Our Story
YEPP EUROPE’s current endeavours trace their roots back to the inception of the Youth Empowerment Partnership Programme (YEPP) in 2001. Launched through collaborative efforts by European and US foundations, the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development), and the Institute for Community Education of the International Academy at the Free University of Berlin (INA) gGmbH under the auspices of the Network of European Foundations (NEF), the YEPP aimed to empower young people facing social exclusion in disadvantaged communities across Europe, fostering sustainable change.
Running from 2001 to 2011, the Youth Empowerment Partnership Programme was implemented in 18 local sites spanning Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Germany, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Poland, and Slovakia. The main approach and methodology that was applied is the “YEPP Concept of Change” which guided the establishment of Local Support Groups. These self-governed initiatives both in rural and urban areas, comprising NGOs, municipal representatives, community residents, schools and local foundations were committed to addressing youth-related issues together with young people – and not merely for them. The approach followed the “YEPP Cycle of Change”—an ongoing participatory process involving analysis, planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation.
This methodology led to diverse community projects in economic, social, educational, cultural, and sports & leisure areas. Examples include social enterprises, start-ups, job centres, community services for marginalized groups, educational initiatives, cultural promotion, and sports events.
In 2012, the YEPP International Resource Centre (YEPP IRC) was established at the Institute for Community Education (ICE) of the International Academy at the Free University of Berlin (INA) gGmbH. The YEPP IRC continued the mission and vision of the YEPP Programme at local and transnational levels. In September 2017 YEPP IRC changed the name to YEPP EUROPE.
Celebrating its 20th anniversary in October 2020, YEPP EUROPE published “20 Years of Youth and Community Empowerment Across Europe — Concept. Development. Impact,” shedding light on its history and featuring stories from young people and stakeholders involved over the past two decades.
In order to reflect the development of the work of the Institute over these 20 years towards a holistic youth and community empowerment approach with disadvantaged young people and the communities they live based on different conceptual approaches, the ICE changed the name to Institute for Youth and Community Empowerment (IYCE) in January 2022.
To delve deeper into the Youth Empowerment Partnership Programme (YEPP), you can watch Angelika Krüger, YEPP Programme Director, talking about the programme’s history.