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1. Legal/policy framework for the functioning and development of youth organisations

2. Public financial support

3. Initiatives to increase the diversity of participants

Legal/policy framework for the functioning and development of youth organisations

There is not a specific legal or policy framework for the functioning and development of youth organisations in Cyprus. The youth organizations function in the framework of the “Associations and Foundations Law”. It's main goal is to define the term “association” and “foundation” and to give guidelines about their registration and their function.

Public financial support

Youth organizations may receive financial support through the Youth Initiatives Project. The “Youth Initiatives Project” is administered by the Youth Board of Cyprus and provides funding to activities organised by young people and youth organisations. The source of Youth Initiatives Project is solely national and it is part of the Youth Board’s budget.

The Youth Initiatives Project supports several activities such as conferences, workshops, cultural activities (concerts, art expositions, creation of CD/short film/documentary, book publishing, buying books for library, printing manuals), social intervention projects, sports activities, excursions, festivals, campaigns, and furniture and equipment supplies for youth NGOs. Especially with the last one (furniture and equipment) youth organizations can improve their youth facilities.

Due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, the program  “ReCOVer20” was announced and implemented within 2020 by the Youth Board of Cyprus. The program provides funding for pilot actions or programs / activities aimed at addressing the local effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the sense of solidarity and practical support to individuals, groups of individuals and communities that have affected by the pandemic crisis. The main goal of the Program is to mobilize young people themselves to plan and implement actions in the fields of culture, prevention, information, dealing with psychosocial and other problems that arose through the pandemic. In total, 86 applications  were funded under this scheme, with the grant amounting to €266,151 according to the 2020 infographics published by the Youth Board .

Initiatives to increase the diversity of participants

There are not specific national or large-scale initiatives aiming to increase the diversity of young people participating in youth organisations.