EU drug policy training & strategy series - Call for applications

An ERASMUS+ funded project that aims to provide students & young people from across Europe with the skills, knowledge, network & strategy to engage with European Union Drug Policy.

Students for Sensible Drug Policy International and Youth RISE are launching a new Erasmus+ project intended to increase the capacity of youth-led organisations that engage in drug policy reform and young people to advocate at the European Union level.

To achieve this goal, we are organising a training series that will equip young people with the necessary knowledge, skills, connections and strategy to be able to engage with the EU Drug Policy Creation process and create a youth-led dialogue around EU drug policies. This training has a dual outcome of both increasing the capacity of individuals and organisations to meaningfully engage with EU Drug Policy.

PROJECT DETAILS
As the protection of young people is often sighted as one of the primary goals of drug policies, it is of the utmost importance that the youth's voice is present in drug policy creation and implementation processes. Young people who use drugs are also a particularly vulnerable population as they are often dependent on families or the government for financial stability, housing, and education. As a highly vulnerable group, policies that are created to protect youth must be influenced by the insights that youth hold about drug use.

The project has four objectives: 1. Knowledge Building: To build a base of knowledge regarding how the EU makes decisions regarding drugs and the historical context of drugs in EU policy. 2. Skills Building: To build a base of advocacy skills tailored to the EU context. 3. Connections: To build connections between young people and key stakeholders in EU drug policy (i.e. EU Decision Makers, Civil Society & Youth), and 4. Strategy Building: To bring the youth participants together to strategize on how they will further the youth's voice in EU Drug Policy.

PARTICIPANT PROFILE

• We are looking for participants who are citizens of the European Union and fulfil the following criteria:
• 18-30-year-old students and young people interested in civil society and European advocacy;
• a strong interest in drug policy and/or European advocacy, and/or
• directly affected by drugs. (e.g. people who use drugs, people who have been or have been related to somebody who has been incarcerated for a drug-related charge, people who have lost friends or relatives as a result of drug-related death).

Most of the project activities will take place virtually, alongside two in-person components requiring 3-4 days of travel. Participant eligibility - nationality or residency in the following countries:

• EU Member States

• Iceland / Ísland

• Liechtenstein

• North Macedonia / Северна Македонија

• Norway / Norge

• Serbia / Сpбија

• Turkey / Türkiye

MORE INFO & APPLICATION HERE