Media Minds is a nine-day Erasmus+ Youth Exchange in Czechia, from 22 to 30 November 2026, for young people aged 18 to 25 from Czechia, Italy, Poland and Greece who want to learn how to spot misinformation and take an active part in democratic life. Applications close on 10 October 2026. At Youth Works Hub, we reviewed the infopack and the live application form so you know exactly what you are signing up for.
Twenty participants and four team leaders will work together in a mountain recreational complex, testing sources, debating, simulating the European Parliament and filming short educational videos for a shared Video Guidebook.
Why Media Minds Exists
Every day, we scroll through headlines, videos, posts, memes, comments and messages. Some are reliable; others are misleading, manipulated or created to influence us, and it is not always easy to tell the difference. The exchange explores how information is created, shared and consumed, especially on social media, and how this affects our opinions, our choices and our participation in society.
Media Minds helps young people build practical tools for that environment: checking sources, questioning content, understanding bias and responding responsibly to misinformation. The project also connects media literacy with active citizenship. Being informed means more than identifying fake news: it means listening respectfully, taking part in public debate and using your voice in a responsible way.
The programme runs on non-formal education: workshops, discussions, games, role-plays, debates, simulations, creative tasks and daily reflection. The organisers describe it as a safe international space where participants can ask questions, exchange experiences, challenge assumptions and learn from one another.
What You Will Do
🔍 Learn how to check information and recognise misinformation.
🤖 Explore AI, ethics and journalism, including how algorithms, deepfakes and automated content shape journalism and online communication.
🏛️ Take part in debates and a European Parliament simulation.
🎬 Film, edit and subtitle short educational videos for the project's Video Guidebook, working in international teams.
🌍 Plan a local action, such as a workshop, a debate or a mini-campaign, to carry out when you return home.
The Goals Behind the Exchange
📚 Improve media literacy and critical thinking skills.
🕵️ Learn how to identify misinformation, disinformation, propaganda and misleading online content.
✅ Practise fact-checking methods, including checking sources, evidence, context and bias.
🧮 Explore the influence of artificial intelligence, algorithms, deepfakes and automated content on journalism and online communication.
💬 Develop responsible communication skills and learn how to take part in discussions respectfully.
🗳️ Learn more about European institutions, democracy, civic participation and the role of young people in public life.
🤝 Challenge stereotypes and misleading narratives through dialogue, cooperation and critical analysis.
🎥 Create practical results together, including a Video Guidebook and fact-checking resources.
📣 Encourage participants to share their learning through local workshops, debates, social-media actions or mini-campaigns after the exchange.
From Preparation to Dissemination
🗓️ Preparation: before the exchange, participants join an online preparatory meeting and receive practical guidance about travel, accommodation, group rules and the activity programme. National groups also prepare for cultural sharing and reflect on media-related topics in their home countries.
🚀 Implementation: from 22 to 30 November 2026, the group takes part in a full programme of non-formal learning activities covering misinformation, fact-checking, propaganda, AI, journalism, European institutions and democratic participation.
🎓 Reporting and Youthpass: participants reflect on their learning every day. At the end of the mobility they take part in the final evaluation and receive a Youthpass certificate recognising the competences developed through non-formal learning.
📣 Dissemination: after returning home, participants are encouraged to share their experience and learning outcomes with peers, schools, youth centres or local communities.
Who Can Apply
This project is not for tourists: active participation is essential. You can apply if you are:
🎂 A young person aged 18 to 25 from Czechia, Italy, Poland or Greece.
📰 Interested in media, social media, journalism, online communication, AI, democracy or active citizenship.
🤔 Curious about how information influences our views and decisions.
🧰 Willing to learn practical ways to check facts and recognise misleading content.
👂 Open-minded, respectful and ready to listen to different points of view.
🎯 Ready to take part in all activities, including workshops, discussions, group work, simulations, reflections and cultural evenings.
🌐 Willing to work in an international team and communicate in English.
🏘️ Interested in sharing what you learn with your local community after the project.
Priority may be given to young people with fewer opportunities, in line with Erasmus+ values and the project's inclusion approach.
In total, 24 young people take part: 20 participants and 4 team leaders from Czechia, Italy, Poland and Greece. You apply from the country where you live, and the form asks whether you would like to be a leader of your national team.
The Organisers and Partners
Media Minds is coordinated by Generace pro Ukrajinu, z.s. (Generation for Ukraine), a youth-led registered NGO in Prague that works to create opportunities for young Ukrainians in Czechia. It runs the exchange in cooperation with youth organisations from Italy, Poland and Greece:
🇨🇿 Generace pro Ukrajinu (Czechia), the coordinating organisation.
🇮🇹 Otto European Projects (Italy).
🇬🇷 YOUthNited (Greece).
🇵🇱 Edukacyjno-Europejska (Poland).
Venue and Accommodation: Horská chata Radost
🏔️ Horská chata Radost is a recreational complex in a peaceful mountain setting in the Orlické Mountains. During the exchange it is the shared space for accommodation, meals, workshops and informal moments together.
🛖 The complex consists of a main building and eight wooden cottages, available throughout the year. All cottages have their own bathroom facilities.
🛏️ You will be accommodated in rooms for two to four people.
🕓 Standard check-in takes place between 16:00 and 17:00, and standard check-out is by 09:30. Different arrival or departure arrangements are possible only by prior agreement with the accommodation and the organising team.
📍 The address is Plasnice 124, 517 91 Deštné v Orlických horách, Czechia. Final details about travel, arrival time, accommodation and meeting points are sent to selected participants.
Getting There
🕰️ Arrive at the venue not before 16:00 and not after 19:00 on the arrival day, 22 November.
🚆 From Praha hlavní nádraží (Prague Main Railway Station), take a train towards Hradec Králové.
🚌 Continue from Hradec Králové by bus towards Deštné v Orlických horách, and get off at the Deštné v Orlických horách, Plasnice stop.
🥾 Chata Radost is approximately 1 km from the bus stop.
Travel Reimbursement Rules
Travel costs are reimbursed according to the Erasmus+ distance-band rules and the travel conditions set by the organisers. The infopack lists these conditions:
📩 Send your travel plan to Czechia to the organisers by 25 October (the contact address is in the Links section) and consult your sending organisation. You must receive approval for your travel plan before purchasing tickets, and you must send the plan and a confirmation of your purchase; otherwise the organisers may treat it as a cancellation of your participation.
🎟️ Only class II or economy class tickets are eligible. Taxi and car are not eligible for reimbursement.
🧾 Travel costs are reimbursed on the condition that you take part in all activities. Payment follows up to 90 days after the organiser receives the results of the project dissemination activities and a complete set of documents, such as travel reimbursement forms and original tickets.
🏠 You must travel from and to the country you represent, which is your country of residence. Travel from or to other destinations, or for tourism, is not accepted.
📅 There are only two travel days: 22 November and 30 November. You can take two more travel days at your own expense (accommodation and food).
🌱 If you travel green, meaning by bus, carpooling or train only, you have two extra travel days and need to fill out extra statements. Our guide explains how green travel works in Erasmus+.
🏦 Reimbursement of travel expenses is sent to the sending organisation, not to individuals.
The exact reimbursement amounts per country are shown in the infopack, so check them there before you plan your trip.
What Erasmus+ Covers and What You Commit To
According to Youth Works Hub's review of the infopack and the live form, accommodation, meals and project activities are covered by the Erasmus+ Programme, and travel is reimbursed under the conditions above. If you want to see how this compares with other projects, our guide to what Erasmus+ covers breaks it down.
In return, participants are expected to take part actively in the preparation, the full exchange programme and the follow-up activities. After the mobility, you will be expected to support local dissemination activities and help share the project results. Selected participants receive detailed travel, accommodation, reimbursement and preparation instructions before the mobility.
What to Pack
🪪 An ID or passport (mandatory).
🩺 A European Health Insurance Card or private insurance.
🧴 A towel and toiletries.
💻 A laptop or tablet.
🎶 Something that represents your culture, such as a song or food, for the cultural night.
📷 A camera, if you take photos.
For a fuller checklist, see our Erasmus+ preparation guide.
How to Apply and What the Form Asks
Before applying, read the infopack carefully. Applications are submitted through an online form. The organisers are looking for honest, personal answers, written in your own words: please do not use AI-generated texts in your application. You may use AI only to check grammar or spelling. They want to get to know your motivation, your ideas and your real perspective.
The form asks for:
👤 Personal details: full name and surname as in your passport, pronouns (optional), date of birth, gender and your current address (country, city, street, apartment, postal code).
🌍 The country where you live: Poland, Greece, Czechia or Italy.
📱 A mobile phone number with country code, plus links to your Facebook page and your Instagram page (all required).
🎒 Whether you have taken part in Erasmus+ projects before, and in how many (1-3, 4-6, 7-10, 10+ or 0).
🧭 Whether you would like to be a leader of your national team.
✍️ Open answers, all required: why you want to participate, whether you have experience related to the topic, what you can share about yourself (hobbies, passions, life goals), how you would use the knowledge gained in the future, and a favourite book, song, manga, movie, comic, art, story or something special to you. Our guide to writing a motivation letter for Erasmus+ projects can help you structure these.
🗣️ Your English level (optional), from Beginner to Proficient/Native-like.
💬 Anything else you want to share (optional).
🔒 Your agreement to the data protection notice.
How Your Data Is Handled
The controller of your data is Generace pro Ukrajinu, z.s., registered in Prague. Your data is processed to assess and manage your application and to ensure your participation in the project. It covers your first name and surname, e-mail address, telephone number, sending organisation, country of residence or sending country, and anything else you choose to provide in your application.
The data is stored for as long as needed to manage the application process and run the project, including reporting, financial settlement, monitoring, audit and archiving under applicable law and Erasmus+ rules. It may be shared, only to the extent necessary, with service providers supporting the organiser, facilitators, trainers and group leaders, partner and sending organisations, and the institutions that manage and audit the programme, including the relevant Erasmus+ National Agency and the European Commission. If you were officially referred by an employer or organisation, it may also be shared with them where necessary.
You have the right to access, correct, erase or restrict your data, to object to its processing, to receive it in a portable format and to complain to the Czech Office for Personal Data Protection.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can apply to Media Minds?
Young people aged 18 to 25 who live in Czechia, Italy, Poland or Greece and are interested in media, social media, journalism, online communication, AI, democracy or active citizenship. Priority may be given to young people with fewer opportunities.
How many people take part?
24 young people: 20 participants and 4 team leaders, from Czechia, Italy, Poland and Greece.
What does Erasmus+ cover?
Accommodation, meals and project activities. Travel is reimbursed according to the Erasmus+ distance-band rules and the organisers' conditions: economy tickets only, a travel plan approved before you buy, and participation in all activities.
Can I use AI to write my application?
Only to check grammar or spelling. The organisers ask for honest, personal answers written in your own words and do not want AI-generated texts.
Do I need a sending organisation?
The application form has no sending-organisation field. The infopack, however, asks you to consult your sending organisation about your travel plan and says travel reimbursement is paid to the sending organisation, not to individuals.
Can I travel from a country other than the one I represent?
No. You must travel from and to the country you represent, your country of residence, and travel from or to other destinations or for tourism is not accepted.
What language is used during the exchange?
Participants are expected to work in an international team and communicate in English. The form asks for your English level, and that question is optional.
When do I arrive, and when do I leave?
Arrival is on 22 November, between 16:00 and 19:00, and departure is on 30 November. Standard check-out is by 09:30.
What do I receive at the end?
A Youthpass certificate recognising the competences you developed through non-formal learning, after daily reflection and a final evaluation.
What should I do after I return home?
Share your experience and learning outcomes with peers, schools, youth centres or your local community, and support the local dissemination activities of the project.
Project Snapshot
📌 Type: Erasmus+ Youth Exchange
📍 Location: Horská chata Radost, Deštné v Orlických horách, Czechia
🗓️ Activity Dates: 22–30 November 2026 (arrival 22 November, departure 30 November)
🌍 Countries: Czechia, Greece, Italy, Poland
🎂 Age: 18–25
Deadline
⏳ 10 October 2026
Applications close on 10 October 2026, and participants send their travel plan by 25 October. Find more Erasmus+ Youth Exchanges on Youth Works Hub.
Links
🔗 Application form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeA1ATdklFT_UIZKSlQ9VFEz3jsQTFagMlhXwtu3LBg8cU22A/viewform
📄 Infopack: https://canva.link/mediaminds
🏛️ Generace pro Ukrajinu: https://gen4ua.cz
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/generation.for.ukraine
📧 Questions and travel plans: filippopiocaio@gmail.com
