D
o you feel inspired by international environments? Would you like to create new ideas with other young people? Have you ever felt that travelling makes you learn so much about yourself?
If your answer is yes, then we can promise you that sooner or later you will also fall in love with the Erasmus + programmes.
Imagine yourself standing at a dinner table which is full of the best Italian cheese selection that you have ever tasted. Imagine that you are learning to dance flamenco by some Spanish fellows and you can’t stop laughing at your own clumsiness. Imagine that you are playing trust games with complete strangers and by the end, you feel so close to these people as if they were old friends. These special moments are just a few examples of what makes Erasmus + programmes so different from formal education.
Erasmus + gives you a new perspective to learn and challenge yourself. Indeed, if you want to make the most of these possibilities, you will need to leave your comfort zone. But guess what! There is a whole new world waiting for you, once you have done that.
Erasmus + programmes provide the perfect place to deepen your knowledge about certain topics, such as health, education, environment, youth-work and many more. They also invite you to practice your language skills, especially your English which is the common language of the projects. In addition, these programmes are full of opportunities to speak in front of others. Believe us, that is something that will be useful for the rest of your life!
When you are selecting from the different Erasmus + programmes, you should consider if you would like to go on a youth exchange or a training course. Both of them invite groups of young people from different countries to share their knowledge with each other and work on a specified topic during the project.
Quality work is ensured by the fact that during these days, all the participants live together and do various activities together, such as workshops, debates, role-plays, exercises and so on.
Usually, Youth Exchanges last between 5 and 21 days, excluding travel time. They welcome participants who are aged between 13 and 30 years old and feel highly motivated to take part in the specified project. Each group is guided by a group leader who must be at least 18 years old.
When it comes to Training Courses though, the requirements are a bit different. Training courses aim to support the professional development of youth workers. These courses provide a good chance for them to take part in seminars, contact-making events, study visits and so on, so that they could use all the gained knowledge and skills back in their home organizations. For the training courses, you must be at least 18 years old and possibly working actively with young people in the organisation of your country.
Do you know what makes Erasmus + programmes even more incredible? That not only the accommodation and food is provided by the EU but the travel part is supported as well, which means that your travel expenses will be reimbursed after the project has successfully finished.
So why would you hesitate to start a new adventure? Have a look at all the awesome projects that MeOut has participated in so far and collect some inspiration until you can join one of the coming programmes! ☺
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