The main objective of this large-scale project is to contribute to the further development of civil society in Eastern Europe by strengthening the human, organizational and financial capacity of four voluntary service organizations in CIS-countries in a sustainable & cohesive way.

By delivering a series of international training courses on topics such as project management, peer motivation, fundraising & group leadership, a total of forty young volunteer multipliers will be provided with the necessary knowledge, skills and know-how to organize their own innovative voluntary projects.

Rather than working on their own, they will do this in the frame of project management teams which have been established in each country.

Beyond this, the project aims to strengthen the public profile of voluntary service in each of the countries, as well as facilitating networking & cooperation both at local, national and international levels.

In which substantial fields are the projects taking place?

There are three fixed areas in which projects must take place:

• The struggle against racism & xenophobia
• Promotion of Human Rights (children, youth, women etc.)
• Social inclusion of minorities and discriminated sections of the population (disabled persons, AIDS/HIV-victims, ethnic minorities, socially disadvantaged people etc.)

What kinds of projects can take place?

This depends entirely on the initiative & fantasy of the volunteers themselves: It can be workcamps, seminars, workshops, trainings or any other form of voluntary service.

Who is managing the project?

Responsibility for the whole project rests with an International Steering Group, composed of representatives of all the involved organizations.
In each of the four countries regional managers are employed to give organizational support to the volunteers & project management teams.

How is the project being funded?

The bulk of the funding (64% of project costs) is provided by the European Union Youth Program, Action 5. This funding, however, is insufficient to cover all of the costs. For that reason we are highly dependent on further contributions from third parties or individuals.

Which organizations are participating in YTNF?

• “Siberian Creative Group” (SCG), Russian Federation
• “New Group” (NG), Belarus
• “Solidarity, Volunteering, Iniziative, Tolerance” (SVIT-Bakhmat), Ukraine
• "Association of International Volunteering from Moldova" (AVI), Moldova
• One World Association (OWA), Poland, in an advisory capacity
• SCI German Branch as the coordinating organization.

Is cooperation limited exclusively to only these countries & organizations?

No, YTNF welcomes & actively encourages other voluntary organisations (SCI branches & partners) to participate in YTNF-activities, or else themselves propose exchanges and projects to contribute to the development of the project!