Nuori Espoo and Erasmus+ youth exchanges

The Erasmus+ youth exchange organised by Espoo Youth Services is an EU-supported international meeting of groups of young people aged 13–17, planned and carried out by young people together with youth workers and groups of young people from abroad.

Through youth exchanges, we offer young people the opportunity to learn language and cultural skills and share their experiences with young people from abroad through fun activities. The activities are based on the active participation of the young people in all phases of the youth exchange, without forgetting fun and creativity.

The minimum number of participants in a youth exchange group is 8. The maximum number of participants in a group is 30.

The youth exchange will take place mainly in the young people’s free time. Youth exchanges are meetings where groups of young people from at least two different countries spend a short time together and complete an informal learning programme on a common topic of interest to them. We encourage the participants to choose topics that are central to European youth work. Read about the European Youth Goals.(external link, opens in a new window)

The youth exchange entails that the group will go to a European country for a week or so and that, correspondingly, young people from abroad will come to visit us and get to know Finland. The exchange trip will take place mainly during school holidays. The youth exchange consists of a planning phase, a preparatory phase, an implementation phase and a follow-up phase. The actual trip abroad is only one part of the youth exchange, but it is perhaps the most rewarding one. To make the experience as rewarding as possible, it is important that the young people play a key role in all phases of the exchange. We will provide guidance and support for participation in all phases of the exchange.

• The Netherlands, Belgium, Bulgaria, Spain, Ireland, Italy, Austria, Greece, Croatia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, Poland, France, Romania, Sweden, Germany, Slovakia, Slovenia, Finland, Denmark, Czech Republic, Hungary and Estonia
• Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, North Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey

You will need basic teamwork skills to participate in a youth exchange. There will always be youth workers participating in the youth exchanges, and you can get guidance and support from them. They will be with you throughout the planning, implementation and evaluation of the whole exchange. They will also make sure that the group’s activities are safe, respectful and non-discriminatory.

To ensure the success of the exchange and provide a useful learning experience, we expect you to play an active role in all phases of the project. By active role, we mean that you will be involved in all phases of the youth exchange as much as possible, from start to finish. The youth exchange will take a few months to complete in its entirety. 

You can participate on your own, with a friend or in a larger group. You can also make new friends by participating. International experiences are memorable and can even lead to lifelong friendships.

Participation in the youth exchange is free of charge. The European Union (EU) pays the costs of Erasmus+ youth projects. You will need money for doing your own shopping while you are on the trip. Travel, accommodation, meals and the programme will be free of charge. We will help you acquire the essentials for your trip, if necessary.

In addition to an open mind, you will need a valid passport and necessary vaccinations. If necessary, we can also assist you in obtaining a passport.  You will also need your guardian’s permission to participate in the exchange.

You will not need to know any languages to participate. If you cannot say something in English, you can say it using gestures. Attitude is more important than language skills. It is best to go with an open mind, and your language skills will improve during the youth exchange.

As a participant of Espoo Youth Services, you will have travel insurance from the City of Espoo against illness during the youth exchange. The insurance does not include a luggage insurance. You can obtain one yourself. The luggage insurance will cover any lost luggage. 

We will agree on the accommodation together with the participants of the destination country. The accommodation can be in a recreation camp, school, hostel or other suitable place for group accommodation. The accommodation will be safe and provide facilities for basic hygiene during the trip.

Once the group of young people has been assembled, the planning phase of the youth exchange will begin. The activities will be planned at group meetings, usually in a youth centre. The planning will include choosing a common topic, determining the objectives to be learned and pursued through the exchange, identifying the needs of the group and creating a set of common principles and rules for the group. In addition, we will plan together in which country we would like to look for a partner for the youth exchange. Sometimes the Youth Services will already have partners to choose from, and the group will decide on the most suitable one. We encourage the participants to choose a topic that is central to European youth work.

In the preparatory phase, the group has already chosen a topic and a partner. The preparation will involve agreeing on the practical arrangements, making contractual arrangements with the group in the partner country and participating in pre-departure training. In this phase, we will organise one preparatory meeting with the partner country, which can be carried out online.

Pre-departure training means that we familiarise ourselves with the culture, codes of behaviour, legislation and safety issues of the destination country before travelling there. In addition, we will go over, for example, travel practices that everyone should be aware of. This will ensure that you can travel securely in changing situations.

Before each trip, we organise a joint meeting between the young people and their guardians, where the guardians have the opportunity to ask and receive answers to any questions they may have.

The programme of the trip will be planned together with the groups of young people from both participating countries. The trip will include a programme of informal learning activities, such as workshops, exercises, discussions, role-plays, simulations and outdoor activities, evening gatherings and cultural experiences. 

The youth exchange includes a return visit, i.e. a group of young people from the destination country will come to visit us in Finland. We will plan a programme with them to help them get to know the Finnish way of life. After their visit, we will evaluate the success of the whole youth exchange. In addition, we will tell a wider audience about the exchange and its success, for example, on our website or social media. Sharing tips and learnings with a wider audience is useful not only for us but also for others involved in youth exchanges.

Youthpass is a European certificate of your participation and learning. You will record the things you learn during the youth exchange in your Youthpass. This certificate may be useful to you in the future when you apply for a study place or a job.