On 16 November 2017, the Youth Board of Cyprus presented two programmes aiming to activate young people and to promote and develop entrepreneurship. Both are included in the National action plan for youth employment and are jointly funded by the European Social Fund.

The Youth guarantee to activate and empower youth in Cyprus: an integrated communications campaign (Active youth) programme, aims to inform and activate young people on ​​ available employment schemes under the European Union’s Youth guarantee initiative. It is mainly directed at those not in education, employment or training (NEETs). The programme also aims to encourage young people to become registered with the public employment service to receive specialised assistance. The ultimate goal is to combat youth unemployment and educate both young people and other stakeholders involved in youth issues through their participation in educational workshops and seminars.

Two major surveys and 10 focus groups of this programme will aim to assess the current situation and trace the level of young people’s knowledge about the Youth guarantee. A major media campaign will follow. Five young people will be selected as Youth guarantee ambassadors and will actively participate in this media campaign.

The second programme, Youth entrepreneurship development, aims to support unemployed young people aged 15 to 29 who want to become entrepreneurs. The programme’s goal is also to promote business culture in Cyprus. Through this new supporting mechanism, young people with limited knowledge and networks will be given the opportunity to explore their business potential, develop viable businesses, and create decent working conditions for themselves and for their peers.

The programme will be delivered through rounds of seminars across Cyprus. Each round, in which participation is free, will last 28 hours; on completion, each participant will receive individualised counselling from experienced business mentors for a period of six months.