Funding programme

Erasmus+ is the EU’s funding programme for education, training, youth and sport.

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Call overview

This action supports organisations and groups of young people to carry out Youth Exchanges, bringing together young people from different countries to exchange and learn outside their formal educational system.

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Objectives

Erasmus+ supports non-formal learning mobility of young people in the form of Youth Exchanges, with the objective to engage and empower young people to become active citizens, to connect them to the European project and to help them acquire and develop competences for life and their professional future.

Under this Action, organisations and informal groups of young people can receive support to carry out projects bringing together young people from different countries to exchange and learn outside their formal educational system. Erasmus+ supports non-formal learning mobility of young people in the form of Youth Exchanges, with the objective to engage and empower young people to become active citizens, connect them to the European project as well as to help them acquire and develop competences for life and their professional future.  

More specifically, Youth Exchanges aim to:  

• foster intercultural dialogue and learning and feeling of being European;  
• develop skills and attitudes of young people;  
• strengthen European values and breaking down prejudices and stereotypes;  
• raise awareness about socially relevant topics and thus stimulate engagement in society and active participation.  

The Action is open to all young people, with a special focus on those with fewer opportunities.

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Activities to be funded

Youth Exchanges

Youth Exchanges are meetings of groups of young people from at least two different countries who gather for a short period to implement jointly a non-formal learning programme (a mix of workshops, exercises, debates, role-plays, simulations, outdoor activities, etc.) on a topic of their interest, seeking inspiration from the European Youth Goals. The learning period comprises a planning period before the application, preparation phase before as well as evaluation and follow-up after the exchange.

The following activities are not eligible for grants under Youth Exchanges: academic study trips; exchange activities that aim to make financial profit; exchange activities that can be considered as tourism; festivals; holiday travel; performance tours, statutory meetings, training courses by adults for young people.

Preparatory Visits

As part of Youth Exchanges, projects could also include preparatory visits. Preparatory visits aim to ensure high quality activities by facilitating and preparing administrative arrangements, building trust and understanding and setting-up a solid partnership between the organisations and people involved. In the case of Youth Exchange activities that include young people with fewer opportunities, the preparatory visit should ensure that the specific needs of those participants can be catered for. The preparatory visit takes place in the country of one of the receiving organisations before the start of the Youth Exchange activity.

Read more in the Programme Guide.

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Eligibility

A participating organisation can be:

• a non-profit organisation, association, NGO; European Youth NGO; a public body at local, regional, national level; a social enterprise; a profit-making body active in Corporate Social Responsibility
• an informal group of young people

established in an EU Member State or third country associated to the Programme or a third country not associated to the Programme neighbouring the EU.

Any eligible participating organisation or informal group of young people established in an EUMember State or third country associated to the Programme can be the applicant. This organisation applies on behalf of all participating organisations involved in the project.

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Consortium

Minimum two participating organisations (at least one sending and at least one receiving organisation) from different countries must be involved.

A project is implemented by at least two organisations. All organisations involved need to be identified at application stage, as a solid partnership is a fundamental condition for high quality project delivery. To ensure that the involved organisations benefit from their participation, the project should be of relevance for the organisations’ regular work with young people and in line with their objectives and needs. Organisations involved assume the roles of “sending” participants and/or “receiving” participants, i.e., hosting the activity. One of the organisations also takes on the role of coordinator and applies for funding on behalf of the partnership.

Read more in the Programme Guide.

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Project duration

From 3 to 24 months.