FAQs EUSALP Youth Council

Participants must be between 18 to 29 years old on 30th June 2023 and permanent residents of one of the 48 EUSALP member regions. Participants must be interested in shaping the future of the Alpine space and have a basic understanding of English. There is no need to be proficient in English – we are a multi-lingual team and help you find your way in EUSALP. Moreover, young participants must be ready to commit for one year to the EUSALP Youth Council. The next term will be between July 2023 and July 2024. This commitment includes the participation in 4-5 physical meetings, virtual exchanges, the work in small groups on proposals and projects and the voluntary participation in events, institutional bodies and further youth activities, e.g. the Youth Camp or the Pitch your project competition.

Applications must be submitted via the online application form at www.eusalp-youth.eu. The application to the Youth Council is open from 27th February 2023 12:00 (CET) until 12th May 2023 23:59 (CET). Any application after the deadline will not be taken into consideration. Since a balance of members from all seven EUSALP states should be established, an extension of the application period may be granted in individual states if too few applications are received from permanent residents of those states by the application deadline.
The applicants will receive a confirmation e-mail within 48 hours once they have submitted their application. This confirmation e-mail will inform them about the registration of their application. All non-selected applicants will be placed on a reserve list.

The members of the Youth Council are selected at random. As the Youth Council wants to reflect the diversity in the Alpine region, attention is paid to a balance of young people from the seven EUSALP states, of different genders, with different educational or professional backgrounds and with or without experience in youth organizations or projects. The random selection is therefore weighted according to these factors. The date of receipt of applications will not be considered in the selection process.

EUSALP is a cross-border cooperation of 7 states and 48 regions that coordinate policies and implement joint projects for the Alpine region. Within this framework, the Youth Council can:
• propose concrete actions and projects and suggest topics to the Executive Board, General Assembly, Presidency and Action Groups within the scope of the Action Plan of EUSALP
• contribute to EUSALP priorities and policies with the presidency
• participate in all youth activities of EUSALP (Pitch your project jury, Youth Camp, Online Platform)
• participate in events (e.g. Annual Forum)
• optional: implement small projects or events (support by EUSALP bodies to find funding; necessary: coordination with Action Group(s) and Executive Board).
Moreover, representatives of the Youth Council can participate in the General Assembly and Executive Board meetings as observer in advisory role. They can also be invited to action group meetings and receive support for their ideas from Action Group leaders and experts. Finally, they are consulted on major decisions in EUSALP, the annual presidency programs and on all youth-related activities.

At its first meeting, the Youth Council adopted the rules of procedure that define the roles of its members and the procedures for decision-making. You will receive inputs from us for these rules of procedure, which were developed together with young people. These rules define how votes are taken and how many members are needed to make a decision.
In the General Assembly and Executive Board meetings, two representatives of the Youth Council participate as observers in an advisory role. This means that you can participate in all discussions, but you do not have formal voting rights. However, since votes are rarely taken and consensus is usually sought, this is not of such great importance in practice.

The only obligation applies to the team building event which is very important for the cohesion of the group. Beside this, there is no obligation to attend a certain number of EUSALP events. If you are part of the Youth Council, you are required to attend the EUSALP Youth Council meetings, which are held four to five times a year, either virtually or physically. If you are unable to attend a meeting due to other commitments, let us and the other participants know early enough, and coordinate with the other Youth Council members in advance and then again afterwards.
In addition, two representatives of the Youth Council may attend the General Assembly meeting, which is held in November or December of each year, and the meetings of the Executive Board, which usually meets three times a year. The Youth Council decides which young people will represent its views at these meetings. All Youth Council members are welcome to attend the EUSALP Annual Forum, the main event of the EUSALP year, usually held in November or December. They can also participate in Action Group-specific events that are of interest to them, for example in the fields of education, mobility or environmental protection. Finally, Youth Council members can also participate in the EUSALP Youth Camp and further youth-specific events.

Travel expenses are reimbursed by the respective state and/or region in which the participant resides. The reimbursement procedures of the respective state and/or region apply. As soon as an event or meeting is scheduled, the project coordinator and/or the person in charge of the respective state/region will contact the participants to clarify the reimbursement.
The EUSALP states and regions, the European Commission and the Tyrol will only cover the costs of accommodation and travel. Meal costs, insurance, travel supplements or other costs related to the trip are the responsibility of the participants. Insurance coverage is the sole responsibility of the selected participant.

If you are a member of the Youth Council, you can make suggestions for projects. If these are supported by the other members, you can present them in the EUSALP institutions, discuss them with the Action Group experts and look for ways to implement them. While the Youth Council does not have its own budget for projects, EUSALP will support you with its network in finding funding. Do not forget to take a look at the "Pitch your project" competition, where you can win between €2,000 and €5,000 for the implementation of innovative project ideas.

If you have any questions about the application process, please write an email to contact@eusalp-youth.eu.
During the Youth Council mandate, the EUSALP Mentoring Group, consisting of the Tyrol, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, the European Commission and the EUSALP Presidency, will answer all your questions, give you information about EUSALP, help you prepare meetings and support you in contacting the different EUSALP actors.

Contact us for more questions