This proposal outlines a detailed plan for ensuring the sustainability of one of Europe’s leading social science research infrastructures - the European Social Survey, European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ESS ERIC). As a comparative general social survey the ESS needs to have generous national coverage to provide analytical power and ensure it keeps up with the changing scientific and research infrastructure landscape. Failure in one or more of these areas could damage or even destroy the infrastructure. This grant will substantially reduce the risk by securing the medium-term sustainability of the infrastructure and making it more resilient towards future challenges. The ESS has responded effectively to the ESFRI approach since it became an ERIC in 2013 and receives sizeable financial contributions from its members for core activities. ESS-SUSTAIN-2 aims to build on that support and creates sustainability through a structural strengthening of the ESS and by future proofing the infrastructure. ESS is not seeking another few years Commission funding to keep it afloat, an approach unlikely to yield long-term sustainability (and in any event these costs are now met by ERIC members). Rather it seeks a vital helping hand to help complete the transition of the ESS into a research infrastructure that is financially sound and scientifically equipped for the future. By developing links with the European Values Survey, establishing global partners, engaging with policy makers, harnessing technology to improve efficiency and cost effectiveness and launching the world’s first probability-based online panel, this proposal aims to give the European Social Survey the strongest possible foundation to succeed in the years ahead.

"<< Background >>Youth work plays a very important role within the projects for the accompaniment and growth of young people within the various local communities, offering various opportunities, including some for international mobility. To be able to actually justify that we need to see the impact and to know what youth work brings on different levels. Because of that, this project is opening one new segment striving to be able to justify the impact on youth work in different processes that leads to better recognition. Generally, after the meetings with partners and other relevant actors in the youth field, we come up that there are several tools and mechanisms on the European level that measure the impact of youth work but there are used either on the national level, measure only Erasmus + project impact on youth or not well promoted and available to wider usage. Based on this project will contribute to mapping the all-existing tools/mechanism/practices, pack and offer to the youth sector. It will create a mechanism for measuring the impact of youth work on youth/individuals. Moreover, the project will create new mechanisms to measure the social and economic impact of youth work, test it and offer it to the youth sector on the European level. The field itself is huge but we have to start with the small steps ensuring the data for future advocacy activities.<< Objectives >>The overall aim is to develop a mechanism that will prove the importance of youth work in Europe, create a legacy for future advocacy activities in order to ensure recognition and quality of youth work programs. Specific objectives of the project ""Measuring impact in youth work- mission (im)possible!"" are:1. to conduct mapping of existing practices, mechanisms tools, instruments at EU, national, local levels related to the impact of YW on youth; 2. to develop mechanism and instrument(s) related to the impact of youth work on youth and its usage for advocacy purposes;3. to develop and test mechanism and instrument for measuring the social impact of youth work (economical aspect incorporated) and its usage for advocacy purposes (with a segment which implies how to translate data for advocating).4. to foster multi-sectoral cooperation in the field of youth.<< Implementation >>There are several activities that will be done: Mapping of existing tools, mechanisms and practices in measuring the youth work on the European level. Development of mechanism to measure the impact of youth work on youth. The development of a mechanism to measure the social and economic impact of youth work will be tested during the project. 3 partners meetings, one LTTA - capacity training for partner organizations, 4 national and 2 international virtual multipliers involving different stakeholders.<< Results >>Results planned by the project are: - Booklet “Mapping of leading practices at local, national and European level regarding youth work impact on youth” containing up to 20 methods and tools, reflecting Serbian, Portuguese, Italian, Macedonian and EU level.- Developed mechanism for measuring youth work impact on youth, along with instrument(s).- Research study containing mechanism and instruments for measuring social and economic youth work impact, along with a report of implemented mechanism in 4 countries involving 300 youth. - Capacity building training in Italy for 12 employees of national associations from 4 countries for the implementation of the mechanism for measuring the social impact of youth work and translation of data into advocacy arguments. - ME - “How to measure youth work impact on youth” for 120 youth workers, organisations and representatives of national and local institutions from Serbia, Portugal, Italy and The Republic of North Macedonia. - International ME - “How we can measure youth work impact?” for up to 30 participants from EU and CoE institutions, international organisations and researchers. - International ME – “Creating a plan for measuring the impact of youth work across Europe” for up to 30 participants from National associations of youth workers and European Network of Youth Work Associations. - Visibility and promotional actions reach youth workers from 250 organisations and 100 research and academic institutes from Serbia, Portugal, Italy, Bulgaria and The Republic of North Macedonia and up to 200.000 people of the wider public across Europe.At the level of outcomes: - Collected local, national and EU leading practices in measuring youth work impact on youth and development of new mechanism enriched the capacity of national youth work associations and resulted in advocacy initiatives grounded in evidence-based data. - Various multiplying events raised awareness of relevant stakeholders (youth workers, youth organizations at local and national level, European institutions, researchers) about the importance of investing in measuring youth work impact. - Capacity building training increased the professionalism of national associations by gaining knowledge and skills for creating and collecting evidence-based data for the social impact of youth work and its usage in the creation of advocacy initiatives.- Laid foundation for fruitful cross-sectoral cooperation among youth workers and research and academic institutions at national and European levels."

The project “Under the loupe: Rural Youth Work!” is a 15 months project involving partners from Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia - NAPOR, Prizma, Idrija2020, and two research institutes: Institut drustvenih nauka and Institut drustvenih znanosti “Ivo Pilar” with the aim to explore Rural Youth Work. Rural youth are constantly facing one or more challenges related to basic economic and social infrastructures. Their access to quality youth services that are providing possibilities for personal and social development are very limited and often totally inaccessible. Therefore, it is important to create youth work programs where young people are, and based on their needs. Evidence-based research and support in creating new innovative programs and strategies based on good practice examples will make significant step towards rural youth work development and youth engagement.The partnership aims:- To ensure social inclusion of rural youth by creating preconditions for their active involvement in community life, through building capacity of youth workers and raising awareness of decision makers, underpinned by relevant policy development. - To establish cross-sectoral cooperation among research community and youth workers in order to identify the needs of rural youth and introduce and encourage evidence-based practice.- To increase visibility and recognition of youth work potential to respond to the needs of rural youth at local, national, regional and EU level.- To increase quality of rural youth work programs by introducing innovative and inspiring practices from local to EU level.Main results of the project are: Detailed insight into the current state of rural youth and youth work and identification of trends and needs achieved through cross-sectoral cooperation between research and youth work community. Collected regional and EU innovative rural youth work practices enriched the capacity of rural youth workers and resulted in quality provision of services for rural youth. Public campaign raised awareness of relevant stakeholders, rural youth, rural youth workers, decision makers and wider public about importance of investing in youth work services in rural areas and its positive implication on rural youth development, as well on community development. Study visit to Slovenia built capacity of youth workers by gaining knowledge and new insights about innovative good practices applicable for creation of new youth work services in rural areas. National meetings gathered all the relevant stakeholders, where majority of parties is committed to investing in rural youth work and developing relevant strategies. Laid foundation for further improvement of policies related to rural youth and youth workers in Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia, through preparation of 3 advocacy documents.Several activities are planned in order to reach the results: Research in Serbia and Croatia (analysis of the situation of young people in rural areas and needs of rural youth and rural youth workers), Booklet on 20 innovative and inspiring practices in rural youth work in EU and non EU countries, Public awareness campaign “Let’s go rural!” with 48 created segments and total reach 1.500.000 people for 12 months, three webinars involving 60 rural youth, National discussions in Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia, involving minimum 90 participants from various target groups including decision - makers, Study visit to Slovenia for 18 rural youth workers from 3 countries to exchange good practices and introduction of innovative methods, approaches and tools used among rural youth workers, Advocacy documents– 3 Final drafts of advocacy documents prepared: Rural Youth Work Strategy (Serbia), Action plan on setting the strategic development framework of municipalities that focuses on rural youth (Slovenia) and Guide for developing supporting program for rural youth organisations, youth and youth workers (Croatia). Careful plan for dissemination and exploitation of results of the project is designed in order to promote the project outputs and outcomes to wide range of organizations and institutions working on national, regional and European level in the field of youth work.