Strasbourg (F), 23 March 2011.

The 6th edition of the Most Youth Friendly European Region Award is open.

2011 award dedicated to the inclusion of youth with disabilities

This year’s edition will focus on an important subject: the inclusion of young people with disabilities. Chosen by the members of AER’s Youth Regional Network (YRN), and providing a synergy between the priorities of the YRN Committee on Healthcare and Social affairs and AER’s Committee on Social policy and Public health, this year’s theme will look at three components of social inclusion: education, employment and civic engagement.

In order to win the prize, candidate regions will have to show how their policies help youth with disabilities in the education system and prevent school drop-out, how they accompany them onto the labour market and make sure they remain in employment and how they involve young people with disabilities in regional debates and in the regional decision-making processes.

Launched in 2001 with the objective of reinforcing the integration of young people in society, the biennial Most Youth Friendly European Region Award (MYFER) is the only AER award rewarding youth initiatives. Open to all European regions, this award offers them a lot of opportunities and remains one of the best ways to get their projects recognised on the European stage.

Further involvement of the YRN to celebrate MYFER’s 10 years

For the first time, this edition will see young people themselves pre-select candidates whose policies and projects will then be put to the test of an international jury.
AER is looking to reward a region with an integrated and wide-ranging policy in the field inclusion of youth with disabilities. However, in order to support regions which have put into place one or a few interesting projects and are willing to design a comprehensive policy in this field in the near future, AER will award a “Special Prize” to encourage their efforts.

The winning regions will be presented on the occasion of AER’s next General Assembly to be held in Açores (P), from 24 to 25 November.

The deadline for submitting applications is 15 July 2011.

All this information and more is available on:
http://www.aer.eu/main-issues/youth/most-youth-friendly-european-region-award/competition-2011.html