🔑 Key Information
Activity ⭐️ Title
The Spark: Understanding What Drives Youth Engagement
🇪🇺 What is Erasmus+? Erasmus+ is the EU's programme for education, training, youth and sport, with a €26.2 billion budget for 2021–2027. It funds study abroad, internships, youth exchanges, training courses and youth worker mobility. This overview covers who is eligible, every activity type and what's funded. 👉 https://youthworkshub.org/erasmusplus
Activity 🔶 Type | 📆 Dates | 📍Location
Training Course
15-18 November 2026 | Oldenburg, Germany
❗️What Is This Training About?
Explore what drives young people’s engagement, from motivation and belonging to peer influence and previous experiences, and reflect on how youth workers can support participation, responsibility and ownership.
✅ Who can apply for Erasmus+ and ESC? Eligibility depends on activity: ages 13–30 for most Erasmus+ youth activities and 18–30 for ESC volunteering (up to 35 for humanitarian aid), plus country and residence rules. This guide covers roles, inclusion support, language needs and the profile coordinators look for. 👉 https://youthworkshub.org/whocanapply
ℹ️ Description About The Opportunity
The Spark: Understanding What Drives Youth Engagement is a four-day training course for youth workers, trainers, facilitators and others working in the field of non-formal learning and international youth work.
Why do some young people actively participate while others stay on the side-lines? During the training, we will explore different factors that can influence young people’s engagement, including adolescent development, motivation, peer influence, sense of belonging, previous experiences, interests, competences and the social environment.
We will also turn the focus towards ourselves as youth workers. We will reflect on what we consider to be passivity, what kind of participation we expect from young people, and how much real influence and ownership they have in the opportunities and activities we create for them. We will explore participation as something that develops over time and consider how young people can gradually build autonomy, responsibility, decision-making skills and ownership.
The training will also examine what youth workers can realistically influence when supporting young people’s participation, how much control we are willing and able to share, and where the limits of our own role and responsibility lie.
The programme is based on non-formal and experiential learning. Participants will connect the topics explored during the training with situations from their own practice and consider what they can understand or approach differently in their work.
The training is open to participants aged 18 or above, with at least three years of experience in youth work, who are based in an Erasmus+ Youth Programme Country. Please do not apply if you do not meet these eligibility criteria, as we will not be able to select you for the training course.
When selecting participants, priority may be given to applicants who are able to travel using green means of transport.
Submitting the application form does not automatically mean that you have been selected. Following the selection, we will also establish a waiting list. If a selected participant withdraws or is unable to confirm their participation and travel arrangements within the requested timeframe, their place may be offered to an applicant on the waiting list.
📘 What is Erasmus+? (in-depth) Erasmus+ has run since 1987 and has had over 13 million participants, funding four main activities for young people. This pillar guide covers its history, funding, research-backed benefits, the full application process and an FAQ. 👉 https://youthworkshub.org/what-is-erasmus-plus
Training overview
This Training Course is
for 20 participants
from Erasmus+ Youth Programme countries 
and recommended for
Youth workers, Youth leaders, Volunteering mentors, Youth coaches
Working language(s):
English
Organiser:
Ambitia Institute (Youth NGO)
Zavod Ambitia is a Slovenian organisation active in the fields of youth work, nonformal education, learning processes and international cooperation. The organisation develops and implements Erasmus+ projects, training courses, youth exchanges and educational activities focused on personal development, participation, inclusion, sustainability and meaningful learning experiences for young people and youth workers.
The organisation places a strong focus on experiential learning, reflection, facilitation and the development of supportive learning environments. Through its projects, Zavod Ambitia aims to support learning processes that encourage self-awareness, active participation, critical thinking and personal growth.
💡 How do you prepare a strong Erasmus+ or ESC application? Read the call carefully, write specific motivation, show skills with examples, and state clear learning goals. This guide gives 10 practical tips plus the common mistakes that lead to rejection. 👉 https://youthworkshub.org/erasmus-application-tips
📥 Contact
Contact for questions:
Karmen Murn
E-Mail:
Phone: 0038640527418
💶 Costs
Costs
Participation fee
No fee.
Accommodation and food
No accommodation costs.
Travel reimbursement
Standard Erasmus + rules for travel remimbursement apply. Preferably green travel.
📜 Certificate
Participants are entitled to receive a Youthpass certificate from the organiser, for recognition of their competence development during the activity. Read more about Youthpass:
https://youthworkshub.org/what-is-youthpass
⚠️ Important Dates
Application deadline (24h UTC): 13 September 2026
Date of selection: 14 September 2026
🎓 What is an Erasmus+ Training Course? A Training Course is a short funded course (5–10 days) for youth workers, educators and NGO staff to build skills through non-formal education. This guide explains who can join, what's covered and how it differs from a Youth Exchange. 👉 https://youthworkshub.org/trainingcourse
🔗 Official Link
⚖️ What's the difference between ESC and Erasmus+? The ESC is for volunteering and solidarity, while Erasmus+ is broad learning mobility (study, training, youth exchanges). This guide compares age, funding, duration and application route, and includes a "choose this if…" decision guide. 👉 https://youthworkshub.org/esc-vs-erasmus
🎂 What are the age limits for Erasmus+ and ESC? Youth Exchanges are 13–30, ESC volunteering is 18–30 (35 for humanitarian aid), and training, youth worker mobility and study/traineeships have no upper age limit. This guide breaks down every activity and how age is counted (at the start date). 👉 https://youthworkshub.org/erasmus-age-limits
💶 What costs does Erasmus+ cover? For youth activities (KA152–154) it covers travel by distance band, individual support, organisational support, preparation, inclusion support up to 100% and exceptional costs. This 2026 guide details each item and what Erasmus+ does not cover. 👉 https://youthworkshub.org/what-erasmus-covers
