Euro <26 Card

What is the Card?

The European Youth Card allows young people under the age of 26 access to hundreds of discounts across Wales and thousands more across 35 other countries throughout Europe. The card is issued, free of charge, to all young people of school leaving age in Wales, and is valid for four years. For those young people not within the “Entitlement” age group, the card is available at a cost of £7 per annum.

The Euro<26 card is the only one for all young people under 26, regardless of whether they are students, working, unemployed, parents, or trainees.

There are 42 members of the European Youth Card Association - 32 organisations are full members and 10 are associated members. At the end of December 2002 (most recently available data), 38 organisations issued cards to more than 4,125,000 young people under the age of 26, with over 70,000 of these in Wales. This figure is set to rise to 105,000 in 2003/04.

Joining the card scheme as a discount outlet is free of charge and offers shops and outlets across Wales the opportunity to offer services and products to young people.

History of the Card:

In 1986, there were six separate national youth cards in Europe offering discounts and opportunities in the fields of culture, leisure, sport, travel, information, goods and services (in Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Portugal, Scotland and Spain).

Recognising their common aims, the youth card organisations initiated European co-operation to make all advantages available to all young cardholders in each of the six countries. This reciprocity between the six cards started the development towards a single European Euro<26 youth card.

In 1987 the signing of the 'Lisbon Protocol' (the basic document ruling the reciprocity of discounts) marked the beginning of the European reality of youth cards. Every year since then has brought growth: more countries joining, more young people obtaining the card, new advantages and services added and support from different European institutions, such as the Council of Europe and the European Commission.

In 1991, the Council of Europe agreed to endorse the card by adopting a Partial Agreement on the Youth Card, acknowledging it as a tool to support youth mobility in Europe. Since then governments from 15 European countries have joined this agreement.

Benefits of the Card:

The Euro<26 youth card offers great discounts for young people across Europe. However, it is so much more than just a card - it is the key for young Europeans to information, mobility, culture and participation. Through a range of services, discounts and advantages, the Euro<26 card encourages young people under 26 to make informed life choices, explore their world and play a full part as citizens of Europe in today's society.

EYCA (the European Youth Card Association) promotes and develops the Euro<26 ideal, supporting member organisations and promoting pan-European activities.

EYCA encourages all youth cards to give young people improved access to transport, accommodation, leisure activities, culture, sports - indeed, any benefits and services which encourage their development, their mobility and improve the quality of their lives.

Each EYCA member arranges discounts, advantages, services and information in their own country for their young cardholders. The Euro<26 logo ensures that these discounts are automatically accessible to all cardholders throughout Europe. There are currently about 100,000 advantages including:

• Culture: theatres, cinemas, concerts, museums, events
• Transport: buses, trains, ferries, air travel
• Travel: accommodation, holidays, travel, language courses
• Services: insurance, helplines
• Shops: CDs, books and a variety of goods

Canllaw Online – managing the Card in Wales.

In Wales, Canllaw Online is the EYCA Member following inheriting this role, with their formal agreement, from the Wales Youth Agency in 2001. In 2003, Canllaw Online is the UK regional representative at board level within the European Youth Card Association.

Canllaw Online has incorporated the Euro <26 card into the Canllaw Online “Entitlement” Project as one of the key seven elements and is able to issue a Euro <26 card as part of this “Entitlement” to all young people of school leaving age. Wales is the only member of EYCA where the card is issued to all school leavers as part of an information package. The Netherlands, Flemish speaking Belgium and Scotland also issue the card to school leavers. The Slovak Republic, Lithuania and Croatia are investigating such possibilities.

As a member of EYCA, Canllaw Online makes available the card to young people outside of the “Entitlement” cohort age range at the regular street value of £7.

Canllaw Online has integrated the Euro<26 card into the Canllaw Online “Entitlement” Project, believing it to be a crucial component for engaging young people.

Also as part of the “Entitlement” package Canllaw Online has developed a training module for young people (with the support of their youth organisations) on how to identify and recruit local discounters.
Canllaw Online has worked hard with youth service partners and Young People’s Partnerships across Wales on the secure issuing of the card (the “Entitlement” Euro<26 card clearly states on it that it is not a proof of age card). These partners ensure that young people’s data is correctly applied to the cards.

Canllaw Online is developing the range, number and quality of discounts available to young people in Wales.

Added value to Wales:

As part of the EYCA network, Canllaw Online and the card holders in Wales are benefiting from and participating in European funded projects including:

1)Youth Builds Europe (YOUTH Programme funded)

A project bringing together young card holders from Spain, The Netherlands, Luxembourg, Austria, Poland, Slovenia and Wales to explore attitudes to the Euro<26 card, the European Union and wider Europe.

2)Europe for Change (Princes Programme funded)

“Europe for a Change” is a collaboration between EU and non-EU nations (Austria, Belgium, Great Britain (Wales and Scotland), Italy, Portugal, Poland, Slovenia, Estonia, Lativia, Lithuania, Malta, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary and Cyprus) to develop an international campaign about the enlargement of Europe.

The project stages an information campaign in the participating countries coupled with a competition for young people based around the expansion of the European Union with the introduction of ten new countries in 2004.

Young people will be asked to submit their opinions on the enlargement, and their hopes and dreams, with two successful candidates from each nation taking part in a five-day workshop in Salzburg in August. The workshop aims to bring together young people from different cultures by way of discussion forums, video and photo shoots and social awareness campaigns.

3) Hospitality points and young writers’ perspectives (funded by the Partial Agreement): EURPlace<26

Cardiff is one of the pilot cities for the development of hospitality points for cardholders across Europe. The Canllaw INFO network offers a good structure to accommodate these within existing information outlets. A young writer from the Canllaw Online Young Writers’ Network has also participated in the project matching up with a young writer from another country. After an exchange, they described each other’s cities for other young visitors.