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2012 marks several milestones for EYCA. It is 25 years since �ve countries (Flemish-speaking Belgium; France; Netherlands; Portugal and Scotland) signed the Lisbon Protocol: the �rst formal steps as an association of youth organisations committed to promoting youth mobility and active participation.

By twenty years ago, in 1992, the original �ve were joined by a further �fteen countries to create the basis of the European Youth Card Association as we know it today.

2012 is a historical moment for EYCA. We all know that there is real uncertainty about how Europe’s structures and institutions navigate the troubling economic and political realities. With a particularly challenging period for young people in Europe, now more than ever all young people need support and tools to make their way to success.

European Youth Cards are a tool for young people to make informed choices, to access bene�ts and opportunities, and to connect to institutions and structures that make decisions a�ecting their lives.

Since being elected President of EYCA in June 2011, I have worked hard with my colleagues on the Board and in our O�ce to make sure that EYCA is in good shape to meet the demands of the times we are experiencing.

Our priorities are to make sure we really focus on EYCA’s vision to promote and develop youth mobility and active citizenship for young people across Europe. Our ‘maximising impact’ work is tightening up EYCA’s procedures and �nding ways to o�er real support to member organisations. But it doesn’t stop there. We want every member organisation to think about how to do more – how to have a bigger impact on the lives of young people. EYCA’s new Standards of Excellence are being developed as a set of tools to encourage EYCA member organisations to achieve more.

JARKKO LEHIKOINEN

EYCA also needs to increase its coverage across Europe. Young people in every country should have access to European Youth Card opportunities. �at is why we are working to establish EYCA member organisations where we don’t have them now and why we are supporting our member organisa-tions to reach more young people than they reach now.

Our e�orts during the remainder of 2012 and beyond will be on extending EYCA’s coverage and continuing the maximising impact work. We will work with all of our key partners to achieve that.

European Commission’s Youth on �e Move Card initiative presents potential opportunities for EYCA at this historical moment. A dedicated President’s commission in early 2012 helped EYCA think about the strategic implications of Youth On �e Move Card initiative.

In 2012 the Council of Europe Partial Agreement celebrates its 21st birthday. As an energetic 21 year-old, that tool is thinking about how to revitalise itself. A workshop later in 2012 will bring government representatives and EYCA member organisations together to create a development plan for the future of the Partial Agreement.

EYCA’s work with European Youth Forum, Eurodesk and ERYICA will be developed to ensure that EYCA bene�ts and opportunities are complimented by access to e�ective information for young people.

�is is a historic moment for EYCA. �ere is a lot to do. I am happy to be leading EYCA in its e�orts to cooperate to achieve more for young people.

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Using the European Youth Card to promote youth mobility and active citizenship opportunities for all young people across Europe is the vision for EYCA. A key strategic objective is to increase the number of cardholders for all member organisations and to establish EYCA member organisations in places where there isn’t one yet. Here is an update on some developments related to increasing coverage of European Youth Cards during 2011-2012:

During 2011, initial consultations took place with the French Government’s Ministry for Youth and Sports. Discussions in 2012 include exploring possible cooperation with CNAJEP (Comité pour les relations Nationales et internationales des Associations de Jeunesse et d'Education Populaire) that represents youth movements and popular education with public authorities as well as with L’ARF – the Association of French Regions.

euro26 Schweizer Jugendkarte AG has been managing a web-based European Youth Card presence in Germany for the past few years. In 2011 and 2012 EYCA’s Board has been seeking cooperation with German-based agencies to develop a bigger presence for European Youth Card in Germany. Initial discussions with IJAB (Bureau forInternational Youth Service of theFederal Republic of Germany) have explored the potential for them to contribute to developing European Youth Card in Germany.

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In 2011, Mecenat issued 80,000 co-branded European Youth Cards to students aged 16 to 26 after becoming Associate member for EYCA in November 2011, and these numbers are expected to grow dramatically over the next few years. �e card is also available online for all young people up to 26. �e Swedish member organisation is exploring how to contribute to national youth policy through cooperatingwith established institutions such as Ungdomsstyrelsen (the Swedish National Board for Youth A�airs).

Auctus became EYCA Associate Member in October 2011 and is now working hard to establish cooperation with government authorities to win further support for European Youth Card activities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. �is includes supporting the Bosnia-Herzegovina Govern-ment to become a member of the Partial Agreement on Youth Mobility in the framework of the Council of Europe. Auctus has applied for a project to support youth cooperation in the Balkans region with a special focus on promoting places of interest in BiH to young Europeans using EYCA communication channels.

EYCA’s Austrian member organisation Bundesnetzwerk Österreichische Jugendinfos, the national youth information agency,functions as an umbrella organisation for European Youth Cards in the nine Austrian regions. Since they joined forces in 2010 and established a co-brand with the youth club of an Austrian bank, European Youth Cardsales in Austria have rocketed by more than 500% to 228.000 cards. Congratulations!

Bundesnetzwerk Österreichische Jugendinfos

Alexandra Cangelosi, Director

Tomas Hansson, PR & Communication

Maja Starcevic, Project Coordinator

WE CAN LOOK BACK AT AN EXCITING AUTUMN WITH QUITE A FEW SUCCESS STORIES. THE

ADMISSION TO EYCA WAS GREAT NEWS FOR US. TIME TO CELEBRATE AND THEN START WORKING. WE HAVE SENT 80,000 EYCA-BRANDED MECENAT

CARDS HOME TO CARDHOLDERS. I THINK THE INTEREST IN THE CARD WILL RISE AS YOUNG

PEOPLE BEGIN TO PLAN THEIR JOURNEYS IN THE SPRING AND SUMMER.

WE ARE WORKING ON GETTING OUR FACEBOOK PAGE MORE POPULAR AND

WE HAVE A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER THAT IS SPREADING GENERAL INFO

(OFTEN RELATED TO EUROPEAN NEWS, CAMPAIGNS AND YOUTH

INFORMATION), COMPETITIONS AS WELL AS PARTNER NEWS.

I BELIEVE THAT THE EUROPEAN YOUTH CARD HAS REAL POTENTIAL

IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA. YOUNG PEOPLE HERE NEED PROJECTS

LIKE THIS AND OPPORTUNITIES TO GET CLOSER TO YOUNG PEOPLE FROM

OTHER EUROPEAN COUNTRIES.

Towards the end of 2011, the National Youth Agency (NYA) hosted a workshop with seven EYCA member organisations to de�ne a speci�c rationale for developing the European Youth Card in England. �e workshop explored di�erent business models for delivering European Youth Cards through presentations of EYCA member case studies. EYCA, Young Scot and Mecenat (Sweden) agreed to explore the feasibility of setting up a special purpose vehicle to deliver a youth card for England.

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�e EYCA Board together with the O�ce established a Maximising Impact group, which supports members to achieve the best results possible in delivering the card as well as

providing youth information and services to young people. �e group has de�ned Standards of Excellence, which describe what outstanding EYCA member organisations should aspire

to deliver in order to have a signi�cant impact on all dimensions of EYCA’s work.

Standards of Excellence have been identi�ed in relation to the following key dimensions:

Sustainable member organisationsQuality bene�ts and discounts for young people

Youth mobility and citizenshipKnowledge of young people

Communications and PRActive contribution to EYCA

Academy for Peace and Development

Diakkedvezmeny nonpro�t

In 2011 and 2012, the Maximising Impact working group cooperated with EYCA Group Board members to support several EYCA members. Together they have focused on analysing business strategies, identifying priority areas for development and creating speci�c action plans:

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Ruta Labalaukyte,Executive Manager

Academy for Peace and Development continuously communicates with young people through their website, Facebook page, e-mails and other channels to

build up evidence of what young people need in order to improve their services. APD has already established partnerships with the Municipality of Tbilisi and with the Ministry of Sport and Youth A�airs of Georgia. In March 2012, APD

hosted an EYCA group meeting in the Georgian capital.

NÜSZ, the organisation responsible for issuing the national Student ID in Hungary, has become the majority shareholder in Diakkedvezmeny nonpro�t, the Hungarian EYCA member.

Following maximising impact work with EYCA, a new development plan was created to deliver signi�cant growth

in market penetration. In 2012, the national student cardwill issue co-branded cards with the EYCA logo and add

new discounts to the existing o�er.

THE EUROPEAN YOUTH CARD IS A NEW IDEA FOR MANY BUSINESSES IN GEORGIA: A FORMAL PRESENTATION OF THE CARD

TOOK PLACE IN TBILISI FOR REPRESENTA-TIVES OF BUSINESS AND MEDIA AND THE CARD WAS FEATURED IN A POPULAR TV

PROGRAMME ON ONE OF GEORGIA’S LEADING TV CHANNELS.

Giorgi Kakulia, President

WITH OUR NEWSLETTER, WE REACH MORE THAN 5000 SUBSCRIBERS AND OUR

FACEBOOK PAGE HAS MORE THAN 1200 FOLLOWERS. DURING THE EUROBASKET 2011

CHAMPIONSHIP, WHICH HAD MORE THAN 1500 VOLUNTEERS FROM ALL OVER EUROPE, ZIGZAG AND LIJOT WORKED TOGETHER TO

PROMOTE VOLUNTEERING.

THE EUROPEAN YOUTH CARD IN HUNGARY IS NOW COMBINED WITH THE NATIONAL

STUDENT CARD AND THE FIRST 100.000 CARDS WERE ISSUED DURING AN EVENT EXTENSIVELY

COVERED BY THE MEDIA. AS THE NATIONAL STUDENT CARD IS ISSUED TO EVERY STUDENT,

IN THE FUTURE, THERE WILL BE 1,3 MILLION YOUNG PEOPLE BENEFITING FROM

THE COOPERATION.

In 2011, ZigZag Travel started cooperating with the Lithuanian Youth Council (Lijot), which is also

the Eurodesk national relay in Lithuania. �e cooperation is about providing information on

mobility, �nancial responsibility and meaningful leisure time. Eurodesk information is fed directly

into the www.jaunimas.lt website operated by ZigZag.

David Mako, International Relations Manager

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More e�cient ways of working through better use of technology is one of EYCA’s strategic priorities.Both the Association and EYCA member organisations strive to use innovative approaches in communicating to young people and providing useful services to them.

EYCA’s Common Cardholders Database (CCDB) was developed during 2011 and 2012. What di�erence will this make to EYCA and its member organisations?

It will allow online card-veri�cation and delivery of online discounts, which will enable EYCA to provide better and safer services.CCDB can be developed to generate management data on the numbers of cards in circulation as well as better market intelligence about the use of individual discounts.In future, the veri�cation system could be developed to support e-consultations and e-voting to further demonstrate the value of European Youth Card as a tool for promoting youth citizenship.�e database could become a potential source of income for EYCA and members to support the development of European Youth Cards in all territories in Europe.

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EYCA’s Common Cardholders Database (CCDB) was developed during 2011 and 2012. What di�erence will this make to EYCA and its member organisations?

It will allow online card-veri�cation and delivery of online discounts, which will enable EYCA to provide better and safer services.CCDB can be developed to generate management data on the numbers of cards in circulation as well as better market intelligence about the use of individual discounts.In future, the veri�cation system could be developed to support e-consultations and e-voting to further demonstrate the value of European Youth Card as a tool for promoting youth citizenship.�e database could become a potential source of income for EYCA and members to support the development of European Youth Cards in all territories in Europe.

EYCA’s GeoDiscounts iPhone application features all the bene�ts from the online database at www.eyca.org. Individual member organisations also created technology-supported points and rewards systems, a “card in the mobile” and other applications to communicate discounts, news and special o�ers:

Scotland’s youth card – the Young Scot National Entitlement Card (NEC) – got even smarter with the switch-on of a brand new online platform, Young Scot Rewards. It allows young people to earn points by taking part in a variety of positive activities, such as volunteering, contributing to consultations or participating in opportunities to promote health, sport, arts and the environment. Earned points can then be used to unlock achievements, and get “money can’t buy” rewards and opportunities, such as free driving lessons, going back-stage at a music gig or even swimming with sharks! Co-designed by hundreds of young people across Scotland, Young Scot Rewards builds on the successful partnership with the Scottish Government, local authorities, other public sector partners, and EYCA.

Cartao Jovem, the Portuguese member organisation, launched the „mobile youth card“, i.e. a digital version of the plastic card for mobile phones in 2011.Cardholders download the application and on the telephone screen, it looks exactly like the Youth Card, with basic data, such as validity, date of birth, name and photo. �e authenticity of the digital card is veri�ed by the issuing organisation. �e application contains informa-tion about all national discounts with a link to websites and is available for a wide range of platforms: iPhone/iPod Touch, Android, Windows Phone, Blackberry, Symbian and Java. In the future, Cartao Jovem would also like to develop a co-branded �nancial card as a mobile phone application, in cooperation with a bank.

GIVING THE CARD NEW DIMENSIONS

I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS THE FIRST NATIONAL REWARDS PLATFORM IN

THE UK AND POSSIBLY EUROPE, WITH PLANS TO FURTHER DEVELOP

REWARDS NEXT YEAR THROUGH THE USE OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY,

INCLUDING THE CREATION OF A MOBILE PHONE APP.

THE INTENTION IS NOT TO REPLACE THE PLASTIC CARD - PARTLY BECAUSE OF THE INTERNATIONAL USE OF THE CARD - BUT TO INCREASE THE USE OF

THE CARD BY GIVING IT ANOTHER DIMENSION. THE MOBILE PHONE IS A MUST IN EVERY YOUNG PERSON’S LIFE

AND ‘MOBILE YOUTH CARD’ IS A PRACTICAL WAY TO HAVE THE CARD

HANDY.

EUROPEAN MOVEMENT ESTONIA LAUNCHED A NEW WEBSITE FOR EUROPEAN YOUTH CARD WITH LOCAL

AND EUROPEAN YOUTH INFORMATION IN PARTNERSHIP WITH EURODESK. CARDHOLDERS GET ALSO DIRECT INFORMATION ABOUT PROJECTS AND

INITIATIVES, WHICH IS PROVIDED BY THE ESTONIAN NATIONAL YOUTH COUNCIL. YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE

THE CHANCE TO TAKE PART IN INTERNATIONAL YOUTH EXCHANGES, SEMINARS AND TRAININGS, WHICH ARE FUNDED BY THE YOUTH IN ACTION

PROGRAMME.

Young Scot

EYCA’s member in Estonia added a cultural dimension to their card by rewarding cardholders for writing reviews about plays, concerts, movies or submitting travel stories. �eir website (noorteportaal.ee) has become an interactive portal and young people can exchange points for downloading e-books. Every purchased e-book adds extra points to the cardholder’s score, which can be used with other discount providers such as language schools.

Mariita Mattiisen, Secretary General

Jose Sousa, Deputy Director

David McNeill, Entitlements and Rewards Director

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EYCA is focusing on strengthening communication between member organisa-tions. �e eyca.org website has both a corporate section and serves as a gateway to the Trafo youth information portal. �e EYCAtcher newsletter is produced bimonthly with a thematic focus for each issue, such as partnership or communication with young people. Member organisations also share information with each other on Facebook in the “EYCA buzz” group.

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MOBIN (Ej!KArtica youth card) is conducting a series of workshops for young people using the DigiTales approach. DigiTales is a method of working with young people to develop stories through creative games, photography, drawing, music, video and narration. Ej!KArtica Digital stories are focusing on topics that young people are facing like unemployment, interculturalism and integration into society, volunteering and intergenerational solidarity and cooperation. �e Municipality of Ljubljana and the O�ce for Youth of the Republic of Slovenia support this year’s project Digital Stories 2012. �e Digital stories are promoted through EJKArtica website, www.youtube.com/EJKArtica, in social media and in various media of other youth organisations.

Ruta Carnet Jove is a new Facebook application for the youth card in Catalonia-Spain.Cardholders are asked to take a photo illustrating one of the 7.000 discounts o�ered by Carnet Jove. Every month, they can win a �ight to a di�erent destination. Flight company Vueling will sponsor tickets for two winning participants every month throughout the year 2012.

Over half of EYCA’s members have a Twitter account and a further �ve plan to open one soon. Several EYCA member organisations have their Twitter, Facebook and website directly interconnected. EYCA reaches almost 33.000 young people through Twitter.

Most EYCA member organisations communicate to cardholders on Facebook about discounts, competitions, youth info, newsletter content, feed from their websites, projects and festivals, photos from events etc. Our latest survey indicates that EYCA member organisations reach over 227.000 young people through Facebook. Carnet Jove Catalonia is the most popular pro�le with 66.000 fans, followed by Sweden where 36.000 fans like Mecenat and Serbia with 15.000 “likes”.

Cards are present on the following (social) networks: Netlog, Flickr, national social networking sites (Hungary, Russia), Google+, YouTube, Foursqure.

European Youth Card organisations operate more than 65 websites and reach 1.4 million young people directly through e-mail lists and SMS contacts.

MOBIN IS CONDUCTING WORKSHOPS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE SINCE 2007 AND WE GOT

MANY STORIES AND OPINIONS OF YOUNG PEOPLE ABOUT IMPORTANT YOUTH TOPICS.

OUR MAIN AIM IS TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT THESE ISSUES AMONG YOUNG

PEOPLE, DECISION MAKERS AND GENERAL PUBLIC AND TO CHALLENGE STEREOTYPES

ABOUT YOUNG PEOPLE WITH FEWER OPPORTUNITIES

RUTA CARNET JOVE IS THIS YEAR’S SLOGAN OF

THE YOUTH CARD IN CATALONIA - IT MEANS

THAT YOU CAN ‘DO’ KILOMETERS IN YOUR LIFE

WITH DISCOUNTS.

Marta Badia i Gracia, Discounts and International A�airs Manager

Janez Plevnik, Director

EYCA works closely with key youth information networks Eurodesk and ERYICA to ensure that youth card projects are supported by e�ective youth information practice and policy development. All three European networks work together to support youth card organisations’ cooperation with relays and youth information partners on a national level.

European Youth Forum has further developed its relationship with EYCA. �e Presidents of both networks sent a joint letter to all EYCA member organisations and National Youth Councils in the �rst half of 2012. One of the key messages in this letter is an encouragement for National Youth Councils and EYCA member organisations to cooperate to engage more young people in the European Union’s Structured Dialogue.

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EYCA’s vision is to promote and develop youth mobility and active citizenship for young people.

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Youth on the Move (YoM) is one of the �agship initiatives of the European Commission's 2020 Strategy, which aims to increase the mobility of young people across Europe. One of its proposed activities is the "Youth on the Move Card".

�e Youth on the Move Card package is targeted at all young people who want to spend some of their time abroad to live, study or work. It aims to help young people to become mobile and to get the most out of their experience abroad, by drawing Member States together with existing youth card, youth information and youth support services and organisations to:

"light the spark"by promoting mobility and citizenship ideas and opportunities across Europe to young people

provide information and support services to help ensure their experience of mobility is as easy and valuable as possible

provide services and special deals through cards

connect young people to services and opportunities which maximise the impact of their mobility and active citizenship

Cards will be the highly visible part of the YoM Card initiative, but will be fully integrated into the overall package of information and support services.

�e Commission is currently going through a wide-ranging Impact Assessment process to ensure that whatever is �nally proposed for the YoM Card is robust and will meet the needs of all stakehold-ers, including young people, Member States and the organisations involved in delivering the YoM Card initiative.

As part of this process, EYCA has been one of the key members of the Expert Working Group on the YoM Card during 2011 and 2012, providing advice and guidance to the Commission as it works through the Impact Assessment.

Following the Impact Assessment process, a formal announcement about the future development of YoM Card initiative could be made during the Irish Presidency of the EU in the �rst half of 2013, with implementation possibly beginning in 2014.

�e Youth on the Move Card initiative, with its links to Member States, could create many opportunities for EYCA members at a national level. �ese were recognised during the work of the EYCA President's Commission, and have informed EYCA's overall strategic direction for 2012 and beyond.

EYCA and its member organisations have contributed to the discussion about Erasmus for All - the new EU programme for education, training, youth and sport proposed by the European Commission. In cooperation with national youth councils, card organisations have been encouraging governments for action to preserve the work carried out within the current Youth in Action programme from 2014 onwards, and to have a strong speci�c focus on youth work within Erasmus for All proposals.

ERASMUS FOR ALL PROPOSALS

One of EYCA’s successful long-term projects is issuing the EVS European Youth Card, distrib-uted to all volunteers participating in the European Voluntary Service (EVS). �e European Voluntary Service is a programme within Youth in Action, which provides young Europeans aged 18 to 30 with a chance to express their personal commitment through unpaid and full-time voluntary activities in a foreign country within or outside the EU. �e EVS placement usually lasts from one month to one year.7273 cards were sent to volunteers in 2011.

EYCA also participates in the European Commission’s Expert Group on the Implementation of the Council Recommendations on the Mobility of Young Volunteers.

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Structured Dialogue means that governments and administrations, including EU institutions, discuss chosen themes with young people, in order to obtain results, which are useful for policy-making. �e European Commission steers and coordinates the dialogue with the rotating EU Presidencies, but cannot implement it alone. It relies on the support of the Member States, National Youth Councils and youth organisations to run local, regional and national debates and to feed back the results from the national to the European level. �e current 18 months cycle of the Structured Dialogue is built around the theme of youth participation in democratic life and divided into three sub-themes linked to the national priorities of the EU Presidency countries Poland, Denmark, and Cyprus in the �eld of youth policy: Poland - Youth and the World; Denmark - Creativity and Innovation; and Cyprus - Social inclusion.

EYCA’s member organisations in Luxembourg, German-speaking Belgium, Finland, Poland and Austria have added the opinions of more than 6.500 young cardholders to national responses to the questions of the Poland-Denmark-Cyprus trio presidency:

STRUCTURED DIALOGUE

Young people in Finland had the opportunity to win an iPad and other prizes by answering questions about participation in decision-making (elections etc.) on municipal, national and European level. In less than two weeks 2867 cardholders responded to the survey.

�e Polish Youth Projects Association asked about participa-tion and about the role of youth organisations in encouraging young people’s involvement in society. Even though the survey was only online for ten days, the Polish card organisa-tion managed to collect more than 3.063 responses. Besides consulting young people in an online survey, they met with young people for discussions in school clubs.

Austrian Youth Card organisations asked young people through a structured dialogue survey for their opinions relating to democracy, elections etc. �is was a cooperation with the National Youth Council, youth workers, the National Agency and youth info points - youth card communication channels were used to invite young people to respond to the survey and 385 answers were received.

�e next trio of Presidencies starting in 2013 is Ireland-Lithuania-Greece.

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Youth Mobility and Active Citizenship developments for EYCA member organisations:

�e governmental youth agency Agenzija Zghazagh/Youth Informa-tion Malta is developing a comprehensive card not only to give discounts to young people but also to provide them with opportuni-ties and information through which they can further develop their personal and social skills. In March 2012, Agenzija Zghazagh organized a seminar "Empowerment of youth organisations and youth-led civil society initiatives in the South-Mediterranean framework” as part of the Council of Europe - European Union partnership.

THE MAIN FOCUS FOR OUR ORGANISATION IS SPREADING INFORMATION ABOUT THE

EUROPEAN YOUTH (DEBIT) CARD AND STRENGTH-ENING OUR POSITION ON LOCAL LEVEL THROUGH

COOPERATION WITH YOUTH OFFICES. THE GOVERNMENT BENEFITS THROUGH EDUCATING

YOUNG PEOPLE ON RESPONSIBLE FINANCIAL BEHAVIOUR, WHICH IS THE MAIN FOCUS OF THE

CAMPAIGN, IN GIVING THE VOICE TO YOUNG PEOPLE TO EXPRESS THEIR NEEDS AND CONSE-

QUENTLY IN OFFERING THEM MORE OPPORTUNI-TIES ON LOCAL LEVEL.

EURO26 Serbia has launched their biggest-to-date campaign dedicated to the promotion of European Youth Card which will involve more then 30 youth o�ces in municipalities all around Serbia. �e campaign is part of the project European Youth Debit Card – a card co-branded with several banks - which will be implemented in close cooperation with the Ministry of Youth and Sport.

AGENZIJA ZGHAZAGH - THE BODY, WHICH THE GOVERNMENT HAS ESTABLISHED TO BE THE

FOCAL POINT FOR YOUNG PEOPLE - IS THE BEST ENTITY TO BE AN EYCA MEMBER IN MALTA. WE

FEEL VERY MOTIVATED AND KNOW THAT WE CAN DEVELOP A CARD THAT WILL GIVE

OPPORTUNITIES TO YOUNG PEOPLE AND PROVIDE THEM WITH BENEFITS, WHICH THEY

DO NOT HAVE PRESENTLY.

Gazela Pudar, Card Project Manager

Miriam Teuma, Director

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Discounts available through the European Youth Card are based on reciprocity, which means, that wherever the card is purchased, thanks to the common logo, it is valid in all

other member countries as well. �rough speci�cally focused bene�ts and discounts, EYCA encourages young people to take part in cultural events, to travel and to be actively

involved in society through volunteering and other activities.

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CKM SYTS

Carnet Jove Viatges is a project by the youth card in Andorra to send young people on a journey, which they record in photos and writing and then share in a blog. Teams of three young people apply by sending a travel programme with an approxi-mate budget, taking into account food and lodging as well as cultural and leisure activities. �eir planned city trip also includes using EYCA discounts. A jury composed of youth card workers and representatives from the local authorities decides, which group is the winner.

EYCA’s Greek member organisation signed an agreement with their Ministry of Culture and Tourism in 2011, which makes it possible for cardholders to visit museums and archaeological sites in the country with either a signi�cant discount or completely free. Moreover, a deal was agreed with the Organisation of Urban Transportation of �essaloniki, which ensures a 20% discount on unlimited-ride cards.�rough the youth card, young Greeks have access to discounts on learning activities, which will help enhance their employability opportunities.

Vladimir Jedlicka, Managing Director

IN THE PAST, WE HAD TO ACTIVELY RECRUIT DISCOUNT PROVIDERS. TODAY WE ARE IN THE

POSITION OF CHOOSING COMPANIES WE COOPERATE WITH AND CAN DECIDE TO TURN SOME OF THEM DOWN DUE TO FOR EXAMPLE

ETHICAL CONCERNS OR BECAUSE THEIR OFFER DOESN'T MATCH THE DISCOUNT OF OUR TOP

PARTNERS.

IN THE AUTUMN OF 2012, CARNET JOVE ANDORRA WILL ORGANISE AN EXHIBITION WITH PICTURES FROM

WINNERS FROM LAST YEAR (DESTINATION: LISBON) AND THIS YEAR (DESTINATION: ROME) TRIP.

A RECENT EMPHASIS ON PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE LEADING POST-SECONDARY

EDUCATION CENTRES IN GREECE ALLOWS US TO OFFER MAJOR DISCOUNTS (UP TO 40%)

ON A WIDE RANGE OF VOCATIONAL TRAINING AND LEARNING PROGRAMMES. YOUNG GREEKS USE THESE DISCOUNTS IN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SEMINARS AND TRAINING. IN ADDITION THEY HAVE

THE OPPORTUNITY TO ACQUIRE TECHNICAL TRAINING OR TO LEARN FOREIGN

LANGUAGES.

EURO<26 in Slovakia conducts continuous evaluation of the quality and use of discounts. A sample of cardholders are interviewed on a quarterly basis to �nd out which shop or service they would like to see a discount from, and also which particular products are most wanted. Statistics from most important discount providers are monitored monthly or weekly. If an o�er does not catch on with cardholders, the card organisation together with the discount provider re-evaluates the discount, the product chosen or how it is communicated.

Markella Peloponnisiou, European Youth Card responsible

Monica Sala, Director

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EYCA’s Board identi�ed becoming an evidence-driven Association as one of

EYCA’s strategic objectives. EYCA works with member organisations to generate

better evidence of the impact of their work on young people. Helping EYCA member

organisations generate and use knowledge about young people ensures the design and delivery of more e�ective services, bene�ts

and opportunities.

CJP

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At the end of 2011, euro26 Switzerland developed the violence prevention campaign “wir schauen hin!”. Its content was prepared in cooperation with the police, teachers, psychologists and youth workers. A trailer was rebuilt into a "rolling schoolroom" containing �ve stations where students have to solve tasks relating to cyber mobbing and moral courage. So far, 2000 students have passed the programme in 120 courses during 20 days.

THE FEEDBACK FROM STUDENTS AS WELL AS FROM TEACHERS ABOUT THE

VIOLENCE PREVENTION CAMPAIGN IS VERY POSITIVE. THEY MOSTLY MENTION OUR AUTHENTIC APPROACH TO YOUNG PEOPLE AND THE EDUCATIONAL USE OF NEW TECHNOLOGY AND MEDIA SUCH AS IPADS AND APPS. IN 2012, EURO26 WILL

ROLL OUT THE PROJECT ALL OVER SWITZERLAND.

�e Young Scot conference in cooperation with EYCA entitled “Young people in�uencing policy” took place in Edinburgh in 2011 with representatives from eleven countries. Each member attended the event with three delegates – one from the card organisation, one government or municipality representative and a young person representing cardholders. A key activity of the conference was a ‘speed dating’ exchange of best practices, which led to working groups that de�ned future partnership projects. A pledging ceremony of cooperation took place at the end of the conference.

SWITZERLAND

NETHERLANDSGabriela Mulas, Card Manager

Louise Macdonald, Chief Executive

Suzan Damen, Head of Media and Marketing

euro26 Schweizer Jugendkarte

In cooperation with the YoungWorks research bureau, CJP Netherlands completed a large study on young people and culture. �e responses in this study are analysed by the values and de�nition young people

have with regards to culture, rather than on demographic factors. �e segmentation model can be

used as a tool to �nd out which group already feels attracted to speci�c cultural institutions or to clarify

which opportunities could attract a new audience.

Young Scot conference

A VERY POSITIVE OUTCOME OF THE STUDY IS THAT TWO THIRDS OF THE

TARGET GROUP AGED 12-25 IS INTERESTED IN CULTURE. THIS

STUDY OFFERS A SEGMENTATION MODEL FOR CULTURAL ORGANISA-TIONS TO REALLY CONNECT WITH

YOUNG PEOPLE. A PUBLICATION OF THE STUDY WILL BE AVAILABLE TO CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS IN THE

NETHERLANDS.

AMONG THE KEY OUTCOMES OF THE CONFERENCE, PARTICIPANTS HAVE IDENTI-FIED THE NEED FOR A REFRESHED VISION AND MISSION OF THE ASSOCIATION AS WELL AS A FOCUS ON WORK WITH LOCAL AND REGIONAL AUTHORITIES. A LOCAL BRANDING OF THE CARD IN COOPERATION WITH MUNICIPALITIES IS BENEFICIAL

FOR YOUNG PEOPLE AS THEY CAN BE INVOLVED IN THE NEGOTIATION OF RELEVANT, LOCAL DISCOUNTS AND IS ALSO AN ADVANTAGE FOR LOCAL AUTHORI-

TIES WHO CAN INVOLVE THEIR YOUNG CITIZENS IN DECISION-MAKING.

EUROPEAN YOUTH CARD ASSOCIATIONSLÁDKOVIČOVA 7

811 06 BRATISLAVASLOVAKIA

E: MAIL@EYCA.ORGW: WWW.EYCA.ORG

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2011-2012 has been an active and challenging and fun-�lled year in the EYCA O�ce!

Supporting a new President and Board to establish and begin implementing their strategy for EYCA has been a major achievement of the past year and much more remains to be done.

Combining input from EYCA’s Board and the EYCA President’s Commission has helped de�ne an overall strategic direction for EYCA’s future. �e key message is that we should be focusing �rmly on EYCA’s vision to promote and develop youth mobility and active citizenship. EYCA O�ce has welcomed the challenge of generating information as well as devising and re�ning processes to ensure that we can work to support EYCA member organisations to maximise their impact on this vision and on young people’s lives.

Information and communication between members and the EYCA o�ce has increased signi�cantly over the past twelve months. Continuing to improve this communication will be a priority for the O�ce over the next year and beyond.

Economic uncertainty across Europe in�uences the day-to-day work of EYCA. Budget cuts have been imposed during 2012, resulting in sta� changes. Achieving more with tightening budgets is a real challenge for the immediate future that requires creativity and dedication.

EYCA achieves more by working closely with key partners and the O�ce has worked hard to raise EYCA’s pro�le through representation on Expert working groups on Youth on �e Move and on promoting mobility for young volunteers as well as participating in the CDEJ and European year of Volunteering conference. Close cooperation with European Youth Forum, Eurodesk and ERYICA have been and will continue to be a priority.

We look forward to more and bigger challenges and achievements during the remainder of 2012 and beyond.

BOB FORSYTH

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IN EYCA consisted of

4,2 Cardholders can bene�t from

2011 38member

organisations36

in issuing a total of

EUROPEAN YOUTH CARDSMILLION

56.000discounts Europe-wide

In 2011 and 2012 EYCA focused clearly on its existing Vision and Mission to support members to use youth cards to develop and promote youth mobility and active citizenship. EYCA’s strategic

objectives are outlined in the strategic plan 2012-2017 and have been used to structure the corpo-rate brochure part of this publication. Towards the end of 2011 EYCA’s President Jarkko Lehikoinen

launched a special President’s Commission to consider the strategic implications for EYCA of the Youth on the Move Card initiative as one key part of the changing context.

countries

Jarkko Lehikoinen (Finland)

EYCA OFFICE STAFF

Since April 2012, �nancial services are provided by Martin Neupauer.

In August 2011, the EYCA O�ce has changed address and moved to Sladkovicova 7 in Bratislava.

EYCA would like to thank the outgoing sta� for their dedicated work: Director Marcel Hagmann, Financial Manager Julia Szendrei and O�ce Assistant Peter Turecek.

Bob Forsyth - Director (since August 2011) Sasha Petrasova - PR & Communication

PRESIDENT

BOARD MEMBERS

VICE-PRESIDENTS

Ana Martinez Fernandez (Spain)Kristiina Ling (Estonia)Mugurel Stan (Romania)Milos Milenkovic (Serbia)Andree Debra (Luxembourg)

David McNeill (Scotland)Jose Sousa (Portugal)Vladimir Jedlicka (Slovakia)

Dorota Orlik-Lisek (Poland) and Manel Sanchez Garcia, Treasurer (Andorra)

GROUP BOARD MEMBERS

In 2011, the EYCA Board held its regular meetings in Brussels (February), Mollina (May), Amsterdam (June), Belgrade (August), and Bratislava (December).

In early 2012, Board member Suzan Damen gave up her position and Andree Debra was elected during the GA in Yaroslavl to �ll the position.

Julian Villarroya (Spain-Aragon)

OBSERVER

Stani Gajdosova - Member Support and ProgrammeZuzana Bajuszova - Assistant

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EYCA Board: �e Board of Administration consists of 11 members, including the President, and is responsible for governing the organisation. �e highest body of the Association is the General Assembly (GA), where all EYCA Member organisations with full membership are represented. During the June 2011 conference in Amsterdam, the following Board members were elected by the General Assembly for a three-year term (until June 2014):

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COUNTRY ORGANISATION WEBAndorra Carnet Jove Andorra www.carnetjove.adArmenia Armenian Junior Chamber www.euro26.am

AustriaBundesnetzwerk Oesterreichische Jugendinfos www.jugendinfo.cc

AzerbaijanCaspian Investment Center & Azerbaijan Student Youth Organizations Union www.eyca.az, www.atgti.az

Belgium - Flemish speaking CJP vzw www.cjp.beBelgium - French speaking Carte Jeunes Wallonie-Bruxelles www.cartejeunes.beBelgium - German speaking

Jugendbüro der Deutschsprachigen Gemeinschaft www.eurojuka.be, www.jugendbuero.be

Bosnia-Herzegovina AUCTUS NGO www.eyca.baBulgaria EURO<26 Foundation Bulgaria www.youthmove.net

CroatiaCroatian Youth Hostel Association EURO<26 Hrvatska www.hfhs.hr/en/membership/

Cyprus Youth Board of Cyprus www.euro26.org.cy, www.youthboard.org.cyCzech Republic Czech Council for Children and Youth www.euro26.cz

EstoniaEesti Euroopa Liikumine (European Movement Estonia) www.noorteportaal.ee

Finland Allianssi www.euro26.�Georgia Academy for Peace and Development www.eurocard.geGermany Euro26.de www.euro26.deGreece Institute for Youth www.europeanyouthcard.grHungary EURO<26 Hungary www.euro26.huIreland European Youth Card Ireland Limited www.europeanyouthcard.ieItaly Associazione Carta Giovani www.cartagiovani.itLatvia Jaunatnes Attistibas Asociacija www.euro26.lvLiechtenstein EURO<26 Jugendkarte Liechtenstein www.euro26.liLithuania Zigzag Travel www.jaunimas.lt Luxembourg Centre National d'Information pour Jeunes http://cartejeunes.lu/Malta Agenzija Zghazagh www.agenzijazghazagh.gov.mt/Netherlands CJP Netherlands www.cjp.nlPoland Polish Youth Projects Association www.euro26.plPortugal Movijovem www.cartaojovem.ptRomania Asociatia EURO<26 Romania www.euro26.roRussia Russian Union of Youth www.euro26.org.ruSerbia EURO26 Serbia Association www.gpa.rsSlovakia CKM SYTS www.euro26.sk

SloveniaMOBIN, Insitute for Youth Mobility and Information www.ejkartica.si

Spain Spain - Injuve www.injuve.es/portal.portal.actionSweden Mecenat www.mecenat.seSwitzerland euro26 Schweizer Jugendkarte AG www.euro26.chUkraine EURO<26 Zarevo www.euro26.org.uaUnited Kingdom - Scotland Young Scot www.youngscot.org

EUROPEAN YOUTH CARD MEMBER ORGANISATIONS

Andalucia Instituto Andaluz de la Juventudwww.juntadeandalucia.es/institutodelajuventud/portalcarnetjoven/home

Aragon Instituto AragonEs de la Juventud www.carnejoven.es

AsturiasServicio de Juventud, ConsejerIa de Bienestar Social e Igualdad www.carnetjovenasturias.com

Baleares Institut Balear de la Joventut http://carnetjove.caib.esCanarias Direccion General de Juventud www.juventudcanaria.com

CantabriaDireccion General de Igualdad, Mujer y Juventud www.jovenmania.com

Castilla Y León Instituto de la Juventud de Castilla y Leon www.castillayleonjoven.com

Castilla-La ManchaDireccion General de Juventud de Castilla la Mancha www.portaljovenclm.com/

Catalunya Agencia Catalana de la Joventut www.carnetjove.catCeuta Consejeria de Juventud, Deportes y Menores www.ceuta.es/juventud/carnetjoven/Extremadura Instituto de la Juventud de Extremadura www.juventudextremadura.com

GaliciaXunta de Galicia, Conselleria de Traballo e Benestar www.xuventude.net

La Rioja Instituto Riojano de la Juventud www.irj.esMadrid Direccion General de Juventud www.carnejovenmadrid.com/

MelillaConsejeria de Fomento, Juventud y Deportes, Viceconsejeria de Juventud www.melilla.es

Murcia

Direccion General de Prevencion de Violencia de Genero, Juventud, Proteccion Juridica y Reforma de Menores www.carnejovenmurcia.es

Navarra Instituto Navarro de la Juventud www.carnetjovennavarra.comPaís Vasco Direccion de Juventud www.gazteaukera.euskadi.net

ValenciaInstitut Valencia de Joventut, Generalitat Jove www.gvajove.es

Burgenland Alpha-Card www.ljr.at Carinthia Jugendkarte Kärnten www.jugend.ktn.gv.at Lower Austria 1424 Jugendkarte nö www.1424.info Salzburg Akzente Salzburg – S-PASS www.s-pass.at Styria checkit.card www.checkit.atTirol European Youth Card Austria www.infoup.atUpper Austria 4youCard www.4youcard.at Vienna European Youth Card Austria www.jugendinfo.ccVorarlberg 360 – Vorarlberger Jugendkarte www.360card.at

YOUTH CARD ORGANISATIONS IN SPAIN

YOUTH CARD ORGANISATIONS IN AUSTRIA

Malta – Agenzija ZghazaghSweden – MecenatBosnia Herzegovina – Auctus NGOGeorgia – Academy for Peace and Development (APD)Ireland - European Youth Card IrelandCzech Republic – Czech Council for Children and Youth (CRDM)Azerbaijan – Caspian Investment Center & Azerbaijan Student Youth Organizations Union

MEMBERSHIP CHANGES IN 2011/2012

Belarus - AdukacyjaMacedonia (FYROM) - Aurora Turs SkopjeCzech Republic – Sdruzeni Karty mladeze CRMoldova - Cardul European pentru Tineret

WITHDRAWAL

EXCLUSION Malta – NSTS

NEW MEMBERS

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�e XXVII EYCA conference took place in Amsterdam from June 18 until June 20, 2011 and was hosted by CJP Netherlands.

Young Scot received the Gold Hercules Award for Best Card Organisation and the Silver Hercules award for Best Developing Card Organisation went to Carnet Jove

Aragon (Spain).

In 2011, the General Assembly approved changes to the EYCA Statutes and Quality Standards as well as to the Graphic Chart, which regulates the use of the new EYCA

logo with “rounded corners”.

�e conference and General Assembly in 2012 was hosted by the Russian Union of Youth in Moscow and Yaroslavl on June 6-10. �e theme of the conference was Lighting the Spark and the conference workshops were dedicated to developing

EYCA's Standards of Excellence:

- Sustainable member organisations- Quality bene�ts and discounts for young people

- Youth mobility and citizenship- Knowledge of young people

- Communications and PR- Active contribution to EYCA

EYCA is part of the European Commission’s Expert Group to develop the Youth on the Move card package, along with representatives from ISIC, ERYICA, Eurodesk, Erasmus Students Network, European Students Union and European Youth Forum.All young people who take part in the European Voluntary Service receive a European Youth Card to bene�t from discounts throughout Europe. �is initiative was made possible through support from the Directorate General of Education and Culture. 7273 cards were sent to volunteers in 2011.

EYCA would like to thank its partner institutions for their continuous support: �e Council Europe – �e Partial Agreement on Youth Mobility through the Youth Card �e European Commission, DG Education and Culture

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

COUNCIL OF EUROPE

THREE NETWORKS

ALLIANCE OF EUROPEAN VOLUNTARY SERVICE ORGANISATIONS

By the end of 2012, Alliance and EYCA will have issued 7500 cards for participants in volunteering programmes. �is co-branded card serves as a membership card of Alliance and entitles its users to EYCA bene�ts.

EYCA partners with Eurodesk and ERYICA (European Youth Information and Counseling Agency) on both European and national level to exchange good practice among member organisations as well as to support joint initiatives.

�e Partial Agreement on Youth Mobility through the Youth Card in the framework of the Council of Europe has been contributing to strong development of the European Youth Card since 1991. 19 Member States have so far joined the Partial Agreement: Andorra, Austria, Azerbaijan, Croatia, Cyprus, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, �e Netherlands, Portugal, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland.�e aims of the Partial Agreement (PA) are achieved through the implementation of a yearly programme of activities, which follows the priorities of the Council of Europe’s youth sector. �ree key activities work towards achieving the aims of the Partial Agreement: youth mobility projects; participation and intercultural learning projects; quality development and support measures. EYCA is an observer to the CDEJ – European Steering Committee for Youth – and has actively participated in the latest meetings of the Joint Council on Youth.

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2011 (EUR) 2010 (EUR)

INCOMEContributions 304 992 297 262Grants 50 000 58 514Partial Agreement (CoE) 58 000 54 800Other Income 8 715 44 425Total Income 421 707 455 001

EXPENSES 2011 (EUR) 2010 (EUR)Personnel 241 952 242 364Housing 25 377 28 402Overhead 20 869 27 875Depreciation 9 128 4 329Statutory Events 41 704 57 994Finance/Legal 36 637 29 728PR-communication/marketing 0 24 552Programme 69 491 43 688Total Expenses 445 158 458 932

OPERATING RESULT -23 451 -3 931Extraordinary Costs 0 15 580

TOTAL RESULT -23 451 -19 511

as at December 31, 2011

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2011 (EUR) 2010 (EUR)

Fixed AssetsTangible �xed assets 4 851 11 065

Current AssetsDebtors 262 647 264 212Other receivables 23 326 60 605Prepayments and accrued income 21 372 20 337Liquid assets 49 796 29 416Total Current Assets 357 141 374 570

TOTAL ASSETS 361 992 385 635

LIABILITIES 2011 (EUR) 2010 (EUR)

EQUITYCapital 4 129 27 580

CURRENT LIABILITIESCreditors 39 356 18 536Taxes 8 568 5 470Other liabilities 309 939 334 049Total Current Liabilities 357 863 358 055

TOTAL LIABILITIES 361 992 385 635

as at December 31, 2011

EUROPEAN YOUTH CARD ASSOCIATIONSLÁDKOVIČOVA 7

811 06 BRATISLAVASLOVAKIA

E: MAIL@EYCA.ORGW: WWW.EYCA.ORG