Young and hard up? Get a European Youth Card
The nationwide distribution of 10,000 free European Youth Cards as of Monday, May 9, came like manna from heaven for Greece?s young people, who by that date had already responded with over 1,000 applications to the website www.europeanyouthcard.gr and the General Secretariat for Youth, which is distributing them. Priority is given to unemployed applicants, while once the first batch of 10,000 free cards has been snapped up, further cards will be sold at a cost of 10 euros each.
The card is valid for 12 months from the date of receipt or purchase and can be renewed at a cost of 10 euros.
Intended to provide a variety of discounts (10 to 40 percent) to people aged 13-30 — and not just in Greece but in all the European Union?s 37 member states — it is not just young people who are flocking to apply for the European Youth Card, but also businesses and organizations that want to boost their numbers by signing onto the scheme.
The categories are the following: culture and entertainment; education and training; health and beauty; sports; food and beverages; tourism; telephony services; retail; and, last but certainly not least, transportation.
Details of what the European Youth Card offers can be found on Facebook (search: European Youth Card) and Twitter (twitter.com/#!/institute4youth), as well as on the EU?s website www.europeanyouthcard.org.
To apply for a card you need a valid form of ID, such as a passport or Greek identity card, and a recent photograph.
Applications can be made online or in person at the Youth Institute (417 Acharnon — Aghios Eleftherios ISAP train station — tel 210.259.9422/9444) or at licensed points within the Aghios Antonios metro station (noon to 6 p.m. on the Line 2 platform) and Kerameikos metro station (4-10 p.m., Line 3 platform) until May 15.
