Have you always wanted to have an experience abroad, but you have never had enough time? If we told you that you can go on a short trip where you can meet people from all over Europe, with derisory costs, fun activities and intercultural flavor?If you are thinking: “Where can I sign?”, then perhaps the Erasmus+ programme is right for you: the Erasmus Youth Exchange.
The Erasmus Youth Exchange are youth exchanges where young people from all over Europe have the opportunity to spend time together abroad sharing ideas and living an unforgettable experience. Each exchange deals with one or more specific topics that are addressed with innovative and non-formal methodologies, such as laboratories, debates, role-playing, outdoor activities, and much more. They aim at stimulating the acquisition of new knowledge, favoring dialogue between young people.
The topics covered are many and range from inclusion to Europe, but also environment, social media, art, psychophysical well-being, and much more. You will always find a climate of mutual understanding, tolerance, and non-discrimination, where sharing is at the heart of activities.
An alternative to Erasmus exchanges is the European Solidarity Corps group volunteer projects, read here to find out more!
Young people between the ages of 13 and 30 are eligible to participate. Alternatively, if you are over 30 years and 364 days old, you can apply as a group leader (or parent company). This is the person who acts as a reference point for the group of young people from your country of residence. The only requirement for this role is to be 18 years old.
Erasmus exchanges can last from a minimum of 5 days to a maximum of 21 days and are carried out in the country of the hosting organisation. There are more than 40 countries where Erasmus youth exchanges can be carried out, and they include all the Member States of the European Union, plus some of our closest neighborhoods.
The list of countries where you can travel for an Erasmus exchange includes: Albania, Armenia, Algeria Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Belarus, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Jordan Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Israel, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, North Macedonia, Malta, Morocco, Moldova, Montenegro, The Netherlands, Palestine, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Syria, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Tunisia, Turkey and Ukraine.
The number of participants in an Erasmus exchange can vary from a minimum of 16 to a maximum of 60 people from at least two different countries on the list above.
Erasmus Youth Exchanges are fun and unique learning experiences: you will spend time with people from many different places, from all over Europe and beyond. You’ll learn about cultures like never before and be able to open up to the world by creating real connections and building relationships that will be worth a lifetime.
You will discover incredible new places: from the most beautiful large cities of Central Europe to the most exotic cities of the Caucasus; from the Spanish beaches to the Austrian mountains, passing through the greenest Irish plains and Finnish lakes. During the exchange, you can visit magical places together with the people who live there.
At the end of an Erasmus exchange, you will get a Youthpass, a certificate where the skills acquired during the experience will be certified. This document may be useful for obtaining school and university credits, so we recommend that you consult your reference secretariat before leaving and ask how you can validate them.
The first thing you will need to do is find a sending organisation that promotes this type of European exchange. One of the places where the associations post the offers of their exchanges is on our Facebook group dedicated to European projects.
Once you find the exchange you’re interested in, the next step is to apply: depending on the project, they may ask you to send them an email with the reasons that encourage you to participate.
At this point, you may be wondering: how much will this experience cost? You won’t believe it, but without the potential registration fee to be paid to the sending institution or organization (it should never exceed €70), the costs are zero. All the costs of the trip will be refunded, from your home to the final destination: you can get reimbursed for the public transport taken to reach the airport or station, the long-distance vehicle used to reach the country of destination, and the vehicles used to get to the structure where you will reside. You won’t even have to worry about room and board, they are all included in the costs covered by Erasmus+. All you have to do is pack your suitcase, book your trip, and leave!
Here is a quick summary presented as a useful and functional bullet list that we like a lot:
– What it is about: international exchange and mobility between bodies, organisations, and non-formal groups of young people;
– What we do: we talk, communicate, have fun, and discuss social, political, and economic issues (and more) through non-formal education = many workshops, exercises, outdoor activities, experiences (culinary as well), and exchange of ideas and personalities;
– Who can participate: young people between 13 and 30 years old as participants, young people starting from 31 years old as group leaders with a minimum age of 18 years.
– Timing: the activity must take place within a time frame of 5 to 21 days (travel included)
– How to do: by proposing your application to institutions, organisations, and/or non-formal groups of young people taking part in the project.
– Costs: aside from cost reimbursements for organisations, Erasmus+ reimburses travel costs based on the distances travelled up to a maximum coverage, room and board.
– When: the application times are different and vary depending on the organisations/groups that take part in the project.
– This is NOT: a university study trip, a festival, a leisure or tourist trip, a language course, or an exchange activity for profit.
Do you want to get involved and improve your community? Would you like to discuss a topic that is particularly important to you and make sure it is taken into consideration by the highest authorities in the European Union? Perfect! You have the opportunity to propose your ideas to the Council of the European Union
Are you looking for an opportunity to gain some practical experience or live abroad for a while? Or maybe have you just finished high school and do you want to take a gap year to clear your mind and find out what is next? It might also be the case that you’ve graduated, or you’re