This week we celebrate #ErasmusDays. The days are here to share our knowlegde and experiences from different projects that are part of the Erasmus+ Programme. Thus we at Youth Academy also want to bring up and celebrate our own Erasmus+ projects.
#ErasmusDays originated in France and later spread to other EU countries as well. The days were initiated because of a desire to celebrate the benefits of European cooperation and share the experiences gained from it. #ErasmusDays aims to strengthen an European identity and celebrates the successes of the Erasmus+ Programme. This year, it takes place from 9th to 14th of October.
Our Restoration Academy: Empowering Youth Participation in Nature Restoration is a three-year Erasmus+ project that started in September 2023 and involves five European organizations from four different countries. During the project, we develop tools for organizing youth-oriented nature restoration activities, as well as aim to inspire youth workers and young people to contribute to bringing back nature across Europe. Read more about Restoration Academy on the project page.
In our another project Inclusion is On we share good practices and innovate new tools to promote accessibility, social inclusion and participation in youth leisure activities. During the project there are international training events organized for both project partners and local youth workers from the partner countries. In these events, we dive deeper into the topic addressed by the project using functional methods. The project has already been ongoing for approximately two years, and it will culminate in an international final seminar for youth workers in January 2024, as well as local-level final events in partner countries later in spring 2024. Read more about Inclusion is On on the project page.
Our already completed Erasmus+ small-scale partnership Sports as an Equal Playground was a joint project of four organizations. Its objective was to promote social inclusion and equal opportunities in and through youth sports activities. During the project, we for example created a manual that includes practices and tools for promoting social inclusion and equality in youth sports activities. The manual was published in October 2022.
Our Erasmus+ partnerships will soon continue with one new project, about which we will inform more at the beginning of 2024.
International cooperation opens up new perspectives for domestic work as well. Peer feedback and interaction is a key factor in refining one’s own work, after which we can apply the good practices that are found together into our own work. Through cooperation, we tackle transnational challenges and promote inclusiveness together across borders. We wish everyone a wonderful #ErasmusDays celebration!
The blog was written by Oosa Nieminen who works as an intern at Youth Academy during autumn 2023.