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News 21 July 2025

Interreg Northern Periphery and Arctic seeks young voices to help shape its first youth call for projects

Interreg Northern Periphery and Arctic will launch its first youth call for projects in 2026 and is seeking input from young people to shape it in the best way.
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A funding opportunity made for and by young people

Building on years of groundwork, the Interreg NPA programme is preparing to launch a dedicated youth funding opportunity under its 2026 small-scale project call. This call aims to:

  • Simplify the application and reporting processes
  • Offer shorter project durations aligned with youth mandates
  • Provide accessible funding for smaller and emerging youth-led initiatives

But this time, the NPA programme isn’t just creating a call for youth. It’s inviting youth to co-create it.

Have your say in shaping the first youth call

Before the 2026 call launches, the Interreg NPA programme wants to hear directly from the young people and youth organisations in the region. What matters to them? What would make it easier for them to take part in a project? What kinds of themes and formats would help them succeed?

A survey has been launched to gather youth ideas and experiences. Their input will help define how the youth call is structured, from the funding conditions to the types of projects it supports

Two women sitting at a conference table smile and give a thumbs-up to the camera; other attendees can be seen seated in the background.
Young people from across Norway, Ireland, Finland, Greenland, Sweden, Iceland, and Faroe Islands met in Bodø, in Northern Norway, at the Youth in the NPA Conference 2022. Photo: Håvard Rødsand/Interreg NPA

Why this matters

The Interreg Northern Periphery and Arctic (NPA) programme is more than just a funding mechanism, it’s a gateway for building stronger, more resilient communities across the vast, often remote northern corners of Europe. These regions face challenges like population decline, isolation, and harsh climate change impacts. But they also hold great innovation and untapped potential -especially among the young people who live there.

Recognising this, the NPA programme is taking concrete steps to meaningfully include youth in shaping the future of their communities. Whether it’s capacity building, preserving cultural heritage, or driving digital innovation, young people across the NPA region - from coastal Ireland to Arctic Finland - are uniquely positioned to bring fresh ideas and energy to the table.

Youth involvement isn’t new - but it’s now central

Youth are not just the leaders of tomorrow; they are changemakers today. Involving them in the development of transnational projects brings new perspectives on sustainability, entrepreneurship, and social innovation. It strengthens communities by making them more inclusive and future-oriented.

And it builds an essential bridge between generations, helping communities adapt to evolving challenges.

A group of people stands outside on patchy grass and snow, listening to a woman in a sweater who gestures while speaking. Red buildings with gray roofs are in the background under a cloudy sky.
At the Swedish-Norwegian border, students from Nord University and Mid Sweden University learnt about the Sámi culture and its close ties to the landscape. Later, they conveyed their experience in a story for future generations. Photo: Interreg NPA DACCHE

While the Interreg Youth Manifesto and events like Interreg Go! Youth have brought fresh input and structure to the youth engagement agenda, youth involvement is not new to the NPA. For over two decades, the programme has supported projects that empower young people - from entrepreneurship and creativity to digital inclusion and intergenerational learning. The foundation was already strong, but the Interreg Youth Manifesto helped build a more formal and visible space for youth voices to be heard at the programme level.

Building on this momentum, the Youth in the NPA Conference in 2022 has been a turning point in the Interreg NPA programme. Young participants took the stage and their call for inclusivity and empowerment is now reflected in multiple NPA decisions. Inspired by them, the NPA Programme has now welcomed youth organisations like the Arctic Youth Network and the Nordic Youth Council into its Monitoring Committee. Their input is helping to ensure that youth interests aren’t just represented but they are actively shaping project development and funding decisions.

Another noticeable change is that NPA projects are increasingly engaging young people not only as researchers, but as co-creators: young people from Ireland, Sweden and Norway involved in DACCHE drafted a Youth manifesto for what is needed to protect their heritage and future. Another group is working on developing creative concepts for Literary Tourism within the N-LITE project. And other projects welcomed Interreg Volunteer Youth, testing their skills in real transnational cooperation settings.

What’s next

Are you aged 18–35 and living in the NPA region? Do you work with young people, or represent a youth organisation active in the North Atlantic and Arctic? This is your chance to shape the future of youth engagement in regional development.

Your ideas can help build a more inclusive, innovative, and vibrant NPA - starting today.

Fill in the survey