Assembly of European Regions - Lead Partner

• Since its creation in 1985, AER has been actively involved in promoting youth issues. Not only has it created the AER Youth Regional Network (YRN), a platform of youth regional organisations, councils and parliaments at regional level in Europe, as well as organised high-profile events such as the AER Summer School 2011 "Youth in a changing society", but also stresses the importance of young people’s full integration into the labour market, through programmes such Eurodyssey, which offers young Europeans the opportunity to acquire work-experience abroad. In PYE, AER will contribute through its experience of interregional collaboration and  by increasing the extensive dissemination potential of this project. 
• Contact Person: Justyna Hejman, The Assembly of European Regions, PYE Project Manager, E-mail: j.hejmandelete_me(at)aerdelete_me.eu

Vojvodina (Serbia) 

• Description: Vojvodina has approximately 2 million inhabitants, 300.000 of which are young people. The region prides itself on its multi-ethnicity and multi-cultural identity, however, according to its employment strategy it is experiencing certain issues related to youth employment such as the "No experience, no job - no job, no experience" dilemma and brain drain of young educated people.

• Objectives in PYE: Vojvodina will focuss on geographically disadvantaged young people living in rural areas and who have fewer opportunities to access education and jobs. The main target group will include unemployed young people, both young people with a secondary school degree and/or university degree. Finally, the objective will be to minimize the flow of educated young people leaving the region (brain drain), which is a problem affecting the area.

• Peer Review Date: 12-16 September 2011 [Read +]
• Contact Person: Zorana Kacanski, Assembly of Autonomous Provinces of Vojvodina, Department for Interregional Cooperation, E-mail: kacanskizdelete_me(at)skupstinavojvodine.govdelete_me.rs

Açores (Portugal)

• Description:  The Archipelago of the Açores is composed of 9 islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean; it is located about 1,500 km west from Lisbon and about 3,900 km east from the east coast of North America. The main economic activities of the archipelago are agriculture and fishing sectors, followed by geothermal energy and the tertiary sector.The island’s location, means that its inhabitants often do not share the European values. Moreover, the lack of employment opportunities have lead to high emigration rates to the US.

• Objectives in PYE: During the PYE project Açores will strive to improve the situation of geographically disadvantaged young people from remote islands experiencing higher level of deprivation and fewer opportunities. Their actions will target moiré specifically young people with no, or low qualifications but also young graduates seeking work.

• Peer Review Date: 20-24 November 2011 [Read +]
• Contact Person: Marília Simões, Autonomous Region of the Azores, Regional Directorate for Youth, E-mail: Marilia.CV.Simoesdelete_me(at)azores.govdelete_me.pt

Krapina Zagorje (Croatia)

• Description: One of the smaller Counties in Northwest Croatia, the region has a large number of young people and youth organisations. For Krapina Zagorje, PYE is an opportunity to exchange good practices ahead of joining the EU in order to prepare the youth from Krapina Zagorje to fully profit from the opportunities offered by the EU with regards to employment.

• Objectives in PYE: Krapina Zagorje will focus on young people aged 25 to 29 who are unemployed or making the transition from training to employment. This group has been identified by Krapina Zagorje as needing the most assistance in developing job-search skills, securing a first job and developing professional networks. 

• Peer Review Date: 30 January – 3 February 2012
• Contact Person: Karolina Novak, Krapina Zagorje Development Agency, Regional Development and Cross-border Cooperation, Email: karolinadelete_me(at)zaradelete_me.hr 

Hampshire (United Kingdom)

• Description: Located on the southern coast of England in the UK, the County of Hampshire is committed to working with young people searching employment by means of the “Children’s and Young People’s Strategy 2009-2012”. Currently, 70% of the inhabitants of Hampshire are employed, mostly by the service sector, which represents 83% of the region’s economic activity. The region is also notable for the high concentration of army, thus armed forces remain the main source of employment. 
• Objectives in PYE: Throughout the PYE project, the County’s priority will be to help youths not in education, employment or training (NEET). The region will particularly focus on young people aged 16-17 with no qualification, since this is central to their ambition to reduce the number of young people who are NEET.

• Peer Review Date: 26-30 March 2012
• Contact Person: Phillip Walker, Hampshire County Council, Children's Services Department, County Manager; E-mail: Phillip.Walker@hants.gov.uk

• ... youth unemployment imposes a long-lasting unemployment scar? E.g. in the UK in 2001, an extra 3 months of unemployment before age 23 led to another 2 extra months without job between ages 28-33.
• ... more youth face a difficult school-to-work transition in regions where the traditional model ofs "school first, then work" is dominant? 
• ... according to an AER survey, 70% of young people expect in the 1st place their regional authorities to support them in the school-to-work transition and fix the legal frames for equal opportunities in the search for a first job?