The Barents Regional Youth Program

At its meeting on 5 September 2001, the Barents Regional Council decided to draw up a youth programme for the Barents Region. This was done at the direct request of the Barents Regional Youth Forum, BRYF, which was represented at the meeting and called for concrete action. The reason for this was that youth issues had been chosen as the main priority area for the period 2001-2003, but it had proved to be difficult to follow this up because there were no specific guidelines for the work. Thus the Regional Committee appointed a programme committee to draw up such a programme on 28 October 2001.

The official youth cooperation at the regional level in the Barents Region started with the Barents Youth Meeting in Kiruna on 4-6 September  1998 and was formalized through the establishment of the Barents Regional Youth Forum in 2000. Since then several conferences have been arranged by the Forum. The present programme is based on the conclusions from the Conference “Face the Future”, which was held on 12-16 May 2001 in Tromsø, Norway.

The purpose of the programme is to provide a framework for:
 • improved conditions for young people in the Barents Region by making youth a priority area in the Barents Cooperation
 • increased youth participation in the general activities of the Barents Region networks
 • more focus on the youth dimension of the various priority areas of the cooperation
 • strengthening young people’s sense of identity as members of the Barents Region by establishing contact across cultural and geographical borders
 • making the Barents Region more attractive to young people by improving living conditions so that they stay in the region or return after completing their education.

Focus areas
The following five priority areas have been chosen for this programme on the basis of the problems young people face in the Barents Region. The areas were chosen because they have been highlighted in the declarations issued by the youth conferences that have been held in the Barents Region. These five  areas are also among the general priorities in the Barents Cooperation.

 • Education and entrepreneurship
 • Culture and sport
 • The environment
 • Social issues and health
 • Indigenous peoples and minorities

Possible activities that can gain financial support trough this program:
 • Creating network between institutions/organisations that focus on activities within the priority areas
 • School Projects
 • Information campaigns
 • Youth exchange projects
 • Multinational conferences, seminars or festivals

For information about grants applications click funding in the top meny.
For more information about the Barents Youth Programme, please contact Laila Dalhaug at the Norweigan Barents Secretariat, e-mail: laila@barents.no