The Municipality of Tosya is hosting "Shoot, Cut, Share, The Tosya Trail", an Erasmus+ Youth Exchange for 36 young people from Erasmus+ Programme Countries, with applications closing on 6 October 2026. At Youth Works Hub, we read the full infopack because this exchange asks participants to produce something concrete and public, a real social media campaign for a real town, rather than a reflective project that stays inside the group.
Get ready to explore a small Anatolian town through your lens. In October 2026, young people from 6 countries will meet in Tosya, discover its streets, flavours and landscapes with their cameras and phones, and turn everything they capture into a joint social media campaign.
No Need to Be a Professional
📱 Your phone is enough. What matters is that you create, share and stay active.
🎯 The output is not an artistic photo collection. It is touristic content that promotes a place and gets shared widely. Participants learn to use the camera and the phone as storytelling tools, to edit what they shoot, and to tie the material to a planned campaign calendar.
Your Host: the Municipality of Tosya
🏛️ The Municipality of Tosya holds an Erasmus+ Youth Accreditation, KA151, and organises international youth activities regularly. Young people and youth workers from different countries have already met in Tosya and in North Macedonia through its projects, and it remains open to new partnerships.
🌱 Its stated vision is to create modern spaces where young people can grow through education, arts and sport.
📷 Photos and stories from its previous youth projects are on Instagram at instagram.com/tosyayouth.
What the Municipality Has Already Run
🌍 May 2025: Connected Futures, Youth & Technology, a Youth Exchange in Tosya.
🎯 August 2025: Eleven Goals United, a Youth Exchange in Tosya.
💻 2025: Virtual Components, a youth worker training in Ohrid, North Macedonia.
♻️ September 2026: Green Practices, a youth worker mobility in Ohrid, North Macedonia.
A Hidden Gem in Northern Türkiye
🏔️ Tosya is a district of Kastamonu province, nestled between the Ilgaz Mountains and the fertile Devrez valley. It is a warm and welcoming town where history, nature and local crafts meet at every corner.
📊 Around 39,000 people live in Tosya, as of 2025.
🏛️ Known as Doceia in Byzantine times, Tosya has been a crossroads of cultures for centuries. It even served on the supply route from İnebolu to Ankara during the Turkish War of Independence. A local legend says the name comes from the words "dost ya", meaning "friend", which is why Tosya is also called the City of Friends.
🍚 The rice fields of the Devrez valley make Tosya famous all over Türkiye. The local Sarıkılçık rice is proudly called "the king of rice".
🔪 Tosya is known for the Tosya Bıçkısı, a handmade pocketknife with a buffalo horn handle and a registered geographical indication. The town is also a centre of woodworking, with around 1,500 workshops producing doors, windows and furniture for the whole country.
📸 The infopack names the photo safari spots directly: the Abdurrahman Paşa Mosque, built in 1584; traditional vineyard houses called gümele; and the lakes Dipsiz Göl and Yeşilgöl, surrounded by forest.
📍 The photos taken during the project will be added to the Google Maps pages of the places where they were taken.
The Project: Shoot, Cut, Share
🎥 The activity is built around a photo safari: young people produce visual material on location and turn it into a social media campaign.
🎯 Six aims sit behind the week: developing skills in visual content creation and storytelling; designing a social media campaign, preparing a content calendar and defining a target audience; learning digital editing tools such as CapCut and Canva through hands-on practice; connecting intercultural learning with local development by promoting a local town; experiencing sharing roles, dividing tasks and working to a deadline as a team; and documenting learning outcomes through Youthpass.
How the Week Actually Works
👥 Participants work in teams, and each team produces its own content.
🎨 Each day of shooting is built around a different theme.
📸 Shoot: a photo safari on location in and around Tosya.
✂️ Cut: editing with tools such as CapCut and Canva.
🚀 Share: outputs published as a joint social media campaign.
The Four Outputs
🖼️ A social media content set for each team: photographs, short videos and cover visuals.
🗓️ A campaign calendar and publishing plan produced jointly by the teams.
🗂️ A visual archive to use for dissemination after the activity.
🏅 Youthpass certificates for all participants.
The Programme, Day by Day
The organisers are upfront that this is a draft and a roadmap, not a fixed timetable. Days may swap depending on the weather, sessions may change, and there may be a few surprise trips along the way. On theme days, the morning starts with 1 to 2 hours of storyboarding and preparation, followed by shooting.
📅 23 Oct, Friday: arrival.
📅 24 Oct, Saturday: getting connected. Getting to know each other, teamwork and group dynamics session where teams are formed, introduction to the photo safari and social media campaigns, and introduction to photography techniques.
📅 25 Oct, Sunday: theory continued. Shooting techniques, mobile apps and editing.
📅 26 Oct, Monday: Theme 1, historic fabric and streets. Introduction to the themes.
📅 27 Oct, Tuesday: Theme 2, local flavours and production. Tosya rice, the market.
📅 28 Oct, Wednesday: Theme 3, nature and rural life. Preparing the campaign calendar.
📅 29 Oct, Thursday: Republic Day. Morning: photo and video content themed on Republic Day. Afternoon: free time and preparation for the cultural night. Evening: cultural night.
📅 30 Oct, Friday: final edits and launch. Final edits, jury evaluation, campaign launch, Youthpass and evaluation.
📅 31 Oct, Saturday: departure.
The Intercultural Night, on Republic Day
🎉 On the evening of 29 October, each national team presents its country with food, drinks, music, dances and traditions. The organisers ask participants to think about what makes their culture unique and to prepare something fun to share. Drinks brought for the evening should be non-alcoholic.
What the Weather Will Be Like
🌡️ Late October averages around 18°C during the day and 6°C at night, with about 9 rainy days across the month, based on Turkish State Meteorological Service, Kastamonu station averages.
🧥 Days are mild and pleasant, but nights are cold. Pack warm layers and a rain jacket, since the programme spends a lot of time outdoors.
Who Can Take Part
👥 6 countries, 6 people per country, the group leader included, for a total of 36 participants.
🎂 Participants aged 18 to 25, with no age limit for group leaders.
🗣️ English is the working language. A basic level is enough to take part, but each national team should include at least 2 participants who can communicate comfortably in English.
🎨 The organisers are looking for interest in social media content creation and photography.
⚖️ Gender balance in each team is targeted.
✅ You must take part in the full programme, from 23 to 31 October.
Where the Application Actually Comes From
📝 This round of the exchange has not pre-assigned which 6 countries will attend. Selection is based on the applications received, so the Municipality of Tosya is accepting applications from across the Erasmus+ Programme Countries, Türkiye included, rather than from a fixed pre-announced list of 6.
The Group Leader's Role
🧭 Preparing the national team before the exchange and keeping in touch with the organisers.
📋 Making sure the team knows the programme, the rules and the travel arrangements.
🤝 Supporting the team during the activities and helping build a good group dynamic.
🗂️ Collecting the team's travel documents and handing them to the organisers.
🏡 Helping the team share what they learned back home.
Where You Would Stay
🏨 Doğramacı City Hotel, Tosya, instagram.com/dogramacihotelcity.
🛏️ Shared rooms for 2 or 3 people, assigned by gender, with roommates coming from different countries.
📋 Room arrangements are made by the organisers before arrival, and room changes are not possible after check-in.
Food: a Taste of Anatolia
🍖 Turkish cuisine is rich, generous and full of flavour, and meat is at the heart of it. Lamb, beef and chicken appear in many everyday dishes, and even vegetable dishes, soups and rice are often cooked with meat, meat broth or butter. Food is seasoned with plenty of spices such as red pepper flakes, black pepper, cumin, mint and sumac, and garlic and onion are used in almost every meal.
⚠️ As the venue is in a rural area, alternative options may be limited, but the organisers say they will do their best. Dietary preferences are collected in the application form.
🍽️ Three meals a day plus coffee breaks. Meals start with dinner on the arrival day and end with breakfast on the departure day.
Getting to Tosya
✈️ For easier travel, the organisers recommend flying to Ankara. From Ankara's main bus terminal, AŞTİ, there are around 4 direct buses a day to Tosya, and the journey takes about 3 hours, covering roughly 226 km. More travel details are shared with selected participants.
Money in Türkiye
💱 The currency is the Turkish lira, TRY. On 30 September 2026, per the European Central Bank, €1 was approximately 55.66 TRY. The lira is described as very volatile, so the organisers advise checking the rate shortly before travelling.
💳 Cards are widely accepted in cities, but in a rural area like Tosya, cash may be needed in small shops, markets and local transport. Keeping some cash on hand is recommended throughout.
💶 Travel reimbursement is paid in euro, in cash.
Travel Reimbursement, by Distance Band
🇪🇺 Erasmus+ contributes to the travel costs of participants, including group leaders, from their place of origin to the venue and back. The amount depends on travel distance, calculated with the European Commission distance calculator.
📏 10 to 99 km: €28 standard, €56 green travel.
📏 100 to 499 km: €211 standard, €285 green travel.
📏 500 to 1999 km: €309 standard, €417 green travel.
📏 2000 to 2999 km: €395 standard, €535 green travel.
📏 3000 to 3999 km: €580 standard, €785 green travel.
📏 4000 to 7999 km: €1,188 for both standard and green travel.
📏 8000 km or more: €1,735 for both standard and green travel.
🌱 Per the Erasmus+ Programme Guide 2025, below 500 km participants will, as a general rule, travel with low emission means of transport.
💶 Reimbursements are paid by hand during the activity, against a signed receipt, for all costs backed by documents and invoices.
🧾 Keep and hand in all e-tickets, invoices and boarding passes. No documents, no reimbursement.
🌱 Planning to travel by train, bus or car-pooling for the green travel rate? Get approval from the coordinators first.
📆 No early arrival or late departure without the coordinators' approval. Costs outside the activity dates are not covered.
What to Bring
💻 A laptop or tablet, needed for editing during the project.
✂️ CapCut and Canva installed before you arrive, since the project needs them by design.
📱 Your phone or camera, plus chargers, cables and a power bank.
👟 Walking shoes, since the photo safari means a lot of walking around Tosya.
🚰 A water bottle, to stay hydrated on the trail.
🧥 Warm layers and a rain jacket, since nights are cold in late October.
🪪 An ID or passport, since carrying photo ID is required in Türkiye.
🎫 All tickets, e-tickets, invoices and boarding passes, for reimbursement.
🎉 A culture night kit: food, non-alcoholic drinks, music, costumes and stories from home.
🛡️ Your own travel and health insurance for the whole trip. Insurance is not covered by the project.
Local and Cultural Rules, Stated Plainly
🍺 Drinking alcohol in public places is prohibited in Türkiye, and the infopack asks participants to respect this at all times, in streets, parks and all open areas. Shops do not sell alcohol between 22:00 and 06:00.
🚭 Smoking is banned in all enclosed public places, including restaurants, cafés and public transport.
🪪 Carrying a photo ID is required in Türkiye. Always have your passport or ID card with you.
📷 Always ask for permission before photographing people. Do not take photos of military or official installations.
🤝 Tosya is a small, traditional town, and the organisers ask participants to be friendly, respectful and mindful of local customs.
Visiting a Mosque
👞 Take off your shoes before stepping on the carpet.
👕 Cover your shoulders and knees. No shorts or sleeveless tops.
🧕 Women should cover their hair with a headscarf.
🕐 Avoid visiting during prayer times.
🚶 Do not walk in front of people who are praying.
📵 Do not photograph people while they pray, and turn off your flash.
How to Apply
📝 Applications go through the official Google Form. The form takes about 10 minutes, and applicants are asked to answer every question honestly and in their own words.
🏢 You apply through a sending organisation. The form asks for your sending organisation's name, its OID, and its country, so you need an organisation behind you, not an individual application with no organisation attached. If you are not already connected to one, this is worth sorting out before you start the form.
📸 The form also asks for links to your social media profiles and your experience with photography, video and social media so far, though no prior experience is required.
🍽️ Dietary preferences, food allergies, and any health conditions or medication are collected confidentially, to prepare meals and keep everyone safe.
☑️ Before submitting, applicants tick eight declarations, including availability for the full programme, understanding that insurance is not included, accepting the local rule against drinking alcohol in public places, and confirming they have read the infopack.
📘 Read the infopack carefully before applying. It covers the project, the programme, travel and practical information in full.
💬 Once all participants are confirmed, the organisers hold an online preparation meeting to meet each other and go over final details.
A Few More Things Worth Knowing
🏅 Every participant receives a Youthpass certificate to recognise what they learned.
📲 Everything created in Tosya will be shared on social media, and photos will be added to the Google Maps pages of the places where they were taken.
🆓 There is no participation fee. The organisers do not ask any participant for money.
🎥 This is a social media project, so agreeing to the use of photos and videos is required, and it is part of the application form.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the application deadline?
6 October 2026, through the official application form.
Do I need to be a professional photographer?
No. The infopack states plainly that your phone is enough, and what matters is being active, creative and ready to produce, not technical polish.
How good does my English need to be?
A basic level is enough to take part, but each national team of 6 should include at least 2 people who can communicate comfortably in English, since English is the working language.
Which countries can apply?
Applications are open from across the Erasmus+ Programme Countries. Which 6 countries actually attend has not been decided in advance, it depends on the applications received.
Is there a participation fee?
No. The organisers state clearly that they do not ask any participant for money.
Is insurance included?
No. Participants need to arrange their own travel and health insurance for the whole trip.
How is travel reimbursed?
In euro, in cash, paid by hand during the activity against a signed receipt, based on the distance band for your route and whether you travelled green.
Can I choose my roommate?
No. Room arrangements are made by the organisers before arrival, rooms are shared by 2 or 3 people mixed by nationality and assigned by gender, and changes are not possible after check-in.
What happens to the content we create?
It becomes a joint social media campaign promoting Tosya, shared on the Tosya Youth and Youth Works Hub Instagram accounts, with photos added to Google Maps for the places where they were taken.
Can I apply on my own, without an organisation?
The application form asks for a sending organisation's name, its OID and its country, so you need an organisation behind your application rather than applying as a fully independent individual.
Project Snapshot
📌 Type: Erasmus+ Youth Exchange (KA151)
📍 Location: Tosya, Kastamonu, Türkiye
🗓️ Activity Dates: 23–31 October 2026 (arrival 23, departure 31)
🌍 Countries: 33 Erasmus+ Programme Countries, Türkiye included
🎂 Age: 18–25 (no age limit for group leaders)
🔢 Project Number: 2025-1-TR01-KA151-YOU-000305068
Deadline
⏳ 6 October 2026
Applications close on 6 October 2026, ahead of arrival on 23 October, so there is limited time between selection and departure. Find more Erasmus+ Youth Exchanges on Youth Works Hub.
Link
🔗 Application form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSemXGayuvh31yILhf26GfXTxKDTyiaEavfON2F_YOJv-tcQKQ/viewform
🏛️ Municipality of Tosya: https://tosya.bel.tr
📧 Questions: ugur.hasdemir@youthworkshub.org
