ComUnYouth (Combating Unemployment Among Youth)

ComUnYouth (Combating Unemployment among Youth)

The project will be limited to 23 months of implementation: 02.2014 – 12.2015

Project purpose and goals

The purpose of the project is to improve the employment situation of youth in the periphery in Russian-Nordic-Baltic border areas. Thus the project aims to empower youth to take an active role in the process of combating unemployment as well as in the implementation of concrete activities.

The labor market is one of the most important economic and social tools that provide macro and micro economic equilibrium and economic growth in the national economy. Its state has a great influence on all the other markets and the social environment on the regional and national level.

The Nordic report Young People of the Periphery (Unge på Kanten) presents results from the Nordic Program on Globalization Initiative – Health and Welfare that was initiated in 2009. The unemployment among young people in the Nordic countries is much higher than the average unemployment. Especially alarming is the growing group of young people which neither study nor work. Among 10 percent of the young people between 15-24 years are at risk to live their lives in the periphery. The actual statistic information about unemployment in the Nordic countries you can find in this report “Unga i arbete i Norden”.

There are now 5 million unemployed young people under the age of 25 in the EU. The situation in the Russian Federation is similar – 27% of young people under 25 years do not have job. See http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=950&langId=en

In order to achieve the purpose an aim is to involve business community from Nordic, Baltic countries and Northwest Russia to engage in solving the problems of youth unemployment.

Specific objectives include:

Increasing competence in combating youth unemployment and applying new solutions in the border regions of North-West Russia, the Nordic and Baltic countries;
Creating a platform uniting authorities, labor market, educational institutions, researchers, companies and youth organizations from the Nordic countries, Baltic countries and North-West Russia;
Exchanging and distributing the best regional and local practices for combating youth unemployment and increasing youth employment in the Baltic Sea and Barents border regions in such topics as youth unemployment among social risk groups; creation of new employments; sustainable entrepreneurship; free movement of employees in cross-border regions; education; cooperation of public agencies and cross-border statistics.

Target groups

Local, regional and national authorities; youth organizations; cross-border institutions; trade unions, associations of employers, social partners; education sectors and business sectors.

Project partners

The project is mainly limited to the cross-border regions of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden and Norway and Northwest regions of Leningrad, Pskov, Murmansk, Republic of Karelia and Kaliningrad of the Russian Federation. The project will be coordinated and administrated by the project lead partner – NCM Information Office in St. Petersburg. The main partner and co-administrator of the project – NCM Office in Vilnius, Lithuania will coordinate the work of project partners from the Baltic countries and partly Nordic countries.

NCM Information Office in St. Petersburg (NCM – Russia);
NCM Information Office in St. Petersburg (NCM – Russia);
NCM Office in Vilnius, Lithuania (NCM – Lithuania);
Directorate for Democratic institutions, Department of Local and Regional Democracy and Good Governance (Council of Europe);
Secretariat of AEBR (Association of European Border Regions) / Task Force of External Borders of AEBR (EU);
City of Århus, Denmark (Denmark);
Hedmark County (Norway);
Bothnian Arc (Finland);
Varmland county (Sweden);
Sønderjylland-Schleswig Cross Border Region (Denmark);
Administration of Vyborg district of Leningrad oblast (Leningrad oblast, Russia);
Government of St. Petersburg, Committee for Labour market/City student labour of exchange and training Center, SPGUTD (St. Petersburg, Russia);
Regional Development Agency (Kaliningrad region);
International Institute of Business Education (Murmansk region, Russia);
Education Development Fund of the Republic of Karelia (Republic of Karelia, Russia);
Chamber of Commerce of Marijampole Region (Lithuania);
Valga County Vocational Training Centre (Estonia);
Tartu University (Estonia);
Euroregion “Country of Lakes” (Latvia);

Key events and activities

April, 2014 – October, 2015: TWG work, thematic seminars in NW Russia, Baltic and Nordic countries.
April, 2014 – October, 2015: Experts work – Creation of a platform uniting authorities, labour market, educational institutions, researchers, companies and youth organizations from the Nordic countries, Baltic countries and NW Russia
May, 2014 – June, 2015: Thematic seminars and ComUnYouth forum
April, 2014 – October, 2015: Cooperation with commercial companies
June, 2014 – May, 2015: Study visits to the Nordic countries and NW Russia
March, 2014 – October, 2015: Management of the project – Coordination group work
April, 2014 – December, 2015: Information dissemination
October, 2015 – November, 2015: Evaluation and audit. Reporting

Budget

Total budget: 4.806.710 DKK
NCM co-financing: 3.026.250 DKK
Co-financing of the project’s network: 1.780.460 DKK
Scheme of payment: 85%-15%
The Russian co-financing is 1.451.740 DKK, which constitutes 30% of the total project budget. NCM co-financing is 3.026.250 DKK, which constitutes 63% of the total project budget.