Apply for the 5th edition of the EYCA Youth Panel

We are happy to open applications for the 5th edition of the EYCA Youth Panel!
New faces, a new mandate and new opportunities to make an impact.
Sounds interesting? Keep reading to see what we’re looking for ;)

What is EYCA and what is the Youth Panel?

The European Youth Card Association (EYCA) is a non-governmental, non-profit association with member organisations in 34 countries across Europe. Together we work to empower Europe’s youth. EYCA member organisations issue the European Youth Card to more than 9 million young people and we aim to encourage more young people to be socially, culturally, educationally and economically mobile.

The EYCA Youth Panel is composed of 11 young people, aged 18 to 29, who are selected amongst European Youth Cardholders. Throughout their two-year mandate, they are supported by a dedicated trainer and a coordinator to help them carry out their initiatives.
When it was first created, the EYCA Youth Panel was conceived to allow cardholders to have a stronger voice within the organisation, especially in relation to youth policies. Since then, it has evolved into its own fully fledged programme. The Youth Panel now provides feedback to our organisation, helps to steer EYCA projects and is responsible for organising its own youth-led initiatives.

What does the Youth Panel do?

As an EYCA Youth Panel member, you will be asked to provide insights, act as an EYC ambassador, advocate for the issues you feel passionate about and organise a large-scale project to give a similar opportunity to other young people.As an EYCA Youth Panel member, you will be asked to provide insights, act as an EYC ambassador, advocate for the issues you feel passionate about and organise a large-scale project to give a similar opportunity to other young people.

Over the next two-year mandate, the Youth Panel will focus on the four following areas:

  1. Develop a common pan-European campaign on a topic that will be decided by the end of the year.

  2. Represent EYCA in external events and join our internal meetings. You’ll have the opportunity to speak on behalf of EYCA in international events. And you’ll be able to join our internal events to better understand how EYCA functions.

  3. Offer feedback and suggestions on EYCA’s activities and organisation. As ambassadors of the European Youth Card, your ideas on how to improve our initiatives are key. What can we do better? Where is there potential for improvement? These are the questions you’ll be asking yourself.

  4. Contribute to the Youth Panel’s communication and visibility strategy. As a Youth Panel member, you’ll be continually thinking about how to increase the reach of your initiatives to get new people involved. Encouraging civic participation among young people is a big ambition of the Youth Panel.


To carry out these responsibilities, several in-person and online meetings will be organised. Applicants should be available to join the following meetings:

  • 2 in-person Youth Panel meetings (handover meeting 21-24 February 2027; and end-of-year meeting in October 2027). Specific dates and location will be sent closer to the date.

  • Online meetings throughout the year (normally 1 per month, but this can vary based on how busy it gets during a specific period of the year).


In addition, each Youth Panel member will be invited (but not obliged) to join the following:

  • An EYCA Board Meeting, a Regional Group meeting of EYCA members (usually in May), and the annual EYCA Conference (in June). This is a great way to understand how EYCA works and help shape the direction of our organisation.

  • If interested and selected, you could also represent EYCA at the Advisory Council on Youth (Council of Europe) and several EU youth conferences.


A dedicated Youth Panel trainer will assist with the coordination of all these meetings and activities, so no need to worry if it seems like too big a responsibility! The trainer will also develop your skills for these initiatives.

So... who are we looking for? You should apply if:

  • You're between 18 and 29 years old (considering that at the end of the mandate you can be maximum 31)

  • Have a valid European Youth Card (on the application date)

  • You can prove your point and make jokes in English (meaning you can easily speak English). Within EYCA, we communicate in English, but you’ll be encouraged to use your national language when reaching out to your peers.

  • You're available and excited to travel occasionally to events around Europe. At the very least, you should join the physical meetings (21-24 February and October 2027; locations TBC) and the online meetings of the Youth Panel.

  • You're strongly motivated to be part of the EYCA Youth Panel and you envision EYCA to be part of your life for the next 2 years.

We encourage you to apply, no matter your educational level/topic or your involvement in EU affairs. We're trying to build a diverse group where different perspectives and backgrounds can thrive to reflect Europe’s diversity!

What we are looking for, though, is passionate, creative and active people. So, if you’re passionate about one or more causes that are relevant to European youth, make it known in the application – we'll definitely take that into account!

EYCA offers equal opportunities to all young people, regardless of their gender, nationality, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or health condition.

How to apply
Step 1

Record a video about yourself (no longer than 2 minutes, we’re really strict on this one). You can follow these guiding questions:

You can follow these guiding questions:

  • Why do you want to be part of the EYCA Youth Panel?

  • What topics do you feel passionate about and you’d like to work on? If you’ve already worked in support of a cause, let us know. Every little thing counts!

  • What new perspective or new skill would you bring to the Youth Panel?

  • How can you help promote European Youth Card opportunities to young people across Europe? What are your ideas to increase youth civic participation?


Do you feel like these questions are too strict? You can just take inspiration from them and follow your own script. Make sure to express your motivation and commitment for the role.

If you don’t feel comfortable being in front of the camera, you can find other creative ways of submitting a video (e.g. animation, footage with voiceover etc.)

Step 2

Upload the video to YouTube (we recommend setting the video as unlisted so only those with access to your link can view it).

Step 3

Fill in the application form and don’t forget to include your application video link on YouTube by Friday 30th October 2026 at 23.59 CET.

What happens from there?

After the applications close, shortlisted candidates will be asked to participate in an interview at the end of November. See it as an informal chat that is useful just to get to know you better and make sure you’re the right person for the next 2 years.

Following the interviews, the 11 people who have been selected will hear from us. Non-selected participants will also be notified

Final disclaimer

  • We want to see your personality and hear what you have to say, therefore we suggest you avoid using AI for your application. Applications clearly made with AI won’t be prioritised.

  • This is a volunteering position. EYCA will cover all costs related to the activities in which you will participate, so no need to stress about finances! We want to give everyone equal access to this opportunity, no matter your economical background.


Do you still have doubts? We'll be hosting an online live Q&A session for anyone interested in applying on Saturday, 24th October at 11 AM CET. Youth Panel members will be present to answer your questions and share insights about the programme. If you want to participate, please sign up using this form before Wednesday 21st October.

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