From Priorities to Action

Objectives and Activities

The main goal of the workshop was to familiarise young people with the priorities of the Erasmus+ Programme and to encourage them to get actively involved in their community by developing local initiatives.

The activity had three specific objectives:

• Objective 1: Familiarise the participants with the four Erasmus+ priorities: inclusion and diversity, digital transformation, environment and the fight against climate change, and participation in democratic life.

• Objective 2: Encourage them to identify real needs in their community and to design initiatives that respond to them.

• Objective 3: Inform them about the opportunities to get involved in Erasmus+ projects and in our organisation's activities, from volunteering to youth exchanges and other international mobilities.

The workshop was structured in three parts:

Part 1 – Discovering the priorities: The workshop opened with an interactive presentation of the four Erasmus+ priorities. After clarifying the concepts, we discussed concrete examples of how each priority can be put into practice.

Part 2 – From priorities to local initiatives: The participants were split into teams, and each team received one of the priorities. Starting from it, they identified existing needs in their community and designed a local initiative that responds to the priority they had been given. Each team then presented its proposal, explaining its impact and how it could be implemented.

Part 3 – Reflection and open dialogue: The workshop ended with a reflection session and an open discussion, during which we presented our organisation and the opportunities to get involved in Erasmus+ projects and initiatives. The participants were encouraged to follow our activity and to take part in future volunteering opportunities, youth exchanges and international mobilities.

Why the Activity Was Implemented

What does a European programme have to do with the street you live on? More than most people think.

For many young people, Erasmus+ sounds like something distant, a scholarship for university students or a trip abroad. We wanted to show the young people in our community that its priorities are closely connected to the challenges they see every day around them, and that change can start locally, with an idea of their own. At an age when many of them are starting to think about their future, we also wanted them to know that the opportunities are already there, and how to reach them.

Results and Impact

Each team developed a local initiative proposal addressing one of the four Erasmus+ priorities. Their ideas showed that young people can come up with creative solutions to the challenges around them when they are given the right context and tools.

The activity contributed to the development of the participants' civic participation, teamwork, critical thinking and sense of initiative. It is in line with the Erasmus+ objectives of promoting active citizenship, youth participation and the involvement of young people in the development of their local communities.