EPIM Call for Proposals on long-term prospects and protection of children and youth on the move in Europe

One in three new arrivals using the Central and Eastern Mediterranean migration routes are children, many of whom are traveling alone, unaccompanied or separated from their families. Regardless of their status, accompanied by family or not, investing now in the potential of these children and youth is vital for their future and the future of European societies.

Efforts need to be made jointly, in countries of arrival, transit and destination, as well as in cooperation with countries of origin. EU-level policy making and funding is rapidly evolving at this time, which is why advocacy at EU level is vital. Civil society organisations have been at the forefront of supporting those arriving and are deeply involved for many years defending the rights of children and youth. Their input from the ‘front lines’ is needed to advise EU-level policy making. At the same time, ‘children and youth’ and ‘migration’ are often still treated as separate areas of specialisation. There is increasing recognition for the need to bridge the existing expertise in both sectors in order to advocate together for the provision of adequate solutions for children and youth in migration.

The EPIM call for proposals consequently seeks to address many of these challenges and will support civil society organisations’ projects at EU level which both form strong partnerships that:

• Strengthen the collaboration among a diverse set of stakeholders in the child’s rights and migration areas to establish a joint understanding of priorities and to initiate joint action; and/or
• Create and emphasise linkages between national- and EU-level advocacy as well as across Member Stateswith effective communication channels to detect and highlight challenges of implementation as well as promising policy in Member States; and/or
• Promote promising practices in Member Statesto be adapted and scaled up in other local or national contexts, e.g. regarding guardianship, child supportive multi-dimensional services, child participation or empowerment;

and advocate for (one or more of) the following objectives to be addressed at EU level:

• The level of protectionand access to rights and services is not determined by the formal legal status of the child or youth;
• A protection chainis completed for children and youth from the country of origin, on the route to and at the point of arrival in Europe;
• Family unity is protected and quality of care is ensured to provide incentives for unaccompanied and separated children and youth to stay in protected spaces;
• EU funding is allocated to encourage the provision of long-term perspectives for childrenand youth in Europe.

The projects can run for a timeframe of up to 24 months starting in late 2016 or early 2017. Projects can be proposed for a grant of up to 150,000 EUR to be awarded under this call for proposals.

Project proposals can be submitted online at https://applications.nef-europe.org/ until 21 November (new deadline). You will find more information on how to apply in the following documents:

• EPIM call for proposals(PDF)
• DOC 1: Guidelines for the submission of a proposal (PDF)
• DOC 2: Frequently Asked Questions (PDF)

Please refer any questions you might have to the EPIM Senior Programme Manager, Sarah Sommer, at sarah.sommer@epim.info.