The “YEPP” approach and methodology was developed, implemented and evaluated by the Youth Empowerment Partnership Programme (2001-2011) at the Institute for Community Education (ICE) of the International Academy at the Free University of Berlin (INA) gGmbH.

In the “YEPP” approach and methodology, young people are a driving force in their community. Based on the “YEPP” Concept of Change, young people work together with local stakeholders, such as NGOs, schools, community residents, local foundations and business representatives and local authorities and are guided by the YEPP Local Team through the YEPP “Cycle of Change” – an ongoing participatory process of analysis, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.

In this process, young people are enabled to participate in decision-making processes, create change within their communities and become active citizens in the wider society. The local work is combined with international capacity-building workshops and training in strategic planning and implementation, monitoring and evaluation, advocacy, fundraising, media literacy and entrepreneurship. It is enriched through exchange with peers from other countries in the YEPP Community Network.

Currently, the implementation of the “YEPP” approach and methodology is supported by YEPP Europe in more than 100 communities in Bosnia & Herzegovina, Ireland, Italy, Finland, Germany, Poland and Slovakia. From 2016 onwards, communities in Greece, Spain, Romania, Czech Republic and Sweden started working with the approach and joined the YEPP Community Network.

The Goals and Principles
The Goals and Principles express the essence of the “YEPP” philosophy and approach. They are shared by the members of the YEPP Community Network and underpin diverse activities and projects at local, regional, national and international level.

1 – Youth Empowerment
2 – Community Empowerment
3 – Partnership
4 – Advocacy
5 – Learning

  1. Youth empowerment  

Goal:

  • To enable young people who are at risk of social exclusion and/or live in areas with fewer opportunities to participate in local decision-making processes, to create change in their communities and to become active citizens in the wider society.

Principles:

  • Young people are considered as the main actors of local change.
  • Young people participate in the decision‐making processes and have decision- making power.
  • Young people have equal opportunities regardless of racial or ethnic origin, education, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief.
  • Young people and other local stakeholders engage in joint strategic planning based on the YEPP Concept of Change and participatory monitoring and evaluation, which is a recurrent systematic process of analysis, planning, implementation and evaluation.
  1. Community Empowerment

Goal:

  • To create self-confident and competent communities, so that residents and local stakeholders become active citizens and bring about positive change to the environment in which children and youth develop.

Principles:

  • Members of the community participate in the decision-making processes.
  • Needs mapping of the community is the base of every change process and project.
  • The resources of the community (both human & natural) are recognized and used by the members to bring about sustainable change which benefits the community and the environment.
  • Community-based entrepreneurship is developed to complement the “YEPP” approach to bring about social change.
  1. Partnership

Goal:

  • To establish strong and sustainable partnerships and strategic alliances with the stakeholders from different sectors (public, private, and independent) and levels (local, regional, national and international) to foster youth and community empowerment.

Principles:

  • Local stakeholders set up informal action groups, formal structures and strategic alliances.
  • Local stakeholders develop joint action and cross – sectoral collaboration.
  • YEPP Local Sites and project partners establish transnational partnerships to foster youth and community empowerment.
  1. Advocacy

Goal:

  • To influence public and third sector policies to ensure that the principles of youth empowerment, community empowerment and partnership become mainstream and are transformed into action at all levels.

Principles:

  • Young people and community members change the community by taking initiatives in partnership with other stakeholders.
  • Young people and community members bring local stakeholders and decision- makers together around key issues and targets.
  • Young people and community members make sure that the target group and beneficiaries are included in policy discussions and policy making processes.  
  1. Learning

Goal:

  • To provide opportunities for learning and capacity-building through exchange and transfer of knowledge and expertise at local, regional, national and international level.

Principles:

  • Young people and community members participate in the training activities and capacity‐building projects at all levels.
  • Young people and community members build networks and strategic alliances at all levels and engage in peer exchange and learning.
  • The members of the YEPP Community Network regularly inform each other about the training and exchange opportunities and invite each other to their events and projects.