Welcome to the Youth Initiative Program



The International Youth Initiative Program (YIP) is a 10 month residential societal entrepreneurship training for 18-28 years olds based in Sweden. It offers a holistic educational program that expands global understanding and personal awareness. YIP aims to strengthen young people’s capacity to take personal and collective initiative in the face of current global realities.

20-40 participants learn, create and organize alongside experts, facilitators and innovators. YIP’s curriculum provides a platform for young people to expand their understanding, develop their fullest potential and find their authentic tasks in society and the world.

The term “societal entrepreneur” as used by YIP describes people and initiatives that base their actions in service of society and understand the world as one interconnected living organism. This paradigm points to the interconnectedness of global systems and new ways of working toward a more equitable world. Through allowing young people to explore this paradigm and with it face and develop themselves and society, YIP seeks to support these young people to become leaders of a new, more sustainable and integrated lifestyle and future.

YIP 16

August 27th 2023 to June 20th 2024

YIP 17

August 26th 2024 to June 19th 2025.

Applications for YIP17 are closed.

What is YIP?

10 months in duration

20 - 40 participants from all over the world

Participants live, learn, create, and cook together

Weekly courses with international contributors who are experts in their field

Choose from one of the many internship locations

No evaluations - we are more interested in who you are as a person

Freesponsibility - freedom is an opportunity to take initiative and responsibility

Space to host and co-design the curriculum

Join a network of over 300 alumni

Learn agricultural skills, be surrounded by nature, and eat local and organic food

10 month duration

Up to 40 participants from all over the world

Participants live, cook and learn together

Weekly courses with international contributors who are experts in their field

Choose from one of the many Internship locations

No evaluations - we are more interested in who you are as a person

Freesponsibility - freedom is an opportunity to take initiative and responsibility

Space to host and co-design the curriculum

Join a network of over 200 alumni

Learn agricultural skills, and be surrounded by nature, local and organic food

Location

Sweden as a homebase


The program is based in Järna, Sweden, beautifully situated 55 km south of Stockholm by the Järna Fjord on the Baltic Sea.

With its numerous initiatives, businesses and organisations, it forms an amazing and inspiring landscape of people’s visions being put into practice. Each of these places, be it the biodynamic farms, the curative homes, the alternative bank, the mill, the clinic, the cultural center etc. have an exemplary character in and of themselves. We are very lucky many of these projects and initiatives are situated in a radius of about 10km from our Swedish campus.

Visit YIP
Find out more about the locations

Internship Locations

YIP is in close collaboration with a number of Initiatives around the globe which will serve as hosts for the internships. Internship destinations include Nepal (Holy Green Agro Farm), Egypt (Hebat el Nile), India (Navdanya Biodiversity Farm), Lithuania (Movement Vilnius), and Zimbabwe (Kufunda Village).


Find out more about internships

this years Curriculum

Date/Time Event
07 Oct - 11 Oct
Week 41
Beyond Narratives: War and Conflict

Beyond Narratives: War and Conflict

What are the root causes of war and conflict? To reach the roots, we must look beyond surface narratives and understand the violent systems that instigate, enable, and maintain conflict globally. To catalyse change, we must first look within ourselves to understand why we should care – if at all – about conflicts in far away places. Is it empathy or justice? Is there such thing as “far away”?

This course presents a series of frameworks from global to personal that help us uncover the specific drivers of war and conflict, which often feel overwhelmingly complex. We first look at how global systems such as colonialism, imperialism, and capitalism underpin conflict. We then explore the power of narratives and discourse in shaping identity and reifying power structures, focusing on discourses that enable “othering” such as orientalism, islamophobia, and various types of bias.

This course employs a justice lens, rather than compassion narratives, to identify responsibility and complicity, and integrates restorative justice exercises to support action. Case studies of modern conflicts will be used to practice these frameworks, with particular attention paid to displaced peoples, border politics, and refugees.

Course
14 Oct - 18 Oct
Week 42
Autumn Break Holiday
21 Oct - 25 Oct
Week 43
Biography Work

Biography Work

This course will offer participants an introduction into the laws and rhythms of biographical development from the anthroposophical perspective. They will explore the evolution of the consciousness of the human being and ask what it means to be human in today’s world. This will include a re-membering of our childhood environment, an exploration into the impact of relationships in the events of our lives, the value and meaning of crisis and struggle in development and how we can prepare capacities for the future, Participants will learn how to participate and co-host biography groups where they will develop faculties to listen empathically, work with judgement and understand how diverse and complex individual lives can be.

Course
28 Oct - 01 Nov
Week 44
Moving in Complexity

Moving in Complexity

This is a theoretical and practical course aimed at exploring a generalist approach to physicality and physical practices which supports the growth of overall human capacity. We will critically look at the current state of physical culture, present some latest developments and shifts in perspectives, analyze various theoretical and practical movement practice foundations. We will present and allow participants to explore the idea that one of the ways to get in touch with our own human complexity and thus – capacity (in the most general sense) is to become aware of the complex ways we move or could move if we were more aware of the needs and the facticity of our own bodies. By engaging into “complete movement practice” rather than a linear-specialized physical activity the participants will be able to practically test how such approach affects inner human capacity in terms of creativity, communication, sense of meaning, etc.

This is an open course! For more information and to book a place, contact [email protected]

Open Course
04 Nov - 08 Nov
Week 45
Portrait Painting

Portrait Painting

Self-portrait painting; a practice in portrait painting using acrylics. Armed with a photo of themselves to engage with for the entire week participants learn how to navigate self portrait painting using acrylics on canvas. The course includes a lot of personal painting time within the larger group as well as group teaching session to encourage and practice giving clear and constructive feedback, receiving feedback, following instructions and cultivating courage. Participants are taught creative ways of meeting the challenges of art in practice and learn how to support others in this process.

This is an open course! For more information and to book a place, please contact: [email protected]

Open Course

Are you?

Between 18 and 28 years old?

Fluent in English?

Looking forward to connect with like minded change-makers?

Looking for an education that empowers you?

Willing to develop your cognitive, social-emotional and creative intelligence?

Willing to create positive shifts in yourself, others and the world?

Aware of todays challenges and willing to create a better future?



My year in Sweden was the most influential time of my life. For me YIP was my first experience coming into contact with my truest expression as a human being. The consistent work within community living gave me the courage to start experimenting with how I wanted to be in relation to myself, and the world. Today I am a facilitator and a project manager, and there is not a single day that I do not draw from the invaluable tool kit that this program made available to me. I am doing my life’s work because of the incredible support that the YIP Organization and Program provided me. There will never be enough ways to say “thank you”.

- Kailea Frederick (YIP6)

Going to YIP was a turning point in my life. It was the catalyst for a transition from my old story, moving consciously towards a new way of understanding myself, my personal history and its place in the whole. The combination of course content, community living and abundance of opportunities helped to create this catalyst, whilst meeting many who will be mentors and friends for life. Imagine living for 10 months with an abundance of ideas and possibilities, intellectually stimulating conversation, soulful encounters, and nourishment for the body with organic local food and fresh water. YIP offers an opportunity, it's then up to you to shape it into your own experience.

- Jim Howard (YIP9)

My journey with YIP has been a stepping stone into the realisation that the only life I can truly live, is my own. And the only one who can do it, is me. I have dreams, they are waiting for me to bring them to life.

- Inte Koster (YIP7)

ORGANIZING TEAM

YIP is organised by an international group of people, supported by a global network of individuals and organisations. The program coordinators and volunteers form the organising team. They are responsible for facilitating the morning courses and afternoon activities of the program by inviting specialist and experienced change makers to inspire participants with their array of tools, knowledge, skills and experience. The team also mentors and coaches participants, facilitates group projects, internships, local volunteer opportunities, and individual participant initiatives.

Stay updated

Sign up to the YIP newsletter

5 Jul 2024

News from YIP: June 2024

News, Newsletters

Closing of YIP16 Dear friends of YIP, We hope this newsletter finds you well. At the beginning of this month, we were spoiled with good and warm weather. The gardens were filled with flowers, the trees with blossoms, and the fjord...

Contact

We will try to answer your message as soon as possible. We aim to answer within 48 hours during weekdays. For urgent matters please call our office phone +46 73 097 36 37, Monday to Friday between 09:00 and 17:00 Stockholm time. Our lunch break is from 12:00 until 14:00.

If you have a question about applying to YIP, check out our Frequently Asked Questions page first.

FAQ

    Name*

    Email*

    Message