Erasmus+: Fewer opportunities participants

Definition of participants with fewer opportunities under the National Action Plan for Integration and Diversity

Integration and Diversity: Ένταξη και Πολυμορφία: Α priority of the Erasmus + Programme

Within the framework of the new scheduling period 2021 – 2027, the Erasmus+ Programme sets as its central goal the provision of equal access opportunities to the programme for all, regardless of origin, socio-economic background, physical and mental condition, or state of health. Therefore, it mainly acknowledges as its main goal the effort to reach people with fewer opportunities, including people with disabilities and of people whose participation in the program is thwarted by socio-economic and other obstacles.

The Programme has been designed in order to encourage and support organizations and participants with fewer opportunities. To this end, it has established mechanisms and possesses additional resources aiming to ensure access for people with fewer opportunities, without excluding anyone. One of these mechanisms is the special financial support, which promotes and encourages access to and diversity in all projects:

  • Additional funding aiming to cover costs for any special needs of participants with fewer opportunities, in order to enable them to participate on an equal footing with their peers, including, for example, enhanced guidance, or costs associated with customized travel and accommodation, personal assistance or special intercultural or language training;
  • Additional financial support to organizations managing projects that actively promote inclusion and diversity — especially to approach inaccessible groups, for the additional workload that may arise and for staff members specifically involved in supporting the full participation of people with fewer opportunities in the project;
  • Flexible and easy-to-understand funding mechanisms in order to better adapt to the needs of the various target groups on a national level and to serve potential synergies with other national/European funds, including the possibility of financing associated costs in advance or on an ongoing basis individual needs in order to relieve the participants with fewer opportunities as well as the applicant organization from this particular burden, or to encourage the possibility of transferring national support during participation in activities abroad;
  • Special funding specifically intended to support smaller organizations with little or no previous experience at all in applying within the framework of programmes, including a simplified and more flexible funding process.

National Action Plan for Integration and Diversity

Tο Foundation for the Management of European Lifelong Learning Programmes (IΔΕΠ), acknowledging its key role as a National Service in supporting the participating organizations, in order to strengthen the dimension of inclusion and diversity in their projects, has started the development of a National Action Plan for Integration and Diversity. This Action Plan is governed by the objectives of the Framework for Enhancing Integration and Diversity of the Erasmus + programme and the European Solidarity Corps for the period 2021-2027, and follows the Guidelines for the Implementation of the Strategy for Integration and Diversity within the framework of Erasmus + and the European Solidarity Corps. At the same time, the Action Plan is adjusted to the national framework, taking into account the priorities of the Republic of Cyprus for integration and diversity, as these are expressed by the competent bodies in each case. It should be underlined that the promotion of the aforementioned priorities does not in any way exclude any other target group submitting an application.

Definition of participants with fewer opportunities

Within the framework of the National Action Plan for Integration and Diversity, people with fewer opportunities are defined as people with:

  • physical, mental and psychological disabilities
  • physical and mental health issues, serious illnesses, or chronic illnesses, leading to disability
  • a low socio-economic background
  • an immigrant or refugee background
  • who are children of single-parent or large families and have been approved to receive the Single-Parent Family Allowance and the Child Allowance for families with three children or more, respectively
  • who are parents themselves and fall into the category of people with a low socio-economic background
  • who come from rural, underdeveloped or remote areas
  • who come from rural families monitored by Social Welfare Services and children in care
  • with learning disabilities

Additional Clarifications by Category

Additional clarifications are provided below for each of the categories of participants with fewer opportunities, including the evaluation criteria that the applicant organization is expected to apply, as well as the evidence attesting to the particular situation:

Α. Disabilities and Health Problems

Participants included:

  • with physical, mental and psychological disabilities
  • with physical and mental health issues, serious illnesses or chronic illnesses, which lead to disability
  • with learning difficulties (i.e. duslexia, dysgraphia, dyspraxia, etc)

Evaluation criteria:

  1. The person is registered in the National Register For The Disabled of the Department of Social Integration of Persons With The Disability Register includes the following forms of disability or chronic illnesses that cause disability:
    • vision impairment
    • deafness
    • movement dysfunction
    • any other physical disability (i.e. hematological)
    • mental
    • psychological
  2. The person has learning difficulties, (i.e. dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyspraxia, etc)

Proof

  • The Disability Card, or the Integrated Disability Report, received upon the completion of the disability and functionality evaluation process by the Department of Social Inclusion of Persons With Disabilities, or,
  • Diagnosis or evaluation by a specialist in the case of a learning disability.

Β. Socio-economic barriers

Participants included:

  • People who are coming from a low socio-economic background
  • People who are parents themselves and fall into the category of people with a low socio- economic background
  • People with an immigrant or refugee background
  • People who are children of single=parent families or large families and have been approved to receive the Single-Parent Family Benefit and the Child Benefit for families with three or more children respectively
  • People who come from rural, underdeveloped or remote areas
  • People who come from families monitored by Social Welfare Services and children in care

Β1. Low socio-economic background

This category includes participants who either themselves or their families face barriers due to socio- economic factors.

Evaluation criteria:

  • The person (or his/her parent or guardian) is/are registered in the Unified Register of Beneficiaries of the Welfare Benefits Management Services of the Ministry of Labour, Welfare and Social Insurance, or
  • The person (or his/her parent or guardian) is a recipient of the Minimum Guaranteed

Proof:

  • Certification or other proof that the person is registered in the Unified Register of Beneficiaries of the Welfare Benefits Management Services, or
  • Certification or other proof that the person is a recipient of the Minimum Guaranteed Income

Β2. Children of Single-Parent Families, three-children families or large families

This category includes participants who are children of single-parent, three-children families or large families who have been approved to receive the respective Benefit. Participants who are themselves parents of such families, have the same rights.

Evaluation criteria:

Proof:

  • Certification or other proof that the person is registered in the Unified Register of Beneficiaries of the Welfare Benefits Management Service, or
  • Certification or other proof that the person is a recipient of the Single Parent Benefit and of the Child Benefit for families with three or more children respectively.

Β3. Children of families who are being monitored by the Social Welfare Services and children in care

This category includes participants who are children of families being monitored by the Social Welfare Services or are children in care.

Evaluation criteria:

Proof:

  • Certification or other proof that the family of the participant is monitored by the Social Welfare Services, or
  • Certification or other proof that the participant is registered in the Registry of Children in the Care of the Director of the Social Welfare Services, or
  • Certification or other proof that the person is a recipient of financial aid by the Social Welfare Services on the basis of the Support Plan for Children who were Formerly in the Care of the Director of the Social Welfare Services after they turn 18.

Β4. Immigrant or Refugee Background

This category includes participants with an immigrant or refugee background.

Evaluation criteria:

The person holds a temporary residence permit or residence permit or other certificate in accordance with the existing regulations of the Department of Population and Immigration Archives, depending on the category to which he/she belongs.

Proof:

Temporary residence permit or residence permit or any other certificate in accordance with the existing regulations of the Department of Population and Immigration Archives,  depending on the category to which he/she belongs.

Β5. From rural, underdeveloped, remote and borderland areas.

This category includes participants who come from rural, underdeveloped, or remote areas.

Evaluation criterion:

The participant comes from a mountainous or disadvantaged area based on the definition of the Ministry of Interior, as defined within the framework of the Housing Plan for the Revitalization of Mountainous, Borderland and Disadvantaged Areas
Annex Β2: Geographical Area of Application Β –Mountainous and Disadvantaged Areas and
Annex Β3: Geographical Area of Application C – Extremely Mountainous and Small and Remote Communities/Areas.

Proof:

  • An attestation by the President of the Community Council of the particular community regarding the person’s permanent residence (or that of his/her family) in his community, or
  • A copy of recent electricity and water bills for the address given, or
  • A copy of a current tenancy agreement in those cases where the participant (or his/her family) do not own the property in which they reside, or
  • Certificate of Permanent Residence from the Department of Population and Immigration Archives or the Citizen’s Service Centre.

Β. Socio-economic barriers

Participants included:

  • People who are coming from a low socio-economic background
  • People who are parents themselves and fall into the category of people with a low socio- economic background
  • People with an immigrant or refugee background
  • People who are children of single=parent families or large families and have been approved to receive the Single-Parent Family Benefit and the Child Benefit for families with three or more children respectively
  • People who come from rural, underdeveloped or remote areas
  • People who come from families monitored by Social Welfare Services and children in care

Β1. Low socio-economic background

This category includes participants who either themselves or their families face barriers due to socio- economic factors.

Evaluation criteria:

  • The person (or his/her parent or guardian) is/are registered in the Unified Register of Beneficiaries of the Welfare Benefits Management Services of the Ministry of Labour, Welfare and Social Insurance, or
  • The person (or his/her parent or guardian) is a recipient of the Minimum Guaranteed

Proof:

  • Certification or other proof that the person is registered in the Unified Register of Beneficiaries of the Welfare Benefits Management Services, or
  • Certification or other proof that the person is a recipient of the Minimum Guaranteed Income

Β2. Children of Single-Parent Families, three-children families or large families

This category includes participants who are children of single-parent, three-children families or large families who have been approved to receive the respective Benefit. Participants who are themselves parents of such families, have the same rights.

Evaluation criteria:

Proof:

  • Certification or other proof that the person is registered in the Unified Register of Beneficiaries of the Welfare Benefits Management Service, or
  • Certification or other proof that the person is a recipient of the Single Parent Benefit and of the Child Benefit for families with three or more children

Β3. Children of families who are being monitored by the Social Welfare Services andchildren in care

This category includes participants who are children of families being monitored by the Social Welfare Services or are children in care.

Evaluation criteria:

Proof:

  • Certification or other proof that the family of the participant is monitored by the Social Welfare Services, or
  • Certification or other proof that the participant is registered in the Registry of Children in the Care of the Director of the Social Welfare Services, or
  • Certification or other proof that the person is a recipient of financial aid by the Social Welfare Services on the basis of the Support Plan for Children who were Formerly in the Care of the Director of the Social Welfare Services after they turn

Β4. Immigrant or Refugee Background

This category includes participants with an immigrant or refugee background.

Evaluation criteria:

The person holds a temporary residence permit or residence permit or other certificate in accordance with the existing regulations of the Department of Population and Immigration Archives, depending on the category to which he/she belongs.

Proof:

Temporary residence permit or residence permit or any other certificate in accordance with the existing regulations of the Department of Population and Immigration Archives, depending on the category to which he/she belongs.

Β5. From rural, underdeveloped, remote and borderland areas.

This category includes participants who come from rural, underdeveloped, or remote areas.

Evaluation criterion:

The participant comes from a mountainous or disadvantaged area based on the definition of the Ministry of Interior, as defined within the framework of the Housing Plan for the Revitalization of Mountainous, Borderland and Disadvantaged Areas

Annex Β2: Geographical Area of Application Β – Mountainous and Disadvantaged Areas and
Annex Β3: Geographical Area of Application C – Extremely Mountainous and Small and Remote Communities/Areas.

Proof:

  • An attestation by the President of the Community Council of the particular community regarding the person’s permanent residence (or that of his/her family) in his community, or
  • A copy of recent electricity and water bills for the address given, or
  • A copy of a current tenancy agreement in those cases where the participant (or his/her family) do not own the property in which they reside, or
  • Certificate of Permanent Residence from the Department of Population and Immigration Archives or the Citizen’s Service