Participation in an international Youth Worker exchange (Erasmus+)

By participating in an international mobility for youth workers, organisations in the field of youtht enable youth workers from Switzerland to take part in an Erasmus+ project.

Next steps

For organisations in the field of youth

For organisations in the field of youth

Overview

For whom

  • Professional and voluntary youth workers from Switzerland

Duration

  • 2 days to 2 months
  • The duration of the stay of the Swiss participants must correspond to the duration of the activity in the Erasmus+ application

Where

  • In Europe and neighbouring countries

What we fund

  • Financial support for travelling and accommodation
  • Effective costs are covered for participants with special needs

What to do

  • Organisations and institutions involved in the field of youth based in Switzerland apply for funding for Swiss participants
  • The application must relate to a planned Erasmus+ project.

Deadlines

  • Application deadlines:
    • 5 March 2024: for participation in projects of the Erasmus+ deadline of 20 February 2024
    • 14 May 2024, for participation in Erasmus+ projects from 07 May 2024
    • 8 October 2024, for participation in Erasmus+ projects from 01 October 2024

Next steps

For organisations in the field of youth

In detail

Erasmus+ offers numerous exchange opportunities for youth workers in its programme and partner countries. To enable youth workers from Switzerland to participate, we offer financial support. The Swiss organisation or institution only applies to Movetia for funding for the Swiss participants; the main application is submitted by the project coordinators in the EU.

This activity is funded by the Swiss Programme for Erasmus+. This programme allows Swiss institutions to organise activities similar to the ones funded by the European education programme Erasmus+.

Erasmus+ exchange activities for youth workers 

Erasmus+ promotes appealing exchange opportunities for youth workers abroad - but only for participants from the respective programme and partner countries. To ensure that you can still participate, we provide financial support with the preparation, guidance and participation.
Erasmus+ offers may include

  • You attend a one-week training course in Barcelona, organised by a Spanish and a German  youth organisation, aimed at improvingdigital competencies in youth work alongeside youth workers from these organisations.
  • You participate in a two-week exchange project in Helsinki, where you engage in workshops, excursions and community environmental projects with youth workers to raise awareness of ecological issues and promote sustainable practices. This project is organised by the hosting Finnish youth organisation in collaboration with an Icelandic and a Swedish youth organisation. 

To find a suitable Erasmus+ project for you, activate your network and look around for interesting offers. The partner finding tool Otlas can help you to expand your network. 

If you would like to implement your own project idea with a foreign partner organisation, please note our funding opportunities International mobility for youth workers.

Funding for Swiss participants 

A main applicationis submitted by the project coordinator abroad to the National Agency of the respective country, outlining the content of the Erasmus+ project and covering the funding for the participation of all youth workers from the programme and partner countries. 

Swiss organisations can then apply to Movetia for funding for Swiss participants. The Swiss application focuses not on the project’s design buton the preparation and support of Swiss participants and the relevance of their involment in the projectfor the field of youth in Switzerland. The framework conditions are described in the main Erasmus+ application. Generally, we only support participation in the Erasmus+ format of "Mobility for Youth Workers"

We assess the relevance of the participation for Switzerland and the appropriateness of support for the Swiss participants. The decision on whether the project meets the Erasmus+ criteria rests with of the responsible national agency abroad. Further information can be found in the Erasmus+ 2024 programme guide.
In order to enable as diverse a group as possible to participate in the exchange project, we offer various support services with regard to inclusion and diversity. You will also receive financial support for participants with special needs.
Further information:

Special needs 

Requirements

For participants:

  • You are a qualified and experienced person working as a youth worker supporting young people. There is no age limit.
  • For participation in Erasmus+ projects, Movetia only funds participants who are resident in Switzerland.
  • If you are volunteering in the field of youth, you must participate in the project outside of your other school and work commitments.

For applicant organisations and institutions:

  • Organisations or institutions in the field of youth based in Switzerland are eligible to apply.
  • They work according to the principles of youth work: participatory, inclusive and accessible.

To the project:

  • Duration of the exchange is between 2 days and 2 months - excluding arrival and departure days.
  • The Swiss project participation must be tailored to the Erasmus+ project, i.e. it must relate to the same activity period and the same project duration. A copy of the Erasmus+ application, its programme of activities and an invitation letter from the coordinating organisation must be submitted. 

Funding amounts

  • For the trip: CHF 400 to 500 per person (depending on the destination country)
  • For the stay: CHF 65 to CHF 93 per day and person (depending on destination country)
  • For the specific needs of individuals with disabilities or those suffering from physical, mental, or chronic illnesses: Max. 12,000 CHF (actual costs based on the note of requirements)Insurance and any visa fees are at your expense.

You can find all contributions and calculations in detail in our subsidy table.

Evaluation criteria

  1. Relevance of the project 
    • The project a aligns with the objectives and priorities of the Swiss organisation or institution
      The project promises high-quality learning experiences for the Swiss participants.
      The project enables the participation of Swiss individuals with fewer opportunities.
  2. Quality of project planning 
    • The selection procedure is suitable for selecting Swiss participants with the right profile.
    • The quality of the preparation and support provided to the Swiss participants is comprehensible.
  3. Impact of the project and dissemination of results
    • The project has a positive impact on the Swiss participants and the Swiss organisation or institution involved.
    • Appropriate measures for disseminating the project results in Switzerland are planned.

The decision as to whether the Erasmus+ project for which there is Swiss participation fulfils the Erasmus+ criteria is a matter for the responsible National Agency and is not reviewed by Movetia. 

Procedure

For youth workers:

Are you interested in participating in an Erasmus+ project? Then contact your employer or the organisation in the field of youth you are volunteering for. This organisation will submit the application.

For institutions and organisations in the field of youth based in Switzerland:

Follow these steps to organise your participation:

  1. 1

    1. Networking with partners in the Erasmus+ programme countries

    • If you hear about an interesting project or are contacted directly by an organisation that is carrying out a project with Erasmus+, discuss the options for Swiss participation with the project coordinator. 
    • You can also find possible partner organisations via your umbrella organisations, via organisations known to collaborators or volunteers or via the OTLAS can help you to expand your network.
  2. 2

    2. optional Arrange a preparatory visit

    Would you like to meet potential project partners on site to get to know each other or jointly develop a project? Get financial support for a preparatory visit. 

  3. 3

    3. Collecting the relevant materials from the Erasmus+ application

    • Ask the project coordinator for the original application as submitted for the Erasmus+ project and the activity programme. You then submit these with the Swiss application. You should also enclose a confirmation from the project coordinator confirming that Swiss participation is desired. 
    • We will be happy to provide you with individual counselling to clarify questions about planning, submission and implementation. The consultation can take place over the phone, online or on site.
  4. 4

    4. Submit project proposal

    • Submit the project application online in the same application round as the Erasmus+ application. 
    • Open the application as early as possible to familiarise yourself with the requirements. We open the application forms together with the Call, usually in December and June . You can save the application temporarily and continue working on it later. If you are submitting an application for the first time, you will need to register once. 
    • Enclose the relevant documents from the Erasmus+ application with the funding application. Please also include the statutory documents of your organisation and the declaration of honour of an authorised signatory in the application. 
    • If a planning meeting is required at the beginning of the activity period before the actual mobility for youth workers takes place, this can also be requested. As a rule, a maximum of one person from each participating country may take part in planning meetings. The same funding amounts apply as for the other activities involved in an international mobility for youth workers.
    • It is important to us to also enable persons with disabilities or with physical, mental, or chronic diseases to participate. Therefore, we provide additional funding for persons with special needs, for which you can apply in the funding application. You may also submit a request for funding for special needs at a later stage during the project duration. You can find more information under Inclusion and equal opportunities.
    • After thorough preparation, you will need approximately 3 hours to complete the application; if there are any open questions, it may take longer to complete the form and compile the documents.
  5. 5

    5. Movetia evaluates the funding application

    • We review the funding application with regard to fulfilment of the  preconditions and the evaluation criteria and decide whether the project can be funded and with what amount. 
    • The evaluation lasts approximately 60 days.
  6. 6

    6. Waiting for and submitting the European funding decision

    • After we have evaluated your application, you will receive a funding decision. If the project is supported by Movetia, you must still wait for the decision from the Erasmus+ programme country, as participation is only possible in a project that has actually been financed by Erasmus+. 
    • If you receive a positive decision from Erasmus+, forward it to Movetia immediately so that the funding decision can take effect. We will then send you a contract.
  7. 7

    7. Payment of funding amounts

    • 80% of the funding amount will be paid after the contract is signed; the final settlement will be made with the final report. In certain cases, Movetia reserves the right to apply a different payment procedure.
    • Grants are paid exclusively to Swiss institutions and organisations.
  8. 8

    8. Carry out exchange

    • You decide who will take part in the mobility for youth workers. Advertise the project in your network and via your communication channels or inform your network about the planned project. You can also advertise your project via Eurodesk Switzerland.
    • Prepare the participants for the exchange so that they can benefit as much as possible from the experience.
      Implement the project in accordance with the application. Please note this information sheet. 
      You can use the notification of requirements for people with special needs to apply for additional funding for participants with disabilities or physical, mental or chronic illnesses, if you have not already done so in the funding application. 
    • Please make sure to submit a correct and complete list of participants 
    • Please notify us of any changes to your project (e.g. Duration, project partners) with a special application. 
  9. 9

    9. Submit final report

    • At the end of the project term plus 60 calendar days, you submit a final report via the online platform. 
    • This final report must be accompanied by a declaration of honour, the list of participants and the final report of the Erasmus+ project.
    • Reserve 2-3 hours for appropriate reporting.
    • Depending on the number of mobilities carried out, we will pay out any remaining amounts or issue a reclaim.
  10. 10

    10. Report about exchange

    • Other organisations and institutions can benefit from your exchange experience. Therefore, report on the exchange project via your channels, e.g. newsletter, social media, blog, etc. Make sure you mention Movetia as a funding partner. We provide the logo and text modules for this purpose. 

    Report on projects 

Q & A

Movetia can fund the participation of Swiss youth workers in Erasmus+ projects. To do so, a Swiss organisation or institution must be invited by the project coordinators from Europe to send youth workers. Movetia will pay for the participation of the Swiss youth workers if the European project is carried out and the participation of the youth workers from Europe is funded. 

With the rejection in Europe, the project and any participation in it is cancelled. It is not possible for the planned Swiss participants to receive funding for a trip abroad without a connection to the planned European project.

The organisational tasks lie mainly with the coordinating organisation in Europe, while the Swiss organisation is responsible for sending participants. However, should a planning meeting take place as part of the Erasmus+ project, a Swiss participant can be funded. 

Further options

Similar funding opportunities

  • Hosting volunteers as an organisation

    Your organisation can host European volunteers to support your non-profit projects and promote intercultural exchange.

  • Youth exchange for youth groups

    A youth exchange enables young people to meet up with peers in Switzerland or abroad.

  • European training activities for Youth Workers

    Training activities in Europe for Swiss youth workers . Funding opportunities for volunteers and professionals.

  • International cooperation for collaboration and innovation