In order to increase the impact of Erasmus+ Youth programmes we started to use the mobility activities as building blocks. Connecting two or more mobility activities improves the impact on the development of young people, youth workers and the impact in our local realities.
This best practice is discussing the programme design and structure of Erasmus+ Youth multi activity programmes.
We experienced that a single mobility activity sometimes makes the learning of young people and/or youth workers limited, and that dissemination of the learning in the lived realities could be increased. We concluded that long(er) term engagement of young people and youth workers could potentially have more impact.
How could we, as youth organisations, improve the impact of Erasmus+ youth programmes and how could we go beyond a relative short term exchange or training experience and build on the participation and involvement of young people and youth workers?
The very simple principles of Lego provided us answers; we started to use the Erasmus+ Youth mobilities as building blocks. As the starting point for a new project we formulated the change we would like to make together with young people, youth workers and partners.
According to this envisioned change we started to mix and match the possible Erasmus+ activities (Partnership Building Activity, APV and Youth Exchange, Training Course, having a training course as an evaluation meeting). We built with our Erasmus+ Lego blocks until we designed a programme that would enable the change.
Together with our partners we ‘built’ 3 multi-activity programmes with each one or more successive projects: Big Questions of Life 1 & 2; Lead the Change 1 & 2 and Stay Human 1, 2 & 3.
These programmes are each unique in their programme goals and structure but all have a life span of more than 6 months, consisted of 4 to 9 mobility activities and each programme took place in more than 2 partner countries. Between 4 and 11 partner organisations were involved in the programmes including both young people, youth workers and organisations representatives; in total between 50 and 150 individual persons took part per programme.
Each programme also challenged young people and youth workers to lead their own action project, encouraging them to learn and make the change they would like to see.
All of the programmes contained an evaluation activity which was a crucial element to understand the impact of the programme. During the evaluation meeting there was also time and space for everybody involved to design follow up editions or other programmes.
This offered young people, youth workers and partners the possibility to build on their experience and explore new roles and responsibilities.
Technical, financial support and knowledge
We want to emphasize that support of the National Agency is needed. We are aware that each country may choose different priorities allocating the budgets for Erasmus+ Youth. For example, we had the benefit that the Dutch National Agency is supporting this way of utilizing the Erasmus+ funding and we had the capacity and interest to explore these opportunities and their technical aspects.
Partnership
The purpose of the programmes would broadly need to be supported by all partners and our partnership is based on trust and ownership to engage in a longer term working relationship. The multi-activity programmes really did appeal to our collaborative competencies and challenged us to work from a different perspective because of the long-term approach. Please find the chapter ‘from partnership to ownership’ on this website for more information!
Programme preparation
The design needs a strong focus on the local reality of the partners and young people. This means ensuring a connection between a local reality, challenge or implementation of the programme in at least two or more of the partner countries. This creates the opportunity to connect with local and national issues and learn from each other. Participation is key and it is therefore essential that the design of the programme is based on input of young people, youth workers and partner organisations. Using the knowledge and experience that each person would like to bring.
Support
Support of experienced support staff, being project managers for the organisations, facilitators for young people and youth workers, is a key element when it comes to the success of a multi-activity programme. As partnership we managed to support all organisations, young people and youth workers to work on this long term commitment and to create a supportive learning environment.
Financial management:
A multi-activity programme brings a lot of financial responsibility for the applicant organisation. But also to the rest of the partnership to hand in the needed documents in time to give proof of the activities. From the first multi-activity programme we started setting up a financial management system consisting of standardized documents and easy accessible online tools.
Our aim is that everybody, without financial experience, can manage activity budgets and reimbursements. Our advice to you would be: make 100% sure that all partners have clarity concerning the budgets, check, double check and offer support when financial agreements and arrangements seem to be unclear for your partners.
You need a relevant project context:
- The design of the programme should be based on input of young people, youth workers and partner organisation. Using the knowledge and experience that each person would like to bring.
- If you want to develop and implement a multi-activity programme you need to check in with your National Agency Erasmus+ Youth Programme. Each agency has the liberty to priorities the allocation of the budgets. Some agencies prefer to distribute the funds among as many organisations as possible whereas in other countries National Agencies are very supportive towards multi-activity programmes.
- The change you want to make should be shared in the partnership; meaning it should be relevant in each of your local realities. Also the design of the programme should support these lived realities, e.g. practical ways to do so is activities taking place in 2 or more of the partner countries when you develop a multi-activity programme..
You need human resources & knowledge:
- Technical knowledge of the Erasmus+ Youth Programme mobilities and funding regulations or the willingness to learn.
- The ability to think critically and consider intercultural and organisational differences that can come across stronger in long-term programmes with more complex programme structure and long lasting commitment.
- Each partner needs a person with a good understanding of small/large scale project management, and using or willing to use, horizontal, participatory and inclusive ways of working.
- The applicant organisation needs a person with a good understanding of small/large scale financial management and administration, using or willing to use, horizontal, participatory and inclusive ways of working, as the multi-activity projects to manage can become quite big!
- Knowledge on non formal learning; including the pedagogy, supporting young people to recognize their learning and connect it to their daily lives in the different levels: individual, relationships and community. This can contribute highly to follow-up initiatives, locally and/or in European collaboration.
Material/Financial resources:
- It’s very useful to have standardized (shared) project management tools and administration that you can re-use and has open-access for all your partners. Important is the accessibility of the used websites and tools. The simpler, meaning tools that don’t need extra digital knowledge and skills of the user, are most likely to be accepted and used. For example; Google Drive, Facebook groups.
- Use standardized contracts in your partnerships. Use them for example for the travel reimbursements and for hosting arrangements.
Constructing your multi-activity programme
- Make sure you have a basic knowledge about Erasmus+, KA1 and different possibilities within the programme. Check the website of your National Agency for example.
- Pitch ideas in your partnership, ask partners to consult with their youths and youth workers if the idea resonates with their wishes. When young people pitch the ideas make sure that they are supported by their local organisation for support for further plans.
- Make sure that each partner (youths and youth workers) considers the relevance for their local realities and will in turn bring in desired ideas and changes. The relevance of your programme for all partners (youths and youth workers) will lead to a higher chance that groups will continue working on the topic beyond the programme. This way there can be a bigger impact on the local reality and enables young people connect with the topic on a longer term.
- Clarify with your partners how you will collaborate during the design of the programme structure and who is responsible for which part of the work.
- Collaborate online and/or offline during the application process with partners, youths and youth workers. There are very simple ways of breaking down the needed application and programming work in smaller bits and pieces and start the collaborative work, for example, create a google form with the questions needed from partners and send them out, so that they can easily be integrated in the application form.
- If you host the programme in more countries make sure that the host organisation of a specific activity will prepare the needed work for this activity; the programme goals and aims, the programme design of the week(s), etc.
- So, participation of organisations, young people and youth workers are essential to reach your collective goals.
The environment that you need:
- Make sure you know all regulations from your National Agency regarding the technical and financial aspects of applying for and implementing a multi-activity programme and have the human capacity to follow up on each requirement regarding this field.
- As multi-activities require a long-term commitment from organisations, they often require the same from young people and/or volunteers and youth workers. Therefore, it is advisable to have an ‘independent’ support team for each mobility activity consisting of experienced facilitators and/or trainers and a safety & logistic manager/project manager. This team can be composed of experienced workers of the partners. This support team's main role would be to support the overall learning and to create a supportive and safe learning environment.
- Make sure that each partner organisation knows what they are getting themselves into; clarify expectations, commitments and contributions. Also check in on a, regular basis; trying to keep the work as fun as possible.
- If you choose to start a multi-activity programme with a relatively big group of new partners, consider if it would be better to collaborate first during a single mobility activity. You could also check in with your National Agency about the possibility to apply for a Partner Building Activity during which you can discuss face to face your ideas. In each of the ImpACT+ programmes the majority of the partners already collaborated during single mobility activities. A good and trusted work relationship was already developed, we consider this as one of the keys for success.
This story was coordinated by The Youth Company (The Netherlands) in collaboration with the ImpACT+ project partners.
Find out more about the organization at theyouthcompany.nl .
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