Written by Tarja Laaninen.
Erasmus+ is the EU programme for education, training, youth and sports for the 2021-2027 period, established by a 2021 regulation of the European Parliament and the Council. It is a successor to the 2014-2020 programme. Erasmus+ is commonly known as a student learning mobility programme, but it actually consists of a wide array of other actions to bolster the potential of European youth. This paper looks specifically at youth policies within Erasmus+.
Objectives and focus
The overall objective of the Erasmus+ programme is to support through lifelong learning the educational, professional and personal development of people in Europe and beyond. The programme consists of education, youth and sports strands and aims to reach up to 12 million participants. Erasmus+ is an umbrella programme that brings together a number of previous funding programmes, each of which were linked to a particular sector of education, training and youth.
The youth strand of Erasmus+ is one of the key instruments for implementing the 2019-2027 EU youth strategy that is based on a Council resolution from 2018. The programme thereby contributes to the implementation of the European youth work agenda, based on a 2020 Council resolution.
Currently, young people not only face the usual challenges connected to their age, such as the transition from education to working life and living on their own, but also new uncertainties about their future due to the return of war to Europe and fragile international relations; increasing attacks on European democracy and its values; the rise of populism and disinformation; impacts of globalisation and climate change; rapid technological change; demographic and socioeconomic trends; and discrimination and social exclusion.
Around 10 % of EU youths are at risk of socioeconomic marginalisation, associated with a decreased sense of trust in democratic institutions and interpersonal trust. It is also associated with a decreased level of political engagement and social and civic participation.
The EU youth strategy, informed by the EU youth goals, aims to better engage, connect and empower European youth. Through the Erasmus+ programme’s youth strand, the EU intends to promote non-formal and informal learning mobility and active democratic participation among young people. It also aims to contribute to the improvement of policies and the functioning of organisations in the field of youth and youth work.
Key actions
Erasmus+ consists of three key actions, all of which include specific elements targeted at youths. Under the first key action, learning mobility, Erasmus+ supports organisations and initiatives that organise youth exchanges as well as mobility projects for youth workers. The 2021-2027 programme provides more opportunities for non-formal learning mobility for young people under the youth heading. Youth work is shown to be effective in helping young people to become aware of their skills and competences and bringing employers and youths together. It also helps better identify and respond to social challenges among young people.
An example of such a mobility project for youth workers is the ‘Rehearsal for life’ project. During this project, youth workers from nine different countries gained expertise in the ‘Theatre of the Oppressed’ technique. This group technique is designed to help participants enhance their awareness of how thought patterns and attitudes affect both themselves and others, fostering greater mutual understanding.
Under the same key action, Erasmus+ supports youth participation activities that are meant to encourage youths to take part in democratic life. The actions can, for example, bring together young people and decision-makers at local, regional or national level, or develop young people’s digital competences and media literacy (in particular, critical thinking and the ability to assess and work with information), with a view to increasing young people’s resilience to disinformation, misinformation and propaganda, as well as their capacity to participate in democratic life.
The key action supports DiscoverEU, a new initiative making it possible for 18 year-olds to visit another Member State. DiscoverEU inclusion actions are meant to offer youths with fewer opportunities the possibility to receive extra support in discovering Europe.
Under the second key action, cooperation among organisations and institutions, Erasmus+ supports cross-border and international partnerships, including small-scale partnerships, between youth organisations that facilitate cooperation, innovation and exchange of practice. It also supports the creation of online platforms that facilitate this cooperation virtually. An example of such cooperation is NO STEP BACK, a network of organisations that aims to promote the rights of young women, gender equality and LGBTQI+ rights for young people. The network developed study materials for young people to foster their social and political engagement, while actively participating in political activities to advocate for these goals themselves.
Under the third key action, support to policy development and cooperation, Erasmus+ supports programmes that improve development, implementation and raising awareness of EU youth policies, as well as cooperation with stakeholders. It also facilitates the creation of EU-wide tools, such as the Youthpass, offering recognition of non-formal learning activities. An example of an initiative is ‘Future We Want‘, where 50 advocacy campaigners were trained to engage with young people across 17 cities in Europe to compose a Youth Manifesto, containing ideas from young people on sustainable development.
Within the Erasmus+ programme, priority is given to inclusion of people with fewer opportunities. The European Commission has laid out a framework of inclusion measures to better accommodate the needs of these participants. These measures include, among others, adjusting learning formats and programme documents to make them more accessible, giving priority to inclusive organisations when allocating grants and additional financial support, and reinforced mentorship for participants with fewer opportunities.
Budget
The budget for the 2021-2027 period is around €26.2 billion, nearly double that for 2014-2020. Again, around 10.3 % of the budget is reserved for the youth branch of the programme. An additional €2.2 billion is made available through the EU external cooperation instruments.
The yearly budget is disclosed in the annual work programmes. Based on the annual work programmes and the programme guidelines, national agencies and the European Education and Culture Executive Agency issue calls for proposals on a yearly basis.
Read this ‘at a glance’ note on ‘Erasmus+: More than just students‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.
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