibilities to young people in the form of both group exchanges and individual voluntary work, as well as support activities. The YOUTH programme started in spring 2000 but incorporates, and is based on, the experiences faced by the former Youth for Europe and European Voluntary Service programmes. There are National Agencies for the YOUTH programme established in all 31 Programme Countries. The Agencies assist with the promotion and implementation of the Programme at national level. Furthermore, the Euro-Med Youth programme , involving 35 Euro-Mediterranean partner countries, is one of the YOUTH programme’s main activities. National Coordinators based in the 10 Mediterranean partner countries facilitate the implementation of this Programme. The YOUTH programme also supports international co-operation activities with other Partner Countries in South East Europe (SEE), the Eastern Europe and the Caucasus (former CIS - Commonwealth of Independent States ) and Latin America (LA).

The Commission has created eight Resource Centres within the YOUTH National Agencies. These Resource centres are called SALTO-YOUTH, and their role is to provide different kinds of resource and support to improve the quality of YOUTH projects in priority areas. The SALTO-YOUTH Resource Centres provide training courses, training tools, information on good practices, networks and partnerships development, partner finding etc. They work in close cooperation with the National Agencies and the National Coordinators to reach the users of the YOUTH programme. For further information, please consult: www.salto-youth.net.