The Yasme Foundation has announced three grants in furtherance of its goal of encouraging youth participation in Amateur Radio and in operating activities. The Yasme Foundation encourages amateurs to support activities that promote Amateur Radio and result in new licensees around the world. The Yasme Foundation grants will make it possible for some young radio amateurs, who otherwise might be unable to do so, to attend the sixth Youngsters on the Air (YOTA) conference this July in Austria. More than 100 young hams from all three IARU regions will gather to participate in a series of programs and workshops about Amateur Radio, and to get acquainted with one another.

“Gatherings such as YOTA exemplify the ability of amateurs to work together across national borders and ethnicities in the best ‘ham spirit’ of friendship,” the Yasme Foundation announcement said.

A Yasme grant will enable two young radio amateurs from Kosovo to attend the YOTA conference — the first time these young people will travel outside their home country. Kosovo’s national Amateur Radio association SHRAK was recently admitted to the IARU as a member society.

Two young operators from the Ethiopian Amateur Radio Society (EARS) also will attend the YOTA conference, thanks to a Yasme Foundation grant. This extends the foundation’s past support of the ET3AA club station and a previous grant enabling travel by EARS members to participate in the 2016 ARI International DX Contest from Estonia. “EARS member participation furthers Amateur Radio activity from eastern Africa and encourages interest in Amateur Radio by other African youth,” the announcement said.

Three young US radio amateurs will also attend the YOTA meeting as invited members of IARU Region 2, with the assistance of a Yasme grant and a similar grant from the Northern California DX Foundation (NCDXF). The boards of both foundations expressed the hope that they will return with ideas for extending the successes of YOTA to young North American amateurs.

The Yasme Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation organized to support scientific and educational projects related to Amateur Radio.