Would you like to provide for the young people you work with possibilities for international learning mobility? Or are you interested in developing the capacities of your organisation and its staff to better respond to the challenges you face in your field of work? Would you like to add a taste of Europe into the activities of your organisation?

You might have heard of the Erasmus+ Programme already, and some of your colleagues might have been involved in its activities home or abroad. Maybe your organisation already took part in some projects within the Programme, or you tried at least, but you could not find partners or the application process was not successful. Or maybe your organisation has no prior experience in European cooperation, but you would like to gain some.

The Erasmus+ Programme is a European Union’s programme in the field of youth, which gives organisations possibilities to realise projects together with partners from other countries aiming at enhancing the active citizenship and empowerment of young Europeans, supporting the development of competences of young people and youth work practitioners, and strengthening the organisational capacity and overall professionalization of the structures in the field of youth. The Programme strongly promotes participation of young people in democratic life, intercultural dialogue, social inclusion and solidarity.

This training is a “crash course” in how to get involved in the Erasmus+ Programme in the field of youth and it is meant primarily for organisations in Kosovo. One third of the places are reserved for participants from other Western Balkan countries. It consists of the basics of what the Programme aims at in the field of youth and what kinds of activities (with the emphasis on youth exchanges, volunteering activities, mobility of youth workers and capacity-building activities) can be implemented. The participants will be guided through process how the needs and ideas of their organisations can be worked on towards concrete project proposals, with reference to the criteria and structure of the application form of the Erasmus+ Programme. The participants will be introduced with the possibilities to apply and coordinate projects or to become a partner in projects applied and coordinated in another (Erasmus+ Programme) country. The activity will also provide good practice examples of realised projects and reflection on the essential quality aspects of good projects and partnerships. The training is useful for complete beginners of the Erasmus+ Programme, as well as for those who want to upgrade their knowledge and skills or use the Programme in a new way.

The training will be implemented according to the principles and approaches of non-formal learning, where the participants’ learning needs and goals are in focus. Two experienced trainers will lead the training jointly with the representatives of the organising institutions.

Aim:
The aim of the training course is to increase the readiness and competences of organisations working in the field of youth in Kosovo and other Western Balkan countries to take part in the Erasmus+ Programme in the field of youth.

Objectives:
• To provide information on the background, objectives and structure of the Erasmus+ Programme in the field of youth;
• To guide participants on how to use the Programme –what kinds of activities they can do– to reach the specific goals of their organisations;
• To reflect on quality aspects of projects according to the criteria of the Programme;
• To view and clarify the application forms and procedures;
• To inspire the participants with good practice project examples.

The training course gathers ca. 30 participants from Kosovo (2/3 places) and other Western Balkan countries (1/3 places)

The selected participants should:
• be representatives of organisations working directly with young people in Kosovo or other Western Balkan countries;
• have interest in (further) getting involved in the Erasmus+ Programme in the field of youth;
• already have an idea what are the themes or topics relevant for their organisations, and on which they would want to work in the European context;
• be at least 18 years old;
• be able to communicate in English.

Organisers and background:

The training course is organised by SALTO South East Europe Resource Centre in cooperation Ligo Lex Legis –the Contact Point for the Erasmus+ Programme in Kosovo together with two trainers Marinela Sumanjski and Henk Persyn. SALTO South East Europe Resource Centre is established by the European Commission with a mandate to facilitate cooperation with the Western Balkan countries and the Programme Countries of the Erasmus+ in the field of youth. It promotes and supports the participation of young people and other actors in the field of youth and non-formal education in the Programme and it aims to contribute to youth work and youth policy development in the Western Balkan region.

The Erasmus+ Programme and its predecessors have been open for the Western Balkans since the year 2000. From the year 2005 onwards it has been possible for the organisations situated in the region to apply for projects themselves, currently within the budgetary framework “Western Balkan Youth Window” within IPA . The number and quality of partnerships and projects with the region have increased over the years. SALTO South East Europe Resource Centre aims at working towards an equal representation of the countries in the Erasmus+ Programme in the field of youth, and this training course is a support measure to encourage organisations primarily from Kosovo to get further involved, welcoming applicants also from other Western Balkan countries.

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