EUvolution ngo is accepting applications for "Beyond Words," an Erasmus+ Training Course on Nonviolent Communication in Oristano, on the west coast of Sardinia, Italy, from 10 to 18 January 2027 (travel days included). At Youth Works Hub, we reviewed the call: it is built for youth workers, educators and people active in non-formal education aged 25 to 35, and accommodation and meals are fully covered, with travel reimbursed up to €309.
About the Training Course
🗣️ Beyond Words is an Erasmus+ Training Course on Nonviolent Communication (NVC) for people who work with young people. It gives practical methods for empathic listening, de-escalation and clear communication in group settings.
🏘️ The host, EUvolution ngo, chose Oristano because the town offers a focused setting for intensive group work without the distractions of a large city.
🌐 The course brings together youth workers from nine European countries and builds a peer network that continues after you return home.
❄️ Because it runs in January, the pace is slower than in summer, which supports deeper concentration on communication habits and group dynamics.
Project Snapshot
📌 Type: Erasmus+ Training Course
📍 Location: Villa delle rose, Oristano, Sardinia, Italy
🗓️ Activity Dates: 10 January 2027 – 18 January 2027 (travel days included)
🌍 Countries: Italy, North Macedonia, Spain, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Türkiye, Serbia, Poland
🎂 Age: 25–35
Who Can Apply
👥 The course is for youth workers, educators and people active in non-formal education. The group has 24 participants aged 25 to 35, and the working language is English.
🧑🏫 The host is looking for people already engaged in youth work, whether professionally or as experienced volunteers: you might lead workshops at a youth centre, coordinate volunteers, mentor teenagers or run local cultural and community projects.
🎯 The essential requirement is that you actively work with young people and want to improve your practice.
🗨️ A good level of English is mandatory, since all sessions, discussions and materials are in English.
🪞 The organisers also look for a specific mindset: readiness to question your own communication habits, reflect on your role as a facilitator and share your experience openly.
⏱️ They expect responsibility, punctuality, flexibility when plans change and a commitment to apply what you learn in your home community after the course.
🚫 This is a training programme, not a holiday, so applicants who only want a break are encouraged to step aside for someone ready to contribute.
What You Will Learn
🧭 The training uses non-formal education methods: there are no exams, grades or traditional classrooms. You move through simulations, case discussions, guided debriefings, role-plays, outdoor sessions, storytelling and co-creation exercises.
📓 Each day includes structured reflection time to connect the activities to your daily youth work practice. Trainers facilitate the process, but the knowledge comes from the whole group.
👂 You practise empathic listening, learn to frame requests without demand and work with tools for de-escalating conflict and repairing team tension.
🛠️ Participants also design and test practical NVC activities together, contributing to an open-access guide that remains available to partner organisations after the course. The course addresses challenges such as peer conflict, exclusion, microaggressions, intercultural misunderstanding and team tensions.
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Core Practical Competencies
🤲 Empathic listening techniques for one-on-one and group settings
🕊️ De-escalation and conflict repair methods for peer conflict and team tension
💬 Framing clear, non-demanding requests in difficult conversations
🎓 Designing and facilitating Nonviolent Communication workshops for young people
🌈 Intercultural communication and inclusion strategies for mixed-nationality groups
📝 Co-creating educational materials and activity sheets for local dissemination
Youthpass Certificate
🏅 At the end of the training you receive a Youthpass Certificate. It validates your learning outcomes and maps them to the European Union's eight Key Competences for Lifelong Learning, including cultural awareness, communication and social skills. Learn more in our guide to what Youthpass is.
📎 You can attach it to CVs, job applications or youth work project proposals to show international training experience and competence in Nonviolent Communication. Daily Youthpass reflections help turn short-term insights into lasting professional growth.
What Is Covered and How Travel Reimbursement Works
🏠 Accommodation and meals are fully covered for the full duration of the activity. For a general overview of Erasmus+ costs, see what Erasmus+ covers.
✈️ Travel is reimbursed up to €309 per participant, or €100 for participants from Italy. Visa costs are not covered.
🏦 Reimbursement is paid by bank transfer to your personal bank account after the project, usually within two months, though administrative delays can occur.
✅ To qualify, you must attend the whole programme, take part in all activities and complete the dissemination tasks: a social media post tagging the host organisation and at least one in-person or online meeting with peers in your home country to present your experience.
📞 Before buying any ticket, contact the project coordinator to agree on an itinerary that meets the eligibility rules.
💶 You must choose the cheapest available transport option. Only basic airline fares qualify, though you may add "Priority + 2 cabin bags" separately to a basic fare. Taxi rides, private car journeys and bookings through travel agencies are not reimbursable, with limited exceptions requiring prior approval.
🔎 Kiwi.com is permitted for flight searches, but Skyscanner is recommended.
📅 You may arrive up to two days before the start or leave up to two days after the end only if it lowers the ticket price. Accommodation and personal costs during those extra days are yours.
🧾 Reimbursement depends on complete documentation: boarding passes, official airline invoices, and train or bus tickets saved as legible PDFs or scans, uploaded to a Google Drive folder shared by the organisation. Missing or low-quality documents can result in delayed or denied reimbursement.
Accommodation and Meals at Villa delle rose
🛏️ Participants stay at Villa delle rose in the city centre of Oristano, in rooms shared by up to three people, mixed by nationality and divided by gender.
🧴 The venue provides blankets, towels, a hair dryer, shower gel and shampoo, so you do not need to carry heavy bedding or toiletries.
🍝 The hotel's restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. Meals follow traditional Italian cuisine with a Mediterranean emphasis, so expect pasta, fresh vegetables, seasonal produce and local specialities.
🥗 If you are vegetarian, vegan or have allergies, the organisers collect your dietary information in advance and adjust the menu.
📶 Wi-Fi is available in the hotel, though the connection may be weak during peak hours.
🛒 Several supermarkets are within walking distance, useful for buying snacks or ingredients for your intercultural night contribution.
🧺 Laundry is available at the hotel for €5 per load up to 5 kg; if you travel with only a small backpack, the organisers cover one wash cycle for you.
🧹 Daily life includes shared tasks and responsibilities: participants help maintain the common living environment.
Daily Rhythm and Intercultural Nights
🌅 A typical day begins with a morning check-in, followed by workshop blocks on Nonviolent Communication theory and practice.
🧩 Midday sessions include case discussions, simulations or outdoor exercises, while afternoons are often reserved for co-creation, debriefing and Youthpass reflection.
🌙 The day closes with an evening wrap-up or group activity.
🎶 Each national team organises an intercultural evening, bringing typical food or drinks from its country and preparing a short presentation through songs, dances, games, stories or traditional objects.
🏖️ The programme also reserves space to discover the territory and connect with Sardinian culture and community.
Getting to Oristano
🛬 The closest airport is Cagliari Airport (Aeroporto di Cagliari Elmas "Mario Mameli"). You must arrive at Cagliari Airport by 7:30 p.m. to catch the last Trenitalia train to Oristano at 8:30 p.m.
🚆 For departure, the first train from Oristano to Cagliari Airport leaves at 5:00 a.m., so plan your return after the formal end of the programme. Train schedules and tickets are managed through Trenitalia.
🕒 Check-in at the accommodation is after 3 p.m. and check-out is before 11 a.m.
🌱 Learn more about low-emission journeys in our guide to green travel in Erasmus+.
Exploring Oristano and Sardinia
🏰 Oristano is the capital of its province on Sardinia's west coast, a region with deep medieval history and strong coastal traditions. The town sits near the Gulf of Oristano, an area known for wetlands, lagoons and long sandy beaches.
🐟 Sardinian food culture centres on pasta, pecorino cheese, cured meats and local wines, and Oristano is known for bottarga and seafood linked to its coastal location.
🏛️ Historic sites in the area reflect the island's period as the Judicate of Arborea, a medieval Sardinian kingdom.
🗺️ Before or after the training, you can use the permitted extra travel days to explore the province, provided the extension lowers your ticket price and you cover your own costs.
Packing Checklist
👟 Comfortable clothes for warm weather and outdoor activities, plus comfortable shoes for walking and physical sessions
🩴 Indoor footwear or slippers
📔 A notebook or journal for daily reflection
🥾 Walking shoes suitable for outdoor workshops
🧥 Layers for changing temperatures
☔ Rain protection
🪪 Valid ID card or passport with sufficient validity
💳 European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) if applicable
📲 All travel tickets, boarding passes and invoices saved as legible PDFs or scans for reimbursement
💻 At least one laptop per national team for digital tasks and presentations
How to Apply
📝 Participant selection, travel coordination and reimbursement are handled directly by EUvolution ngo. Complete the Google Form and read the official infopack first.
🖊️ To stand out, explain your current role in youth work and be specific about how Nonviolent Communication would support your practice. Show that you understand the training is not a holiday and that you are ready to share, reflect and apply the methods after you return home. Clear, honest motivation matters more than polished language. Our guides to how to apply and Erasmus+ application tips can help.
🔍 Browse more Erasmus+ opportunities on Youth Works Hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can join the Beyond Words training course?
Youth workers, educators and people active in non-formal education aged 25 to 35 from the participating countries can join. You must actively work with young people, either professionally or as an experienced volunteer, and have a good level of English.
Which countries take part?
The nine participating countries are Italy (host), North Macedonia, Spain, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Türkiye, Serbia and Poland. The group has 24 participants in total.
What does the Erasmus+ grant cover?
Accommodation and meals are fully covered. Travel is reimbursed up to €309 per participant (€100 for participants from Italy) by bank transfer after the project. Visa costs are not covered.
How and when is travel reimbursed?
Reimbursement is made by bank transfer, usually within two months after the project, once you have attended the whole programme, completed the dissemination tasks and uploaded legible tickets, boarding passes and invoices to the shared Google Drive folder.
Can I arrive early or stay longer?
You may arrive up to two days before the start or leave up to two days after the end only if it lowers the ticket price. Accommodation and personal costs during the extra days are yours.
Will I receive a certificate?
Yes. At the end of the training you receive a Youthpass Certificate that maps your learning to the eight Key Competences for Lifelong Learning.
What is the working language?
The working language is English, and a good level is mandatory.
Deadline
⏳ As soon as possible!
Links
📝 Application Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScQAwxfhgF2mehHzDxFInJViBsxulBqK7FbKQhSbRxOScfdag/viewform
📘 Official Infopack: https://www.canva.com/design/DAHSiXRoW28/gVBZ9_pa4-X0hI57iYFQWw/view
