Mobility of Youth Workers
Erasmus+ KA153-YOU
Mobility projects that support the professional development of youth workers, and the quality of youth work itself, through non-formal learning.
- Age
- 16 and over
- Participants must be youth workers
- Participants
- Up to 50
- Trainers and facilitators not counted
- Activity
- 2–60 days
- The first 2 days must be consecutive
- Project
- 3–24 months
- Preparation included
What is it for?
- 01
To open non-formal and informal learning opportunities to youth workers, feeding both the quality of individual practice and the development of organisations and systems.
- 02
To build a community of youth workers able to support the quality of youth projects within European programmes and beyond.
- 03
To develop local youth work practice, leaving a concrete mark on the participant's regular work with young people and on their organisation.
How does it work?
Organisations partner with organisations abroad and design a mobility that brings youth workers together. Every project must include at least one professional development activity.
Professional development activities range from study visits and job shadowing to partnership and network building, training courses, seminars and workshops. Alongside them a project can include system development and support activities, and a preparatory visit.
Mobility can be local, regional, national or international; the point is for the youth worker to strengthen their own practice and carry it back into their organisation.
Every project moves through four stages: planning, where needs and learning outcomes are defined; preparation, including the selection of participants; running the activity; and follow-up, where it is evaluated and the results are shared.
Things worth knowing
- Participants must be resident in the country of the organisation sending or hosting them.
- Every activity must involve participants from the host organisation's country as well.
- Unlike Youth Exchanges, there is no fixed group size per country; a partner country may send a single participant.
- The activity takes place in the country of one of the organisations taking part in the project.
- An organisation may appear in at most five applications per deadline, as applicant or as partner.
- The protection and safety of participants is a matter to be addressed at the planning stage.
- Learning outcomes are recorded with a Youthpass certificate, and projects must follow the Erasmus+ Youth Quality Standards.
What kinds of activities are there?
- Study visits and assignments: job shadowing, youth worker exchanges, peer learning
- Networking and community building among the youth workers taking part
- Training courses that build competences — including testing innovative methods such as digital and smart youth work
- Seminars and workshops for sharing knowledge and good practice
- System development and outreach activities
- Preparatory visits
Which costs are covered?
Organisational support
Travel
Individual support
Inclusion support
Preparatory visit
System development activities
Exceptional costs
Journeys under 500 kilometres are as a rule made by low-emission transport, and green travel receives additional support. An organisation may ask participants who do not face barriers for a very low, clearly justified contribution. The amounts are published in the current edition of the Programme Guide.
What does a good project look like?
- It has a concrete impact on the participant's regular work with young people and on their organisation.
- Participating organisations and youth workers take an active role at every stage of the project.
- It grows out of a clearly identified development need, and is built together with selection, preparation and follow-up.
- Learning outcomes are recognised; the methods and tools produced can be carried back into the organisation and shared across the field.
- It invites participants to reflect on European values and gives them tools for handling diversity in their daily work.
- It encourages innovative methods such as digital youth work.
What every project must consider
Whatever its subject, the Programme expects every project to take these three priorities into account.
- Inclusion and diversity
- Activities are designed to be accessible, and participants with fewer opportunities are involved in decisions too.
- Environmental sustainability
- The project takes account of, and encourages, behaviour that reduces the environmental footprint of mobility.
- Digital transformation
- Digital tools and virtual components are built into the learning itself.
Who can apply?
At least two organisations from different countries form a partnership; one sends participants, one hosts the activity, and one applies on behalf of them all.
- Associations and civil society organisations
- European youth NGOs
- Social enterprises
- Local and national public bodies
- Groups doing youth work
- Associations of regions
- Companies active in social responsibility
What falls outside
- Academic study trips
- Activities run for profit
- Anything amounting to tourism
- Festivals
- Holiday travel
- Performance tours
- Statutory meetings