Youth Exchange Athens 8th-15th of May 2017 The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein"
About DemocrActive is a youth exchange program under the Erasmus+ KA1. The main aim of this project is to increase youth participation in the democratic life of the European Union. The exchange will take place over 8 days in Athens, Greece. The participants will come from Greece, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain and Turkey. The topics of the project aim to inform the young people about the European Union and decision-making processes, enhance the European identity create closer links between young people and the EU, to promote the concept of active European citizenship promote democratic principles and values increase the mutual understanding between young people from across Europe, with different cultures and backgrounds and boost participants personal development. The topics of the project will be explored through a range of non-formal learning methods, focused on participatory, peer and experiential learning and creative expression of young people. The activities of the project are creative and divers, from quizzes to role playing, open discussions and so on. The programme implementation will be partly in hands of the participants themselves as well as professional trainers providing input and guidance through the method of experiential learning.
About Erasmus + Erasmus+ is the European Union programme for education, training, youth and sport and it runs for seven years, from 2014 to 2020. Erasmus+ aims to modernize education, training and youth work across Europe. It is open to education, training, youth and sport organizations across all sectors of lifelong learning, including school education, further and higher education, adult education and the youth sector. It offers exciting opportunities for young people to then study, work, volunteer, teach and train abroad in Europe.
Erasmus + offers: Opportunities to study, train, gain work experience and volunteer abroad; Education, training and youth sector staff to teach or learn abroad; The development of digital education and the use of ICTs; Language learning; Recognition of skills, including those learned outside the formal educational system; Strategic Partnerships among educational institutions and youth organizations with peers in other countries in both their own sector and other sectors, in order to foster quality improvements and innovation; Knowledge Alliances and Sector Skills Alliances, to address skills gaps and foster entrepreneurship by improving curricula and qualifications through cooperation between the worlds of work and education; A loan guarantee facility for master s degree students to finance their studies in another country; Teaching and research on European integration; Exchanges, cooperation and capacity building in higher education and the youth sector worldwide; Initiatives to foster innovation in pedagogy and progressive policy reform at national level through Prospective Initiatives; Good Governance in sport an initiative against match-fixing, doping, violence, racism and intolerance, particularly in grassroots sports.
Mobility Projects for Young People and Youth Workers that can comprise of Youth Exchanges, European Voluntary Service and/or Youth Workers activities: About 600.000 young people can go abroad as part of youth exchanges and the European Voluntary Service. Mobility of young people: Youth Exchanges: Youth Exchanges allow groups of young people from at least two different countries to meet and live together for up to 21 days. During a Youth Exchange, participants, supported by group leaders, jointly carry out a work programme (a mix of workshops, exercises, debates, role-plays, simulations, outdoor activities, etc.) designed and prepared by them before the Exchange. Youth Exchanges allow young people to: develop competences; become aware of socially relevant topics/thematic areas; discover new cultures, habits and life-styles, mainly through peer-learning; strengthen values like solidarity, democracy, friendship, etc. The learning process in Youth Exchanges is triggered by methods of non-formal education. The rather short duration makes the involvement of young people with fewer opportunities appropriate; as such a Youth Exchange offers an international mobility experience in the safety of a group with the possibility of having an adequate number of group leaders to take care of the participants. European Voluntary Service: This activity allows young people aged 17-30 to express their personal commitment through unpaid and full-time voluntary service for up to 12 months in another country within or outside the European Union. Young volunteers are given the opportunity to contribute to the daily work of organizations dealing with youth information and policies, young people's personal and socio-educational development, civic engagement, social care, inclusion of disadvantaged, environment, non-formal education programmes, ICTs and media literacy, culture and creativity, development cooperation, etc. Young people with fewer opportunities
can receive additional support to enable their participation and would also be allowed to go on EVS for a shorter duration of time (from 2 weeks and up). Youth workers' training and networking: This activity supports the professional development of youth workers, through the implementation of activities such as transnational/international seminars, training courses, contact-making events, study visits, etc. or job shadowing/observation periods abroad in an organization active in the youth field. All these activities are arranged by the organizations participating in the project. The participation of youth workers in such activities contributes to capacity building of their organization and should have a clear impact on youth workers' daily work with young people. The learning outcomes should be further disseminated in the youth field. Find out more at ec.europa.eu/erasmus-plus The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein"