🇷🇴 Erasmus+ Youth Exchange in Romania 🌳 Reforestation and Digital Tools for Environmental Action 🌱

Forests are essential to life. They protect biodiversity, regulate the climate, preserve soil and water, and provide habitats for countless species. However, deforestation and the effects of climate change continue to threaten forest ecosystems across Europe. Reforestation is therefore more than planting trees: it is a long-term commitment to restoring natural environments, protecting biodiversity, and strengthening the relationship between people and nature.

In today's highly digital world, young people are constantly exposed to information about environmental challenges, yet this awareness does not always lead to practical involvement. Many care about the environment but lack the confidence, tools or opportunities to take meaningful action. By combining digital tools with hands-on reforestation activities, ReForest helps young people move from passive online engagement to active environmental participation. They learn how technology can support ecological action, contribute directly to planting trees, and discover how they can continue making a difference in their own communities.

🌍 Objectives

ReForest aims to increase environmentally responsible action supported by digital tools among young people from Romania, Hungary, Czechia and Portugal, with reforestation as the central action of the Youth Exchange.

✊ Turn environmental concern into civic action, increasing the active civic engagement of young people and supporting them in independently joining or initiating at least one ecological volunteering action in their home communities after the mobility

📱 Develop sustainable digital behaviour, equipping participants with practical knowledge of ecological mobile applications and showing them how digital tools can support meaningful environmental action in their daily lives

🤝 Strengthen organisations and future cooperation, building the capacity of the participating organisations in climate action and digital tools while creating lasting partnerships for future youth-led sustainability initiatives

Not sure what actually happens during a Youth Exchange before you commit to one? Here is a clear starting point: https://youthworkshub.org/15116/

🌱 What the Youth Exchange Will Look Like

🖥️ First phase, Digital Transformation for Environmental Action: participants build trust within the group and explore how digital tools can support climate engagement. Through interactive workshops, research tasks, outdoor exploration and reflection, they discover ecological applications, analyse digital environmental realities in their countries, and examine the difference between passive digital activism and meaningful action.

🌳 Second phase, Reforestation into Action: participants deepen their understanding of biodiversity, deforestation, tree species and planting methods. Simulations, drone mapping, preparation activities and the collective tree-planting action allow them to apply what they have learned.

🎓 Third phase, Reflection and Dissemination: the final activities focus on reflection, documentation, Youthpass, dissemination and continuing ReForest after the mobility. Participants look back at what they learned and plan how to use their new skills at home, evaluate their mobility, celebrate their journey together, brainstorm dissemination strategies and receive their Youthpass certification.

🌟 Staying in Romania and drawn to community work? This longer volunteering placement fits that spirit:

ESC Volunteering in 🇷🇴 Romania 🤝 Youth Development and Community Engagement 🌟 → https://youthworkshub.org/20941

🤝 Partnership

🇷🇴 Asociatia Agoje, Romania

🇵🇹 AzorEarth, Portugal

🇨🇿 Youth Group Novae, Czech Republic

🇭🇺 Orion Fiatalok, Hungary

🌍 Eligible Countries

🇷🇴 Romania, 🇵🇹 Portugal, 🇭🇺 Hungary, 🇨🇿 Czech Republic

Each national group is made up of 10 participants and 2 group leaders. You can participate if you legally reside in one of these countries.

👥 Who Should Join

🎂 Young people between 18 and 30 years old

🌱 People who are genuinely curious about environmental protection, reforestation, digital tools and community action

🌍 Participants who are open to intercultural learning and working with young people from different backgrounds

🔄 People prepared to take part in every project phase: preparation, the online meeting, the 10-day mobility, follow-up and dissemination

🏡 Accommodation

The Youth Exchange takes place in Lacu Roșu, Transylvania, Romania, and participants are accommodated at the Lacu Roșu Mountain Lodge for the duration of the mobility, with accommodation costs covered by the project.

🛏️ Participants stay in shared rooms for 2 or 5 people, with one spacious shared room accommodating up to 8 people, respecting comfort, safety and gender-related needs

🧴 Please pack your personal toiletries and any medicine you may need, as these are not provided

🥗 Daily meals and two coffee breaks per day are provided throughout the mobility, with balanced options including vegetarian and vegan meals, and participants must communicate any allergies, dietary restrictions or special dietary needs before arrival

🛒 A shop is located about two minutes' walk from the accommodation and accepts card payments, and internet access is available at the venue throughout the mobility

🏔️ Lacu Roșu is a mountain destination whose connection with the National Park of Cheile Bicazului makes it a relevant place to learn about forests, tree species, deforestation and reforestation while engaging directly with the surrounding environment

🌍 If sustainability and hands-on building appeal to you, this Erasmus+ course goes deeper into it:

Erasmus+ Training Course in 🇵🇹 Portugal 🏡 Bioconstruction and Sustainable Building for Rural Regeneration 🌍 → https://youthworkshub.org/20693

🚌 Transportation

Participants travel to Lacu Roșu through routes coordinated by their sending organisations and the AGOJE team, and environmentally sustainable travel is prioritised whenever possible, with participants encouraged to travel together with their national group and group leaders.

🚌 Czech Republic and Hungary: participants use green travel and reach the venue by a rented bus that collects the national groups

✈️ Portugal: participants fly either to Budapest or Cluj, chosen according to available flights, and from there join the shared bus travelling with the other participants to the venue

🚆 Romania: participants use green travel methods such as trains, buses or carpooling, coordinating their route with the group leaders

⚠️ All travel itineraries must be approved by the host or sending organisation before tickets are purchased, and if a travel route was not approved in advance it may not be eligible for reimbursement. Flights should only be used where no reasonable green-travel alternative is available.

📅 Participants must arrive by 11 October at the latest and leave no earlier than 22 October, taking part in the full activity period, as late arrivals and early departures are not allowed.

💶 Travel Reimbursement

The project is funded 100% from the Erasmus+ programme, covering travel, accommodation and food for the entire duration of the mobility, with no participation fee.

🎫 Once selected, participants search for the most suitable travel options, and tickets must not be purchased before the complete itinerary and proposed tickets have been approved by the host or sending organisation

📄 After booking, participants save their travel confirmation email and tickets as PDF files, and all tickets, invoices and boarding passes must be uploaded to a shared drive link, with screenshots accepted for boarding passes but tickets uploaded as PDF files

💶 Reimbursement takes place only after the follow-up activities have been completed, processed in a single transfer per country to the sending organisation, and public transportation tickets costing under 2 euro are not reimbursable and are considered part of the co-funding contribution

📋 Engagement Required

By applying, you accept to carry out preparatory tasks, participate in the Preparatory Online Meeting before the mobility, actively participate in the 10-day mobility in Lacu Roșu, and implement a follow-up activity after the mobility. The project requires at least 12 days: 10 days of mobility, 2 days for travel, plus one online meeting, plus follow-up and dissemination.

💡 Tips

🩺 Obtain the European Health Insurance Card and secure travel insurance for around 15 euro, which falls under the participants' co-financing responsibility and is not reimbursable

🪪 Always carry your passport or ID card, keeping two documents in separate luggage if you have them

🧥 The weather in Lacu Roșu during October can be cold, with daytime highs around 12°C and night-time lows around 4°C, so bring warm layers and a good jacket

🎒 Travel light, rely on card payments in most shops, and bring your good vibes and a positive attitude

📜 Youthpass

Participants receive a Youthpass certificate upon completing the project.

📩 How to Apply

Read the infopack carefully and complete the online application form. Each partner organisation carries out the selection of its own national participants, and after selection you receive an email with further instructions. Do not buy any tickets before the approval of the project organisers.