Important Features of Erasmus+ Youth in Action

Whatever project you decide to develop, there are some features that are important in an Erasmus+ Youth in Action project.

• First of all, projects should be educational.

It is important that there are moments during the project when participants have the time and support to reflect on their learning process and think about how this learning can be useful for them.

The Youthpass certificate is a tool that has been created to document and recognise this learning. By using Youthpass we aim to improve the recognition of non-formal learning across borders and sectors.

This can happen in very different ways but always in accordance with the principles of non-formal learning.

Impact and dissemination of results: Projects are always dedicated to a certain target group and have a limited number of participants but their results may be highly relevant and interesting to other people, even in fields not covered by the project. So it is up to the individual projects to develop strategies and methods to ensure that others can easily access what has been produced.

We aim to give participating organisations the opportunity to communicate and share outcomes achieved by their project, thus extending the impact of such projects, improving their sustainability and justifying the European added value of Erasmus+.

Erasmus+ promotes the open access to materials, documents and media that are useful for learning, teaching, training and youth work and are produced by projects funded by the programme.

Beneficiaries of Erasmus+ grants who produce such materials must make them available to the public, in digital form, freely accessible on the Internet under open licenses, with possible limits linked to relevance, privacy and respect for intellectual property.

All Erasmus+ projects include a strong international dimension. In each project there is cooperation with at least one other EU or partner country and in key action 2, you can also cooperate with other countries around the world.

It is very important to get as much as possible out of this cooperation, in terms of exchanging and learning from each other, developing intercultural competences, respecting different points of view and creating a European identity.

 Multilingualism is also very important in any European project and is a powerful symbol of the EU's aspiration to be united in diversity. Foreign languages have a prominent role among the skills that will help equip people better for the future.

The lack of language competences is one of the main barriers to participation in European education, training and youth programmes so it is important to be creative in your projects in order to give as many people as possible the opportunity to participate without too many language barriers.

The EU has set a goal for every citizen to have the opportunity to acquire at least two foreign languages, from an early age. The promotion of language learning and linguistic diversity is one of the specific objectives of the programme.

The Erasmus+ Programme aims to promote equity and inclusion by facilitating access to learners from disadvantaged backgrounds and with fewer opportunities compared to their peers. These people are at a disadvantage because of personal difficulties or obstacles that limit or prevent them from taking part in transnational projects. The obstacles or difficulties these people may face are

1. Disability
2. Educational difficulties
3. Economic obstacles
4. Cultural differences
5. Health problems
6. Social obstacles
7. Geographical obstacles

Protection and safety of participants involved in Erasmus+ projects are important principles of the program. Everyone participating in the Erasmus+ Programme should have the opportunity to take full advantage of the opportunities for personal and professional development and learning. This can only be assured in a safe environment which respects and protects the rights of everyone involved.

To this end each organisation participating in the Erasmus+ Programme must have effective procedures and arrangements in place to promote and guarantee the safety and protection of the participants in their project. This concerns physical but also psychological safety. So when planning a project make sure;

1. You organise insurances.
2. There is a first aid kit.
3. People know what to do and who to contact in case of.
4. You respect people's differences and sensibilities whether related to gender issues, religious issues or even individual aspects.