🇩🇪 Erasmus+ Youth Exchange in Germany 📱 Digital Wellbeing, Media Literacy and Online Participation 🧠

Through Connected, Not Consumed, the organisers respond to young people's challenges around digital life, well-being and participation. The project creates safe youth work spaces to pause, reflect and understand how online environments affect emotions, relationships and daily balance. It fosters digital activism by helping participants recognise their digital habits and make conscious choices, and through non-formal, experience-based activities, young people explore connection, concentration and well-being without judgement. The project also strengthens digital literacy and critical thinking, as participants learn to question media, recognise manipulation and understand algorithms, while intercultural exchange builds empathy, communication skills and a shared European perspective.

Youthpass, and what it actually proves about the learning you did: https://youthworkshub.org/15122/

🎯 Project Themes

📢 Digital activism and online participation

📰 Media literacy and misinformation awareness

🔐 Digital safety, privacy and ethics

🚶 Offline city experience for presence and connection

📜 Youthpass reflection and personal learning

🎨 Creative messages for local dissemination

🧘 Digital wellbeing and healthy habits

📅 Dates and Venue

📅 Dates: 1 to 10 December 2026, including travel days

📍 City: Ilmenau and Oehrenstock, Germany

🏨 Accommodation name: Herzkompass, Frauenwälder Str. 22, 98693 Ilmenau / Oehrenstock

🛏️ Rooms: gender-based room allocation, with 2 to 3 people per room

🕚 Timings: checkout at 11:00

🏙️ About the City

The historic German town of Ilmenau is uniquely recognized across Europe for its dual identity as a Goethe and University Town, Goethe- und Universitätsstadt. Nestled along the northern edge of the stunning Thuringian Forest, it seamlessly balances deep literary history with cutting-edge academic innovation.

🌍 Interested in intercultural youth work in Germany over a longer stay? This one is worth a look:

ESC Volunteering in 🇩🇪 Germany 🌍 Intercultural Youth Work and Camps 🎪 → https://youthworkshub.org/20981

👥 Who Can Apply

🎂 Participants aged 18 to 25

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Group leaders aged 18 and over

🌍 You must be a legal resident in one of the countries of the participating organisations

🪪 A residence permit is necessary to participate where applicable

⭐ Priority is given to applicants with no prior Erasmus Plus experience

🚫 Applications generated by GPT or similar AI tools are automatically discarded, and no further feedback is provided to such applications

🌍 Eligible Countries

🇲🇰 North Macedonia, 🇹🇷 Türkiye, 🇸🇰 Slovakia, 🇷🇸 Serbia, 🇮🇹 Italy, 🇳🇱 Netherlands, 🇩🇪 Germany

💶 Travel Reimbursement and Participants

There are no participation fees to be paid. Numbers of participants and reimbursement amounts per country:

🇩🇪 Germany, green travel: 5 participants aged 18 to 25, 1 group leader aged 18+, and 1 facilitator, 211 EUR

🇮🇹 Italy: 5 participants aged 18 to 25 and 1 group leader, 309 EUR

🇳🇱 Netherlands, green travel: 4 participants aged 18 to 25 and 1 group leader, 285 EUR

🇹🇷 Türkiye: 4 participants aged 18 to 25 and 1 group leader, 309 EUR

🇸🇰 Slovakia: 4 participants aged 18 to 25 and 1 group leader, 309 EUR

🇷🇸 Serbia: 4 participants aged 18 to 25 and 1 group leader, 309 EUR

🇲🇰 North Macedonia: 4 participants aged 18 to 25 and 1 group leader, 309 EUR

📌 Do not book any travel tickets until your sending organisation confirms your plan, as the organisers are not responsible for travel booked without selection and confirmation.

⏳ You are expected to book your flight, train or bus tickets yourself, and these are reimbursed after the project is over, which can take a month.

📌 Important Notes

🧾 Reimbursement: reimbursement is possible only with valid proof of travel costs, so keep all invoices, receipts, boarding passes and train or bus tickets. No receipt or proof means no reimbursement.

🪪 Residence permit: residence permits are checked on arrival where applicable, and participants who require one must have a valid residence permit issued by their country of residence. For example, a German resident must show a German residence permit, and Belgian residence permit holders cannot participate as German participants.

⏰ Full participation: apply only if you are available for the full duration of the project and able to participate in all workshops, sessions and activities. As this is a structured Erasmus+ educational mobility, participants are expected to actively engage throughout the programme. If work, studies, job interviews, appointments or other commitments may affect your participation, inform the organisers in advance so they can try to accommodate where possible. Unexplained absences may result in a partial or full reduction of travel reimbursement.

👤 Individual participation: participants are expected to join the project as individuals rather than as couples, which supports inclusive group dynamics, balanced participation and a positive learning experience for everyone.

🧰 Project Outputs

📘 A reusable toolkit with session plans, worksheets, templates and beginner guides

✅ A Digital Ethics and Consent Checklist plus five Tech-for-Good mini-concepts

🏫 After the return, local sharing in schools and universities plus online dissemination

✨ Reflection, wellbeing and creative methods, taken into a different Erasmus+ setting:

Erasmus+ Training Course in 🇨🇿 Czechia 🎭 Resilience through Storytelling and Embodiment ✨ → https://youthworkshub.org/21204

🎒 Practical Information

Do not forget to bring:

💊 Personal medication

🪪 Identification documents such as ID, passport and visa

🛡️ Health and travel insurance, as all participants must have valid travel and health insurance for the full dates, including travel days

🎫 Travel tickets and boarding passes as originals

👕 Comfortable clothes for indoor and outdoor activities

⚠️ Participants travelling from Türkiye are required to obtain valid travel health insurance covering the entire period of travel and stay for the project, including travel days. This insurance is not covered by the project budget and must be arranged individually before departure.

🩺 If you have any medical or other issues that could impact your ability to participate in the project or affect your well-being or that of other participants, it is essential to inform the project staff in advance, prior to signing your Agreement.

💵 No participation fees are to be paid.

💳 Money and Currency

The official currency in Germany is the Euro (EUR). Credit and debit cards are accepted in many places, especially in supermarkets, restaurants and larger shops. However, in smaller towns, local cafés, small shops or some public places may prefer cash, so it is useful to keep a small amount of cash with you. Participants are not required to bring large amounts of cash, and if needed, money can be withdrawn from ATMs using cards such as Revolut or N26, although international withdrawal fees may apply depending on your bank. Participants from Türkiye are suggested to bring some Euros in cash before travelling, as this may be easier and more practical than exchanging money after arrival.

🗣️ Linguistic Preparation

German is the official language of Germany. In this town, English may not be widely spoken in everyday situations, so learning a few basic German words will be very helpful. It is also appreciated by locals and shows respect for the local culture.

👋 Hallo: Hello

🌅 Guten Morgen: Good morning

🌆 Guten Abend: Good evening

👋 Auf Wiedersehen: Goodbye

🙏 Danke: Thank you

🙏 Vielen Dank: Thank you very much

🙂 Bitte: Please

✅ Ja: Yes

❌ Nein: No

❓ Ich verstehe nicht: I don't understand

📝 Task Related Preparations

During the preparatory phase of the project, participants receive guidelines for preparatory tasks. These may include short reflection exercises, small sustainability challenges, or creative prompts related to AI and misinformation. Participants are expected to complete these tasks before arrival, as they support group work and the development of the final theatre performances during the exchange.

📜 Youthpass

Youthpass is an official certificate developed by the European Commission for Erasmus+ participants. It helps you recognise and describe what you learned through non-formal learning during the project. Through short reflections during the exchange, you identify your learning outcomes and key competences, such as communication, teamwork, initiative, intercultural skills and digital and creative competences. Youthpass can be a valuable addition to your CV and can support future job or study applications. All participants have the right to receive a Youthpass certificate at the end of the main activity.

🏢 About the Organizer

Internationaler Jugend- und Bildungsverein Kaiserslautern e.V. (IJBK e.V.) is a registered non-profit youth and educational association based in Kaiserslautern, Germany. The organisation focuses on international youth work, non-formal learning and intercultural exchange, especially through Erasmus+ projects, youth exchanges and training activities that connect young people across cultures and promote active participation, inclusivity, creativity and social engagement. IJBK e.V. supports youth empowerment by creating opportunities for young people to learn, collaborate, connect and build competences for their personal and professional development.

🤝 Sending Organisations

🇩🇪 Germany: IJBK e.V.

🇮🇹 Italy: Comune di Ghedi

🇳🇱 Netherlands: Stichting Solidara

🇹🇷 Türkiye: Yenilikçi Eğitim ve Kültürel Gelişim Derneği

🇸🇰 Slovakia: Budúcnosť mladým

🇷🇸 Serbia: Digitalni Dekanteri

🇲🇰 North Macedonia: Association for Social Innovation VR LAB Bitola

✅ What You Declare by Applying

📄 That you have read the info-pack

👤 That you fit the adequate participant profile

🌍 That you are a legal resident in one of the countries of participating organisations

🎯 That you are aware of the aims and objectives of the project

🎫 That you are supposed to book your flights, train or bus tickets, which are reimbursed after the project is over

📩 How to Apply

Contact your respective sending organisation to apply, or fill in the online application form. The organisers also invite applicants to follow their Instagram account @ijbk.ev to be the first to discover upcoming Erasmus+ projects, open calls and international youth opportunities. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, and suitable applicants may receive a confirmation before the application deadline, so do not wait until the deadline to apply as places may be filled earlier.