What is the Erasmus + Youth Exchange Project?

Youth Exchange Projects are carried out under the Erasmus + Program of the European Union. While Erasmus + has many sub-programs, one of the most known among these programs is youth exchanges.

Youth exchanges enable young groups of 13-30 years old from at least two different countries to come together for 5-21 days around a topic of interest, carry out a series of predefined activities, and learn about each other’s cultures. In a youth exchange, many activities can be implemented, such as workshops, energizing activities, discussions, workshops, exercises, role-plays, simulations, and outdoor activities.

Youth exchange projects are usually managed by youth organizations, informal youth groups, or non-profit organizations (you can find the full list here).

Youth Program; Within the framework of the project, young people have goals such as improving the knowledge, skills, and behavior of the participants, increasing their interest in other cultures and languages ​​through the presence of an intercultural environment, and expanding European Union values. These learning experiences of the participants are recognized through the Youthpass Certificate.

Example of a Youth Exchange Project

You can reach the photos and videos from the Youth Exchange project “Willing Wheeling” which we realized in 2019. You can have an idea about how the days have passed in a Youth Exchange project and comment on Youtube.

“I PARTICIPATED IN A YOUTH EXCHANGE AND THIS PROJECT WAS MY ROAD TO DAMASCUS”

A Youth

Frequently Asked Questions

To participate in Youth Exchange projects, it is not necessary to be a university student, to take a language test, or to know English, as in Erasmus Learning Mobility. The only requirement to be a participant is that you are between the ages of 13-30 and over the age of 18 to participate as a group leader.

However, sometimes, institutions can set additional criteria to make more fair choices because of the high number of applications for such projects. These criteria are related to the subject of the project, having been studying or studying in a relevant department at the university, or having fewer opportunities, etc. These criteria can vary from institution to institution or from project to project, and your status of interest / relevance or features can increase your chances of being selected as a participant.

Although there is no clear number, it may vary depending on the subject of the project and institutions. Institutions with high dissemination capacity can extend the call of participants to larger masses and receive more applications. If we give an average number to create a visual in your mind, 150-200? We can say.

Some institutions may allocate some of the quota to their own volunteers while selecting participants for their own projects or projects they partner with. In other words, being a volunteer of an institution may be a facilitating factor for you to participate in the youth exchange project of that institution, but it is not obligatory.

Participation in Erasmus + Youth Exchange Projects is free. Also, during the mobility of the project, your travel (in the amount determined by the European Commission in the budget), accommodation and food expenses are covered; In addition to this, your visa expenses can also be covered, as it may vary.

As the Kıyıköy Nature Sports Club Association, we are absolutely against asking/charging the participants under any name. We adopt the idea of “No money from participants”.

Usually travel and visa costs are covered by the participant before the project mobility, that is, the participant buys his ticket and pays the visa fee. These expenses are paid back to the participant after the necessary bill, ticket and other documents are sent to the host institution after the mobility. Participants who have economic difficulties and are unable to afford the ticket/visa fee can contact the sending institutions to request support for the tickets and other expenses to be covered by the sending /host institution and then repay them. However, this process is not within the rules, and it is entirely between the participants and institutions.

Each group has a group leader over the age of 18 within the group sent to the project, and this group leader is selected among English speakers to ensure coordination and communication not only within their own group but also with other foreign groups. This means that at least one person in the group you go there will be able to speak in English to you.

As we know, we take English lessons for years throughout our school life. Although it is thought how unsuccessful these are, we have a habit of listening to English and a tendency towards language. When you join Youth Exchange, you will realize that you know more English than you think. The most lacking part of Turkish youngsters in English is speaking practice, and Youth Exchanges are one of the best platforms to practice speaking and maintain new foreign friendships. To read the stories of some volunteers and participants who have experience in this field.

Any time of the year. The mobility and application dates of each Youth Exchange project are different. The institutions/people who wrote the project decide the start and end dates of the projects, and these dates can be at any time of the year. Participant calls are usually made at the writing stage of the project or a few months before the mobility date. During this process, you apply to the project, and if you are accepted, you will go through pre-mobility training, visa application, buying a plane ticket, and go to the project as a result. If you are selected as a participant, the institutions will inform you about each stage and provide support.

As the Kıyıköy Nature Sports Club Association, we make participant calls for the projects we partner, through our website and our social media accounts.

You can follow the pages and groups you will come across by writing combinations such as Erasmus+, Erasmus+ Projects, Erasmus+ Participant, Erasmus+ Youth Projects on Facebook. Institutions actively use this type of platform, apart from calling their participation in their web / social media pages.

Do you have more questions?

Please contact us through our social media accounts.