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1. Main inclusive Youth-Work programmes and target groups

1. YESVolunteer – Fostering youth volunteering

Type: Regional youth volunteering and social inclusion programme funded under Interreg Europe.
Timeframe: 1 April 2024 – 31 March 2027 (core phase), followed by monitoring and closure phases up to 30 June 2028.
Description: YESVolunteer supports youth volunteering as a mechanism for personal growth, social inclusion and enhanced civic participation. It aims to strengthen young people’s competences and employability through structured volunteering opportunities, community engagement and participation in social initiatives. The project is implemented with partners from multiple EU regions, including the Region of Western Greece as the Greek partner, and co-funded through INTERREG.
Main outcomes: Increased youth engagement in volunteering activities, improved personal and social skills of participants, cross-border exchange of good practices in youth volunteering.
Target groups: Young people aged approximately 15–30, with a particular focus on those at risk of exclusion who benefit from structured volunteering engagements in their communities.
Official link: YESVolunteer – fostering youth volunteering (Region of Western Greece – project page) https://pde.gov.gr/en/eu-programma/yesvolunteer/

2. 4U – Socialisation, inclusion and support for children and adolescents with intellectual disability and autism (Πρόγραμμα κοινωνικοποίησης – ένταξης – υποστήριξης παιδιών και εφήβων με νοητική υστέρηση και αυτισμό και υποστήριξης των οικογενειών τους)

Type: Social inclusion programme for children and adolescents.
Timeframe: June 2017 – approx. June 2023 (72-month duration under the Operational Programme Attica 2014–2020, co-funded by ERDF and national resources).
Description: Implemented in the context of the national Operational Programme, this programme provides socialisation, inclusion and structured support activities for children and adolescents with intellectual disability and autism, as well as support to their families. While not exclusively labelled as “youth work” in the narrow sense, it includes structured social support and inclusion activities that are directly relevant to the social integration of vulnerable adolescents and young adults.
Main outcomes: Extended access to socialisation support, inclusion activities and family assistance for participants aged 6–29.
Target groups: Children, adolescents and young adults (up to age 29) with intellectual disability and autism and their families.
Official link: 4U – inclusion and socialisation programme (Greek Ministry of Labour & Social Affairs announcement) https://ypergasias.gov.gr/10501-2/