Active Youth Association (AY) is a for-purpose organisation working with youth and communities in need in Lithuania and across borders. We have extensive experience in non-formal education, as well as a range of other topics. Most important among which: social inclusion, healthy lifestyle, sustainability, digital tools, human rights.

AY cooperates with organisations of a similar profile from all over Europe (more than 700 organisations) to organize events and trainings using non-formal education (including sport) as a powerful instrument to encourage youth to take an active part in society. We are integrating youngsters into the multinational environment and promoting a healthy lifestyle.

We seek to prove that physical activity is not only healthy but is the most powerful tool for inclusion and we wish to make sport accessible to everyone disregarding age, gender, wealth, experience, religion, race or background.

Our vision is to engrave the idea that sports are not about medals. It is about personal glory and growth and being a part of a like-minded team and a united community.

In general, our key goals are: helping the underprivileged in Lithuania and other EU countries to (1) be better integrated into the society and (2) get access to all public facilities. At the same time, AY (3) helps young people to build new cooperation for sports/mental health initiatives, increase the needed skills for that and motivation for volunteering; (4) enhance the self-esteem of the underprivileged (e.g. disabled); digital & multilingualism skills, social awareness, tolerance and other important values; (5) facilitate cooperation between different Lithuanian sports organisations, NGOs, youth workers, and sports trainers; and (6) raise awareness of the importance of health-enhancing physical activity through different sports; (7) raise awareness about the importance of taking good care of your mental health. 

In whatever activity we carry out, we follow our 4 core principles: 1) dedication – meaning that we give our 100% and more; 2) openness – we work with – and for the public; 3) positivity – we see opportunities rather than problems; and 4) enthusiasm – we want to change our surroundings for the better. Surely, it’s easy to list these values on paper and a lot harder to follow them through in real.

That is why we focus extensively on having the right team for every project. The people we will be working with (in the current project) are professionals with relevant experience and a record of success (whether in youth work and/or sports). We also rely on a deep pool of volunteers (over 1000) and potential partners to ensure: 1) the project’s implementation goes smoothly; 2) the dissemination efforts reach the specified target groups.

Active Youth Association has lengthy experience in running youth projects (sport, ESC, and others). Up until now, the organization has successfully implemented (getting just the highest scores from the evaluators) more than 45 separate project actions on its own (and several times that as a partner). One of the main AY priorities is a healthy lifestyle and well-being of the society. For this reason, experience gained through our past projects will be used for the current project since Active Youth Association pays attention to every detail and carries out the full spectrum of activities.

1. We have coordinated Erasmus+ Big Collaborative Sports projects. One of them is called “Empowerment Through Sports”. With this project we aimed to create contact between different social groups by using sports as a tool in order to foster social inclusion and make young people understand how minority discrimination works and how to counteract this.
2. We have also coordinated an Erasmus+ Small Collaborative Sports project “Capoeira Connects Europe”. The main aim of “Capoeira Connects Europe” was to encourage people to engage with their own cultural heritage and to discover all forms of it around the world, thus increasing tolerance, empathy, reducing social exclusion of vulnerable and disadvantaged youth and promoting active and healthy lifestyle. This was achieved by organising free capoeira events all across Europe and inviting disadvantaged people.
3. We are partners in an Erasmus+ Small Collaborative Sports project called “Social A.C.T. – Active Cycling Team”. The project promotes the idea that cycling is beneficial to health. It focuses on the importance of sport volunteering to acquire skills and develop active citizenship. 
4. We have recently completed projects where we were partners. “Sport Without Boundaries” – the project aimed to increase volunteerism and physical activity of disadvantaged groups living across Europe. We organized summer camps, international football tournaments, contests and many more; – “Inclusion for Healthy Generations”. By providing participants with various activities and affordable ways to practice non-professional sports, we gave more opportunities to every member of our community. Setting a common goal for becoming healthier helped people come together and support each other to achieve it. 
5. “SPORTIFICATION” was aimed at increasing, promoting and encouraging participation of young people across the EU in sports and PA activities. Young people find these activities less attractive than activities that connect them to computers, internet and applications. Therefore, the connection that this objective establishes between sports and gamification is a consistent solution.
6. Also, we are partners in a project named “Sport as an Equal Playground”. It aims to bring sports closer to young people with fewer opportunities, who are at a disadvantage compared to their peers. We will be tackling the issue at the European level since it is a European need and nowadays cannot be tackled by single countries only. We are mainly focusing on integration of good practices into different countries by using sport to tackle challenges which exist in society. 
7. As well as being focused on physical health, our goal is also to work on mental health and equip young people with the neccessary skills to manage their wellbeing. The main aim of our project “Get Well Together” is to increase the mental wellbeing of marginalized young people who face more discrimination and exclusion due to Covid-19 through youth work.
8. Our organised project “A Beautiful Mind“ contributed to the promotion of human rights by increasing the knowledge about mental health between the youngsters and the public overall. Participants were learning how to find ways of communicating with people having a mental disorder and ways to support them. This experience will allow us to contribute to the objectives of the current project and join the promotion of human rights.
9. We also partner up and work on a project “Be Kind to Your Mind”. The core goal of the project “Be Kind to Your Mind” is to increase knowledge about mental health between youngsters and the general public. 
10. We are also involved in the project “Confident Me” where we work on improving young people’s self-confidence. Dove Confident Me is designed to empower youngsters to feel confident and reach their full potential. Educating the next generation on self-esteem and body confidence, the resource encourages a positive relationship with beauty. We work on training and supporting teachers from all around Lithuania, for they can later implement activities in their classrooms. 
11. In fact, we have been organizing many different free of charge events/seminars/open practices for people of any age within Lithuania. E.g. yoga, dancing sessions, 3×3 basketball championships, 6×6 football championships, public sports management & marketing seminars for sports management students, sports managers and simple sports enthusiasts.

Adriana Lavrukaityte is the Active Youth Health project team leader. She is also an experienced project manager who focuses solely on health-themed (sports & mental health) projects in Active Youth. She is responsible for several projects that aim for social inclusion through sports and promoting healthy physical and mental living. She has been a part of/coordinator of health/sports-related activities such as conducting researches, preparing methodologies, conducting surveys, organizing sports events and trainings, leading workshops for youth and youth workers, running social media campaigns, sports mentorship program, e-courses and many more. A double Bachelor’s degree in European studies and Human Resources Management ensures that she lives by the EU values, efficiently manages projects co-funded by the EU and successfully communicates with people with various backgrounds. She has now been a part of more than 10 projects as a project manager and runs the whole team with the belief that trust and communication is key.

Elzbieta works as a project manager at Active Youth Health. She is managing projects promoting social inclusion, active lifestyle and equality,  including “Capoeira Connects Europe”, “Sportification” and “Social A.C.T”. She is a professional dancer, working on inclusive dance education and organizing dance activities to disadvantaged and vulnerable societal groups. She has a Master’s Degree in Media studies and is specialised in Afro-American literature. Since 2015 Elžbieta has been organizing cultural events, workshops and traveling internationally to teach dance. She has volunteered with various organizations in Lithuania (“Human Library”, “Red Cross”) and abroad (“Compagnons Bâtisseurs”). 

Emilija is a project manager at Active Youth who focuses on sports and healthy lifestyle projects such as One Goal and Sport as an Equal Playground which uses sport as a tool to tackle various problems that arise in society. Besides management, Emilija is also into personal coaching, where she uses her knowledge about physical movement and helps people by leading their training sessions. A bachelor’s degree in political science helps to understand the social reality and challenges that people face nowadays. By receiving direct insight from personal training and learning about the situation in the world through academic lenses, it becomes easier for Emilija to contribute to Active Youth Association and use effective tools when managing social projects.  

Gediminas, Adriana, Elzbieta and Emilija are accompanied by other staff of the association, who all have international experience. They are young leaders, who developed during their studies & life in Spain, Sweden, Portugal, Italy, USA, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Croatia, Lithuania and Latvia. This has not only given them a strong educational basis but has also taught them how to communicate with people coming from different cultural and social backgrounds.

Not to mention that by being professional and open for discussions the team has gathered a big trustworthy group of international and local partners. The managers working in this team are also invited into international conferences, forums and international alliances of like-minded people. We, of course, also offer help in project writing and execution, we are mentors and mentees, we organise and we follow. 

All in all, the previously mentioned activities have indeed given the key staff the needed experience to work and make an impact in a multinational environment.

Active Youth Association (AY) is a for-purpose organisation working with youth and communities in need in Lithuania and beyond. We have extensive experience in non-formal education, as well as a range of other topics. Most important among which: sustainability, inclusion, health, digital tools, skills & safety online.

AY has been actively involved in local and international (youth) projects since the very start of its existence. Up until now, the organization has successfully implemented (getting just the highest scores from the evaluators) more than 70 separate project actions on its own (and several times that as a partner). What is more, our NGO has built up a large partnership network all over Europe (more than 700 organisations) and belongs to Lithuania’s Youth Board (LiJOT) (a platform for dialogue with decision-makers). All that can be used for the current project.

Digital innovations are a huge part of our work. C-19 pandemic proved that youth workers need to be always prepared to transfer their activities online and for this reason integration of digital tools into the field of youth work is crucial. The aim of Active Youth is to be at the forefront here – experiment with new methods and share our experience with others.

In whatever activity we carry out, we follow our 3 core principles:

1. Sustainability – seeking sustainable impact over the long-term
2. Compassion – being open & compassionate to target groups & other stakeholders
3. Can-do attitude – seeing opportunities rather than problems

That is why we focus extensively on having the right team for every project. The people we will be working with (in the current project) are professionals with relevant experience and a record of success (whether in youth work, digital space and/or media). We also rely on a deep pool of volunteers (over 1000) and potential partners to ensure: 1) the project’s implementation goes smoothly; 2) the dissemination efforts reach the specified target groups.

The projects AY takes on, as a rule, focus on demanding and sensitive issues (e.g. discrimination). Hence, we look forward to the challenges offered by the current project.

Active Youth Association has lengthy experience in running Erasmus+ projects. Therefore, we know how to chip in at all the steps of the project, starting with the application itself and finishing with result dissemination.  We have carried out projects that have focused on research and digital tools, entrepreneurship, active citizenship, and other.

Digital innovations – one of our priorities when choosing tools to use for the activities implementation. Our training course “Let’s Digitalise Youth Organisations” growed digital communication professionals, who could effectively communicate with youth and help NGOs be more visible in the EU throughout the activities such as interactive workshops on different digital communication tools (e.g. social media; cloud service and file sharing; digital art & sports; website / blog creations, etc.), digital tools usage practice in youth organisations (participants created their own organisations), discussions in non-formal environments (World Cafe), creative country presentations, digital feedback and others. Afterwards, organisations used digital skills when working with youngsters.

Moreover, we have created online courses for NGOs to make them work more professionally. All the material was created by youth workers that gained digital skills by participating in training courses, Erasmus+ virtual exchanges. For instance, Active Youth Association gained a huge experience by being a part of “Hi-tech Youth Work strategic partnership where wider use of ICT, social and digital media in youth work was presented.

In addition, Active Youth is trying to solve social issues by creating various digital platforms as well. For instance, during the global health crisis that was caused by Covid-19, AY created a platform which streamlined the search and registration of volunteers who are able to help in the fight with this virus. That helped to raise the number or volunteers and to provide support for those in need. This experience will allow us to contribute to the objectives of the current project and join the promotion of digitalisation.

What is more, Active Youth Association cooperates with other European NGOs and international organizations in hosting and helping others host youth activities in a number of countries, promote cultural diversity and contribute to the positive social changes in the European continent.

Our aim is, by definition, to not just address the issue, but also inform the local communities about 1) the benefits of such projects; and 2) the seriousness of the issues being brought to light. For that reason, AY pays attention to every detail and carries out the full spectrum of activities. From early research to implementation to later stages of result dissemination. Such approach & competences are relevant for any project.

The key person involved in this application is the board member of AY – Gediminas Kondrackis. He is accompanied by other staff of the association, who all have international experience.

Our staff are young leaders, who developed during their studies & life in Spain, Sweden, Portugal, Italy, USA, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Lithuania and Latvia. This has not only given them a strong educational basis but has also taught them how to communicate with people coming from different cultural and social backgrounds.

The key staff involved have been part of all the previous activities of the association (see above). Therefore, they have the necessary knowledge to chip into the current project as well.

Through their other endeavours, they have led seminars for youth to develop their entrepreneurial skills (Lithuania), educated children about studies abroad (Lithuania, the Netherlands), worked as animators in youth clubs (Denmark), organized international student competitions and study fairs, social inclusion programs of foreign students to the local community, youth university exchanges (Latvia), and several sports events encouraging healthy lifestyle (Lithuania).

In addition, they have participated in previous ‘Youth in Action’ & Erasmus+ projects themselves (e.g. “Creative Approaches for Youth” in Ukraine, “Be Part of It” in Romania, “Eco Startup” in Spain), courses about NFE methods, environmental initiatives, and activities supporting Ukraine during the “Euromaidan” events. All of this has given them a range of skills and competencies usable for a project like this one.

Active Youth Association (AY) is a for-purpose organisation working with youth and communities in need in Lithuania and beyond. We have extensive experience in non-formal education, as well as a range of other topics. Most important among which are sustainability, inclusion & human rights, health, digital tools.

AY has been actively involved in local and international (youth) projects since the very start of its existence. Up until now, the organization has successfully implemented (getting just the highest scores from the evaluators) more than 70 separate project actions on its own (and several times that as a partner). What is more, our NGO has built up a large partnership network all over Europe (more than 700 organisations) and belongs to Lithuania’s Youth Board (LiJOT) (a platform for dialogue with decision-makers). All that can be used for the current project.

In whatever activity we carry out, we follow our 3 core principles:

1. Sustainability – seeking sustainable impact over the long-term
2. Compassion – being open & compassionate to target groups & other stakeholders
3. Can-do attitude – seeing opportunities rather than problems

That is why we focus extensively on having the right team for every project. The people we will be working with (in the current project) are professionals with relevant experience and a record of success (whether in youth work, digital space and/or media). We also rely on a deep pool of volunteers (over 1000) and potential partners to ensure: 1) the project’s implementation goes smoothly; 2) the dissemination efforts reach the specified target groups.

The projects AY takes on, as a rule, focus on demanding and sensitive issues (e.g. discrimination, refugees). Hence, we look forward to the challenges offered by the current project.

Active Youth Association has lengthy experience in running Erasmus+ projects. Therefore, we know how to chip in at all the steps of the project, starting with the application itself and finishing with result dissemination.  We have carried out projects that have focused on human rights, hate speech, tolerance, and other.

AY Is fighting with the issue of discrimination and defending human rights through non formal education activities. For instance, “Let’s Turn Discrimination into Tolerance!” youth exchange project was organized in order to spread tolerance for various minorities (sexual, gender, religious, ethnic, etc.) among European youth. Another our project called “Make Love Speech” gathered 30 youth workers to discuss about  existing problems of hate speech, racism, and discrimination. It even turned into the movement in Lithuania. Furthermore, the Active Youth Association is promoting human rights since it is the way to ensure psychological & emotional safety of youngsters. Our organised project “A Beautiful Mind“ contributed to the promotion of human rights by increasing the knowledge about mental health between the youngsters and the public overall. Participants were learning how to find ways of communicating with people having a mental disorder and ways to support them. This experience will allow us to contribute to the objectives of the current project and join the promotion of human rights.

What is more, Active Youth Association cooperates with other European NGOs and international organizations in hosting and helping others host youth activities in a number of countries, promote cultural diversity and contribute to the positive social changes in the European continent.

Our aim is, by definition, to not just address the issue, but also inform the local communities about 1) the benefits of such projects; and 2) the seriousness of the issues being brought to light. For that reason, AY pays attention to every detail and carries out the full spectrum of activities. From early research to implementation to later stages of result dissemination. Such approach & competences are relevant for any project.

The key person involved in this application is the board member of AY – Gediminas Kondrackis. He is accompanied by other staff of the association, who all have international experience.

Our staff are young leaders, who developed during their studies & life in Spain, Sweden, Portugal, Italy, USA, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Lithuania and Latvia. This has not only given them a strong educational basis but has also taught them how to communicate with people coming from different cultural and social backgrounds.

The key staff involved have been part of all the previous activities of the association (see the section above). Therefore, they have the necessary knowledge to chip into the current project as well.

Through their other endeavours, they have led seminars for youth to develop their entrepreneurial skills (Lithuania), educated children about studies abroad (Lithuania, the Netherlands), worked as animators in youth clubs (Denmark), organized international student competitions and study fairs, social inclusion programs of foreign students to the local community, youth university exchanges (Latvia), and other (internationally).

In addition, they have participated in previous ‘Youth in Action’ & Erasmus+ projects themselves, courses about NFE methods, human rights initiatives, and activities supporting Ukraine during the “Euromaidan” events. All of this has given them a range of skills and competencies usable for a project like this one.

Active Youth Association (AY) is a for-purpose organisation working with youth and communities in need in Lithuania and beyond. We have extensive experience in non-formal education, as well as a range of other topics. Most important among which are sustainability, inclusion & human rights, health, digital tools.

AY has been actively involved in local and international (youth) projects since the very start of its existence. Up until now, the organization has successfully implemented (getting just the highest scores from the evaluators) more than 70 separate project actions on its own (and several times that as a partner). What is more, our NGO has built up a large partnership network all over Europe (more than 700 organisations) and belongs to Lithuania’s Youth Board (LiJOT) (a platform for dialogue with decision-makers). All that can be used for the current project.

In whatever activity we carry out, we follow our 3 core principles:

1. Sustainability – seeking sustainable impact over the long-term
2. Compassion – being open & compassionate to target groups & other stakeholders
3. Can-do attitude – seeing opportunities rather than problems

That is why we focus extensively on having the right team for every project. The people we will be working with (in the current project) are professionals with relevant experience and a record of success (whether in youth work, digital space and/or media). We also rely on a deep pool of volunteers (over 1000) and potential partners to ensure: 1) the project’s implementation goes smoothly; 2) the dissemination efforts reach the specified target groups.

The projects AY takes on, as a rule, focus on demanding and sensitive issues (e.g. discrimination, refugees). Hence, we look forward to the challenges offered by the current project.

Active Youth Association has lengthy experience in running Erasmus+ projects. Therefore, we know how to chip in at all the steps of the project, starting with the application itself and finishing with result dissemination.  We have carried out projects that have focused on social inclusion, hate speech, tolerance and other.

AY Is fighting with the issue of social exclusion through non formal education activities. For instance, our organised project “Community: Seniors Involved” aimed to boost youngsters’ empathy, respect and social responsibility concerning older generations, as well as help to tackle the problem of elderly isolation. Another our project called “Capoeira Connects Community” was organised to ensure a continuous and successful social integration of refugees through martial art – capoeira. Capoeira is an afro-Brazilian martial art that incorporates game, music and dance, brings members of a community closer. It provides a safe and healthy way to release anger and frustration. Main idea of the project was to create sustainable programme, to help refugee’s to integrate through sports & lower existing fears of the locals and phobias towards refugees. This experience will allow us to contribute to the objectives of the current project and join the promotion of social inclusion.

What is more, Active Youth Association cooperates with other European NGOs and international organizations in hosting and helping others host youth activities in a number of countries, promote cultural diversity and contribute to the positive social changes in the European continent.

Our aim is, by definition, to not just address the issue, but also inform the local communities about 1) the benefits of such projects; and 2) the seriousness of the issues being brought to light. For that reason, AY pays attention to every detail and carries out the full spectrum of activities. From early research to implementation to later stages of result dissemination. Such approach & competences are relevant for any project.

The key person involved in this application is the board member of AY – Gediminas Kondrackis. He is accompanied by other staff of the association, who all have international experience.

Our staff are young leaders, who developed during their studies & life in Spain, Sweden, Portugal, Italy, USA, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Lithuania and Latvia. This has not only given them a strong educational basis but has also taught them how to communicate with people coming from different cultural and social backgrounds.

The key staff involved have been part of all the previous activities of the association (see the section above). Therefore, they have the necessary knowledge to chip into the current project as well.

Through their other endeavours, they have led seminars for youth to develop their entrepreneurial skills (Lithuania), educated children about studies abroad (Lithuania, the Netherlands), worked as animators in youth clubs (Denmark), organized international student competitions and study fairs, social inclusion programs of foreign students to the local community, youth university exchanges (Latvia), and other (internationally).

In addition, they have participated in previous ‘Youth in Action’ & Erasmus+ projects themselves, courses about NFE methods, human rights initiatives, and activities supporting Ukraine during the “Euromaidan” events. All of this has given them a range of skills and competencies usable for a project like this one.

Active Youth Association (AY) is a for-purpose organisation working with youth and communities in need in Lithuania and beyond. We have extensive experience in non-formal education, as well as a range of other topics. Most important among which are sustainability, inclusion & human rights, citizenship & participation.

AY has been actively involved in local and international (youth) projects since the very start of its existence. Up until now, the organization has successfully implemented (getting just the highest scores from the evaluators) more than 70 separate project actions on its own (and several times that as a partner). What is more, our NGO has built up a large partnership network all over Europe (more than 700 organisations) and belongs to Lithuania’s Youth Board (LiJOT) (a platform for dialogue with decision-makers). All that can be used for the current project.

In whatever activity we carry out, we follow our 3 core principles:

1. Sustainability – seeking sustainable impact over the long-term
2. Compassion – being open & compassionate to target groups & other stakeholders
3. Can-do attitude – seeing opportunities rather than problems

That is why we focus extensively on having the right team for every project. The people we will be working with (in the current project) are professionals with relevant experience and a record of success (whether in youth work, digital space and/or media). We also rely on a deep pool of volunteers (over 1000) and potential partners to ensure: 1) the project’s implementation goes smoothly; 2) the dissemination efforts reach the specified target groups.

The projects AY takes on, as a rule, focus on demanding and sensitive issues (e.g. active citizenship). Hence, we look forward to the challenges offered by the current project.

Active Youth Association has lengthy experience in running Erasmus+ projects. Therefore, we know how to chip in at all the steps of the project, starting with the application itself and finishing with result dissemination.  We have carried out projects that have focused on digital tools, research methods, democracy, active citizenship and others.

In the past, we organised a project about civil society “Tavo balsas” that took 2 years. Aim of it was to encourage partnerships between public administrations and the local community by creating an inclusive society that uses creativity, motivation and their competencies. Moreover, this project provided youth with general knowledge of public governance processes and possible involvement in political processes. We promoted democracy and active citizenship by organising meetings with youth from Lithuanian cities. Furthermore, our project “Democracy through Dialogue not Conflict” included an international meeting of politicians and youth in the Foreign Affairs’ Ministry of Lithuania. During the meeting, the ways for Eastern Partnership youth to get involved were analysed and best ideas shortlisted. Also, project “Time to Act!” was a part of the European Youth week of 2015 and had its goals aligned with the ones of the Week. It promoted youth participation in political and civic processes. This experience will allow us to contribute to the objectives of the current project and join the promotion of active citizenship.

What is more, Active Youth Association cooperates with other European NGOs and international organizations in hosting and helping others host youth activities in a number of countries, promote cultural diversity and contribute to the positive social changes in the European continent.

Apart from organizing youth exchanges and trainings, our association is also involved in educational activities for little kids, cultural events, blood donations, clothes donations to needy children, sport competitions, quizzes, discussions on themes which are interesting for youth, and other projects aimed to help youngsters, support and facilitate their creative initiatives.

Moreover, during the global health crisis that was caused by Covid-19, AY created a platform (Coronahelpers.lt) which streamlined the search and registration of volunteers who are able to help in the fight with this virus.

Our aim is, by definition, to not just address the issue, but also inform the local communities about 1) the benefits of such projects; and 2) the seriousness of the issues being brought to light. For that reason, AY pays attention to every detail and carries out the full spectrum of activities. From early research to implementation to later stages of result dissemination. Such approach & competences are relevant for any project.

The key person involved in this application is the board member of AY – Gediminas Kondrackis. He is accompanied by other staff of the association, who all have international experience.

Our staff are young leaders, who developed during their studies & life in Spain, Sweden, Portugal, Italy, USA, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Lithuania and Latvia. This has not only given them a strong educational basis but has also taught them how to communicate with people coming from different cultural and social backgrounds.

The key staff involved have been part of all the previous activities of the association (see the section above). Therefore, they have the necessary knowledge to chip into the current project as well.

Through their other endeavours, they have led seminars for youth to develop their entrepreneurial skills (Lithuania), educated children about studies abroad (Lithuania, the Netherlands), worked as animators in youth clubs (Denmark), organized international student competitions and study fairs, social inclusion programs of foreign students to the local community, youth university exchanges (Latvia), and other (internationally).

In addition, they have participated in previous ‘Youth in Action’ & Erasmus+ projects themselves, courses about NFE methods, human rights initiatives, and activities supporting Ukraine during the “Euromaidan” events. All of this has given them a range of skills and competencies usable for a project like this one.

Active Youth Association (AY) is a for-purpose organisation working with youth and communities in need in Europe and beyond. We have extensive experience in non-formal education, as well as a range of other topics. Most important among which are sustainability, inclusion & human rights, health, digital tools.

AY has been actively involved in local and international (youth) projects since the very start of its existence. Up until now, the organization has successfully implemented (getting just the highest scores from the evaluators) more than 70 separate project actions on its own (and several times that as a partner). What is more, our NGO has built up a large partnership network all over Europe (more than 700 organisations) and belongs to Lithuania’s Youth Board (LiJOT) (a platform for dialogue with decision-makers). All that can be used for the current project.

In whatever activity we carry out, we follow our 3 core principles:

1. Sustainability – seeking sustainable impact over the long-term
2. Compassion – being open & compassionate to target groups & other stakeholders
3. Can-do attitude – seeing opportunities rather than problems

That is why we focus extensively on having the right team for every project. The people we will be working with (in the current project) are professionals with relevant experience and a record of success (whether in youth work, digital space and/or media). We also rely on a deep pool of volunteers (over 1000) and potential partners to ensure: 1) the project’s implementation goes smoothly; 2) the dissemination efforts reach the specified target groups.

The projects AY takes on, as a rule, focus on demanding and sensitive issues (e.g. refugee integration). Hence, we look forward to the challenges offered by the current project.

AY has been active in the field since 2014. We have carried out more than 30 relevant projects/initiatives (learn about them here). This experience will allow us to contribute to the objectives of the current proposal.

Our aim is, by definition, to not just address the issue, but also inform the local communities about 1) the benefits of such projects; and 2) the seriousness of the issues being brought to light. For that reason, AY pays attention to every detail and carries out the full spectrum of activities. From early research to implementation to later stages of result dissemination. Such approach & competences are relevant for any project.

Furthermore, we have carried out various Erasmus+ projects as well. One of them is called “Social Entrepreneurship Heroes“ and it aims to grow future social entrepreneurs who could tackle various social problems within their local settings, as well as on a wider scale. Moreover, in order to promote environmentally friendly behavior, we organised “Save The Ocean Project“ that has a main aim to take a small step towards better habits & cleaner ocean. Also, our Erasmus+ KA2 project “Young (Ex-)offenders’ Support“ fostered employability of young ex-offenders by providing employers, youth/social workers & career specialists with tools to teach, guide & employ this vulnerable group. This experience will allow us to contribute to the objectives of the current proposal.

What is more, Active Youth Association cooperates with other European NGOs and international organizations in hosting and helping others host youth activities in a number of countries, promote cultural diversity and contribute to the positive social changes in the European continent.

Our aim is, by definition, to not just address the issue, but also inform the local communities about 1) the benefits of such projects; and 2) the seriousness of the issues being brought to light. For that reason, AY pays attention to every detail and carries out the full spectrum of activities. From early research to implementation to later stages of result dissemination. Such approach & competences are relevant for any project.

Key person involved in this application is the board member of AY – Gediminas Kondrackis. He has experience in all 1) finance-related; 2) organisational; and 3) legal matters. Mr. Gediminas has contributed to many international & local projects (more than 20). Mostly, by providing trainings (e.g. in “More than Money: Social Entrepreneurship Heroes”, “Together: Refugees & Youth” and other). In his work, Mr. Gediminas focuses on NFE methods and is constantly updating his knowledge, which will be very important for the current project as well. He is also able to build online platforms & use professional software, such as Photoshop. This is an asset for any project team. Mr. Gediminas holds a BSc degree in Economics from University of Amsterdam.