🇧🇬 Erasmus+ Youth Exchange in Bulgaria ♻️ Zero-Waste and Sustainable Living in a Mountain Village 🌱

If you are passionate about sustainability, environmental protection, and making a positive impact in your community, this fully funded Erasmus+ Youth Exchange in the beautiful Bulgarian mountain village of Progled is for you. Over ten days, "Mission Zero Waste" will teach you practical ways to reduce waste, build your confidence to inspire others, and connect you with young people from across Europe.

About the Project

"Mission Zero Waste" is an Erasmus+ Youth Exchange focused on sustainability, recycling, composting, and zero-waste lifestyles. Through the project, you will learn how to reduce waste through everyday actions while developing the skills and confidence to inspire others towards more sustainable lifestyles.

The project aims to:

♻️ Build competencies in young people around recycling, zero-waste lifestyles, and composting

🌿 Teach a responsible attitude towards nature and health, and the connection between them

🗣️ Improve social and presentation skills for offline communication and for promoting ecological causes on social media

📋 Teach participants to plan and organise eco initiatives according to PMI guidelines

🌟 Make participants positive role models who facilitate sustainable change in their communities

What You Will Do

🗑️ Learn about recycling, composting, and zero-waste lifestyles

🌍 Discover practical ways to reduce waste in everyday life

🎤 Improve your communication and presentation skills

🤝 Meet young people from different countries and cultures

📣 Learn how to organise environmental initiatives and inspire others

✨ Become a role model for sustainable change in your community

Participants

🎂 Age group: 18 and over (note: the promotional header mentions 16 to 28; the participant profile specifies 18+)

🌍 Groups of 7 participants from 4 countries: 🇮🇹 Italy, 🇩🇰 Denmark, 🇬🇷 Greece, and 🇲🇰 North Macedonia, hosted in 🇧🇬 Bulgaria

🗣️ Participants should have a good level of English and be motivated to actively take part in all activities

Preparation

Before the mobility, participants take part in preparatory activities:

💻 Two video conferences: the first to break the ice and support task preparation, the second on non-formal and inclusive education, personal goals, and safety and logistics

📝 Each participant fills out a Google Form to assess their needs, expectations, and preferences, and joins the project Facebook group (the main communication tool)

🔍 Each national group interviews at least 10 local young people about waste management, recycling, composting, and environmental initiatives, summarised in a short presentation

🎭 Each national group prepares part of the intercultural evening, presenting their country's culture, traditions, and lifestyle and how it contributes to European diversity

🧠 A psychologist conducts online sessions to support inclusion, especially for participants with fewer opportunities

Each participant must fill out the Google Form and join the Facebook group at least 6 weeks before the mobility.

Venue

🏔️ The venue is Guest House "Izvorite", in the mountain resort village of Progled, 5 km from Chepelare, 4 km from the Pamporovo ski resort, and 20 km from Smolyan. Daytime temperatures are a pleasant 25 to 30°C.

🛏️ The house has 12 rooms (3 or 4 beds) with private or shared bathrooms, most with balconies and mountain views, plus a conference room and garden

🥗 Food and beverages are from local bio producers, and the water is among the cleanest in Europe

🧴 The venue provides basic hygiene items such as towels, soap, shampoo, toothpaste, and hair dryers

Check-in is after 17:00 on 14 August, and check-out is before 10:00 on 24 August.

Getting There

✈️ Use Sofia or Plovdiv airports; there are regular buses to Chepelare, Smolyan, and Progled, roughly every hour. The trip is about 4 hours from Sofia and about 2 hours from Plovdiv. Ask the driver to stop at the entrance of Progled, then walk 300 to 400 metres to the guest house.

⚠️ Please plan your trip in line with the bus schedule, and contact the team by email (nie@association-nie.com) or WhatsApp (+359876174277) for approval before purchasing tickets. Tickets that have not been approved may not be reimbursable.

Travel Budget

💶 Italy: 275€, Denmark: 275€, Greece: 180€, North Macedonia: 180€

Funding and Insurance

💚 The project is funded by the Erasmus+ programme, and the accommodation, food, and travel expenses of participants are fully covered. The hosting organisation does not require any participation fees.

🩺 All participants should bring their European Health Insurance Card; the organisation will arrange additional insurance for the seminar period

🎒 You may bring some pocket money and any specific medication, plus warm and comfortable clothes, sunscreen, comfy shoes, and an umbrella, and national food, drinks, or traditional items for the intercultural evening

Dissemination and Reimbursement

After the seminar, each national group organises at least two local environmental events (minimum 20 participants each) to share what they learned, acting as multipliers in their communities. Project results are shared with at least five local institutions in each country, and each partner publishes at least one post about the project. Reimbursements are made once participants submit all original tickets, boarding passes, and bills, along with dissemination pictures, and correctly complete the reimbursement and dissemination reports.