Website: https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/projects/search/details/2025-3-DE04-KA153-YOU-000385909
Start date 01-01-2026
End date 31-10-2026
Budget: 35.753,00 €
Coordinator: Ukrainer in Bonn e.V.
Partner: Fejlődő Fiatalok Egyesülete (HU) , ORGANISATION EUROPÉENNE MULTIDISCIPLINAIRE POUR LA FORMATION ET LE CONSEIL INTERNATIONAUX (FR) , European Multidisciplinary Organization for Training and international Consulting (AT) , European Academy of Strategic Training and Business (HR) , OTI SLOVAKIA (SK) , INKLUZIVNI POKRET (RS) , CECROPIA HUB AMKE (EL) , ICSE & CO (IT) , PRAHO! project, z.s. (CZ)
Objectives
The primary aim of the project is to equip youth workers with the necessary competences and practical tools to enhance the quality of youth work through coaching and mentoring methodologies, enabling them to provide better guidance, support, and empowerment for young people. The project seeks to fill existing gaps in structured mentoring approaches within youth work, ensuring that youth workers can facilitate learning and personal development processes more effectively while adhering to high-quality standards.
The specific objectives of the project are to:
1. Build a common understanding of essential coaching and mentoring approaches in youth work and their practical applications.
2. Promote and enhance structured mentoring practices as a means of improving youth work quality and supporting young people’s development.
3. Develop the facilitation and mentoring competences of youth workers to guide young people more effectively.
4. Strengthen youth workers’ ability to recognize and support individual learning processes in diverse groups.
5. Explore and apply coaching and mentoring tools that can improve young people’s engagement, resilience, and emotional intelligence.
6. Introduce and integrate ERASMUS+ tools for enhancing coaching, mentoring, and youth work methodologies.
7. Provide hands-on opportunities for youth workers to test and refine mentoring and coaching techniques in an intercultural learning setting.
8. Encourage reflective practice through structured self-assessment and peer learning, ensuring that youth workers can critically evaluate and improve their approaches.
9. Increase the ability of youth workers to transfer coaching and mentoring methodologies into their local contexts, ensuring long-term impact and sustainability.
10. Create a network of youth workers committed to ongoing collaboration and knowledge exchange on coaching and mentoring practices in youth work.
This project aligns directly with the general objective of the Erasmus+ Programme, which focuses on supporting lifelong learning, professional and personal development, and active participation in democratic society. The project contributes specifically to the Erasmus+ goal of promoting non-formal and informal learning mobility, quality inclusion, and innovation in the youth sector.
The methodology of the project is deeply rooted in non-formal education, experiential learning, and participatory methods. The training will allow youth workers to learn about coaching and mentoring through hands-on experiences, ensuring a direct link between theory and practice. The program structure will combine theoretical inputs with interactive exercises, reflective discussions, and case studies, empowering participants to internalize their learning and effectively transfer it into their professional youth work settings.
Through structured mentoring approaches, coaching exercises, peer learning, and practical application, the project will equip youth workers with tangible, high-quality skills that can be directly applied in their work with young people, fostering long-term impact and sustainability.
Activities
The project organizes a Professional Development Mobility Activity in the form of a Training Course for 33 youth workers from nine different countries (Germany, Italy, France, Greece, Austria, Hungary, Czechia, Croatia, Serbia, and Slovakia). Each country will send three participants, and in addition, two trainers and one administrator will be involved. The PDA will take place in Vienna in late 2026 and aims to strengthen the coaching and mentoring competences of youth workers, enabling them to implement structured mentoring practices and support young people more effectively in their learning, resilience-building, and personal development. The PDA lasts for six days, in addition to two travel days. Additionally, all participants will complete preparatory tasks before the mobility and engage in follow-up activities after the PDA to ensure sustainable impact and broader dissemination of the project’s results.
#BEFORE THE MOBILITY:
Participants will engage in mandatory preparatory tasks and assignments, individually and in national groups, to ensure they arrive fully prepared for the PDA. These tasks will include self-assessment exercises, reviewing coaching and mentoring frameworks, and collecting examples of mentoring practices from their home countries. Participants will also participate in pre-mobility online meetings, during which they will discuss expectations, learning goals, and practical logistics.
#SESSIONS AND AIMS:
1. #ESTABLISH – The first sessions will focus on team-building, creating a safe learning environment, and establishing group dynamics. Participants will engage in trust-building exercises and intercultural exchanges to foster collaboration.
2. #LEARN – Participants will be introduced to coaching and mentoring theories, key models, and practical tools. They will explore how to facilitate effective mentoring relationships, understand youth motivation, and apply structured mentoring techniques.
3. #APPLY – Participants will work in small groups to design mentoring-based learning activities tailored to youth work settings.
4. #TEST – The newly designed activities will be implemented and evaluated, allowing participants to receive feedback and refine their approaches.
5. #CREATE – Participants will develop concrete follow-up and dissemination plans to implement coaching and mentoring initiatives in their local communities.
Throughout the PDA, participants will explore and apply evidence-based models, including:
– GROW Model for structured coaching conversations
– Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle for facilitating learning through experience
– Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs for understanding youth development
– OSKAR Model for solution-focused mentoring
– Johari Window for improving self-awareness in coaching
– AID Feedback Model for delivering effective mentoring feedback
#APPLIED METHODS:
A wide range of non-formal education methods will be used to ensure interactive and engaging learning experiences. These include: Games, Brainstorming, Journaling, Think-Pair-Share, Mind-Mapping, Flashcards, Fishbowl Discussions, Scenario Analysis, Case Studies, Role-Playing, Photo Analysis, World Café, Simulation Exercises, and Group Presentations.
#AFTER THE MOBILITY:
The follow-up and dissemination phase ensures that the learning outcomes of the PDA are applied in real-world settings. Each participant will commit to:
– Implementing at least one mentoring activity or session in their home organization.
– Sharing knowledge and tools with colleagues and peers through presentations, informal training, or staff meetings.
– Participating in the post-mobility public webinar, which will be open to at least 30 participants, including youth workers who were not selected for the PDA, other professionals, and interested stakeholders.
– Contributing to a digital resource repository (Padlet) where participants will upload tools, best practices, and insights to ensure long-term knowledge-sharing and accessibility.
PROFILE OF PARTICIPANTS:
The selected youth workers will have diverse backgrounds, but all will share a strong motivation to enhance their mentoring competences. The participant profile includes:
– At least 24 years old.
– Fully committed to attending all PDA sessions and completing follow-up activities.
– Engaged in youth work, whether as volunteers, professionals, trainers, or mentors.
– Active in grassroots youth work or willing to initiate engagement with young people.
– Able to implement mentoring and coaching tools in their organizations.
– Keen to enhance their own and their peers’ civic participation.
– Motivated to explore, test, and apply coaching and mentoring approaches in real settings.
– Curious and open-minded, appreciating intercultural learning and collaboration.
– Demonstrating commitment to European values, diversity, and inclusion.
– Eager to act as multipliers, sharing and applying their learning to create a wider impact on the youth sect
Impact
PARTICIPATING YOUTH WORKERS
The participating youth workers will enhance their competencies in coaching and mentoring and will gain practical experience in applying these skills in their youth work practice. The PDA will provide a structured environment where youth workers can learn, test, and refine coaching techniques, mentoring frameworks, and facilitation methods. Through their involvement in an intercultural, high-quality experiential learning environment, they will develop the necessary skills to support young people effectively in their personal and professional development.
Thus, after the PDA, participants will:
• Understand and apply core coaching and mentoring theories in their youth work practice.
• Develop confidence and competence in mentoring young people using structured methodologies.
• Practice real-life coaching and mentoring scenarios and receive professional feedback to improve.
• Gain practical experience in facilitation and experiential learning techniques.
• Increase the quality and innovation of their regular work with young people by implementing evidence-based mentoring strategies.
• Explore the opportunities within the Erasmus+ Programme to support young people’s development through mobility and learning initiatives.
• Improve their ability to work in intercultural and diverse groups and effectively facilitate group mentoring and coaching sessions.
• Create long-term professional networks and foster collaboration among youth workers from different countries.
• Gain access to a digital repository (Padlet) with tools, techniques, and resources to sustain their learning beyond the mobility.
PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS
Partner organizations will gain direct benefits from the enhanced competencies of their participating youth workers. Participants will return to their organizations equipped with practical tools and strategies to improve the quality and consistency of their mentoring and coaching work. Through structured participation agreements, youth workers will commit to sharing their learning and implementing newly acquired techniques within their organizations, ensuring that the impact extends beyond individual participation.
The organizations will:
• Strengthen the capacity of their staff and volunteers, leading to higher-quality youth work services.
• Benefit from new coaching and mentoring methodologies, which will increase their ability to support young people’s resilience and personal development.
• Expand their internal expertise in mentoring and coaching-based youth work.
• Improve cooperation among partners, leading to future collaborations in Erasmus+ projects and beyond.
• Enhance their visibility in the youth sector through involvement in international best practice exchanges and dissemination efforts.
YOUNG PEOPLE AS FINAL BENEFICIARIES
The final target group, young people, will experience higher-quality support from trained and confident youth workers. This will lead to improved learning experiences, more structured mentoring relationships, and stronger personal and professional development outcomes.
Young people will benefit from:
• More structured and effective mentoring provided by better-equipped youth workers.
• Engaging, inclusive, and participatory learning experiences that support personal growth, resilience, and career development.
• Opportunities to participate in follow-up coaching and mentoring activities led by the trained participants.
• A stronger sense of belonging and inclusion through meaningful mentoring relationships.
TANGIBLE RESULTS AND DISSEMINATION
The project will produce tangible outputs that will ensure a long-lasting impact beyond the mobility:
• A digital Padlet resource repository where participants will share tools, techniques, and best practices, ensuring that knowledge remains accessible and useful beyond the project’s lifetime.
• A post-mobility public webinar for at least 30 participants, which will include some of the project participants as well as youth workers who were not selected. This webinar will be widely promoted on social media and through SALTO Youth, ensuring that the project’s reach extends beyond direct participants.
• Public dissemination through social media, blogs, and project partner networks, engaging youth workers, organizations, and stakeholders in discussions about mentoring, coaching, and non-formal education.
LONG-TERM IMPACT
The digital resource repository (Padlet) and the public webinar will allow for continuous knowledge-sharing and engagement with a broader audience of youth workers.
