🇪🇸 Erasmus+ Training Course in Spain 🧭 Strategic Leadership and Organisational Capacity Lab 🏛️

Description

7-day residential Erasmus+ lab for experienced youth workers who lead their organisations. We seek 15 organisations with 4+ years of KA2 experience to send one decision-maker who will shape their strategy and share the learning back home.

CALL FOR LEADERS – DELEPO 4.0 Strategic Leadership & Organisational Capacity Lab · Erasmus+ KA151 Youth · Project 2026-1-ES02-KA151-YOU-000399989 Application deadline: 30 November 2026 · Activity: 20–28 January 2027 (arrival 20 Jan, departure 28 Jan) · Casa Rural Enbutegi, Urnieta, Basque Country (Spain)

From project implementers to strategic organisational architects. DELEPO 4.0 is the fourth edition of ABARKA ONGD's leadership training course. It is a 7-day residential lab where experienced youth workers stop, reflect and redesign how they lead their organisations, followed by 6 months of online follow-up.

Why DELEPO 4.0? Many youth organisations face the same structural challenges: Informal, overloaded leadership – responsibilities sit on 1–3 key people, with no succession plan Concentrated knowledge – project know-how is lost when staff leave Uneven partner quality – partners chosen on personal ties, with unclear roles Reactive planning – chasing calls without a long-term strategy or impact measurement Neglected well-being – burnout normalised as "passion for the cause" Unregulated AI use – no ethical assessment, data-protection policy or bias awareness

Objectives Leadership identity and distributed responsibility Governance and annual strategic planning Partner quality and ecosystem mapping Impact engineering and sustainability Ethical and responsible governance of AI Well-being-oriented leadership

Methodology: self-assessments, real case studies, simulations and role play, collaborative framework design, peer coaching and mentoring, and a slower pace with 1 hour of daily reflection.

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR – 15 ORGANISATIONS Eligible countries for this call: Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Portugal, Slovakia and Slovenia.

Organisation requirements A legally registered organisation (NGO, association, foundation…) More than 4 years of experience in Erasmus+ KA2 projects (KA210, KA220, Capacity Building in Youth – CBY…), as coordinator or partner Commitment to send one participant and to support the transfer of knowledge after the mobility

Participant requirements (one youth worker per organisation) At least 12 months of experience as a youth worker A member of the organisation's staff or board, with the authority to plan long-term goals and strategy for the organisation Commitment to transfer the knowledge to the team once back home – someone from inside the organisation is the best choice English level B1 or higher for complex discussions and written reflection Available for the whole programme (20–28 January 2027) and the 6-month online follow-up

Diversity: we aim for at least 40% of each gender, 30% of small organisations (fewer than 10 people) and 20% of participants from rural or remote areas.

After the mobility: month +1 evaluation report, Youthpass and first dissemination · month +3 online reunion lab (2 h) · month +6 implementation review webinar · open DELEPO toolkit (EN/ES/FR) and Partner Quality Charter.

How to apply: complete the online form at https://forms.gle/3Uu9XZKVpWUAXV6j6 by 30 November 2026. Full infopack: https://abarka.org/delepo-4-0/ · Video: https://youtu.be/A4sIb7PcEZ0

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Spanish National Agency – Instituto de la Juventud (INJUVE). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

Activity details

Activity type

Training Course

Activity dates

20-28 January 2027

Location

Casa Rural Enbutegi, Urnieta (Gipuzkoa) – 10 km from San Sebastián, Spain

Application deadline

30 November 2026

Selection date

10 December 2026

Participants

15

Recommended for

Youth workers, Youth leaders, Youth project managers

Working language

English (minimum B1)

Organiser

Costs

Participation fee

No participation fee. ABARKA does not accept partner organisations that charge participants a fee; if anyone asks you for one, please tell us at director@abarka.org.

Accommodation and food

Fully covered by Erasmus+: accommodation and full board (breakfast, lunch, dinner and coffee breaks) for the whole programme at Casa Rural Enbutegi, a farmhouse surrounded by nature about 10 km from Donostia / San Sebastián. The whole house (23 places) is reserved for the group, with a meeting room, dining room, terrace and garden. Accessible for people with reduced mobility; free Wi-Fi. In the DELEPO "bohemian corner" spirit, national teams share traditional dishes during the evenings, so feel free to bring some ingredients. Travel insurance is mandatory and at each participant's cost (the European Health Insurance Card does not replace it).

Travel reimbursement

Travel costs (home – venue – home) are reimbursed with Erasmus+ unit costs per participant, according to distance: 10–99 km: 56 EUR green / 28 EUR non-green 100–499 km: 285 EUR / 211 EUR 500–1999 km: 417 EUR / 309 EUR 2000–2999 km: 535 EUR / 395 EUR 3000–3999 km: 785 EUR / 580 EUR 4000–7999 km: 1188 EUR 8000 km or more: 1735 EUR Rules: luggage up to 10 kg only if included in the ticket (extra luggage at the participant's cost); booking through online travel agencies is strongly discouraged; use the same booking reference at least for each one-way trip. Nearest airports: San Sebastián (EAS), Biarritz (BIQ), Bilbao (BIO). A shared pick-up plan will be organised with selected participants.

Looking for participants from

11 countries can apply. The activity takes place in Casa Rural Enbutegi, Urnieta (Gipuzkoa) – 10 km from San Sebastián, Spain.