Mobility projects for youth workers are Erasmus+ projects comprising one or more learning activities for the professional development and capacity building of youth workers and their organisations. A youth worker is a professional or volunteer who supports the personal, social and educational development of young people. Our guide on what a training course is explains the rules, the costs and the certificate, and the role of youth workers explains who a youth worker is.
Last updated: November 2026.
What is a mobility project for youth workers for?
Professional development activities are learning activities abroad that support the professional development of youth workers. Youth workers plan and run activities to make a difference for the young people around them, often focus on improving young people's employability, and usually work through projects, finding funding and putting planned activities into action. Professional development activities can take the form of:
👀 Study visits and assignments: study visits and different types of assignments, such as job shadowing, youth worker exchanges and peer learning, in youth work organisations and organisations active in the youth field abroad.
🤝 Networking: networking and community building among the youth workers who take part.
🎓 Training courses: training courses supporting the development of competences to implement quality youth work practices or address and test innovative methods, for instance related to digital and smart youth work.
🗣️ Seminars and workshops: seminars and workshops supporting in particular knowledge-building and best practices sharing.
Our guide on what an Erasmus+ study visit is explains the study visit format, and what an Erasmus+ seminar is sets out the seminar format.
Who can take part in a mobility project for youth workers?
Participants must have reached the minimum age of 16 at the start date of the activity. Participants must be resident in the country of their sending or receiving organisation. Our guide on what a training course is goes through who can join, who can apply to Erasmus+ and ESC covers the other conditions, and the age limits by activity compares the ages.
What do real mobility projects for youth workers look like?
The projects below are completed Good Practice projects of Mobility of youth workers (KA153) on the Erasmus+ Project Results Platform: a training course, job shadowing, a study visit, a seminar with an open conference, and a Professional Development Activity.
What did youth workers do in Better You Over Hate?
The 7-day training course of Better You Over Hate took place in Zagreb, Croatia, from 7th to 15th November 2025 and involved 31 participants from 7 countries: Croatia, Italy, Bulgaria, Portugal, Poland, Serbia, and Latvia. The project's aim was to strengthen youth organizations in the fight against radicalization and discrimination. Youth workers from the partner organizations had the opportunity to develop skills, exchange methods, and share experiences accumulated over years of youth work. Better You Over Hate was a Mobility of youth workers (KA153) project of Udruga Better Me in Croatia on the Erasmus+ Project Results Platform. Our guide on what a training course is explains how a course is run.
What did youth workers do in Behind the Scenes?
The project carried out several job shadowing activities in Jordan, Egypt, and Türkiye, as well as preparatory visits to coordinate the content, expectations, and organisational aspects together with the partner organisations. During the job shadowing phases, the participants closely followed the daily work of the host organisations and gained direct insights into different approaches and structures of international youth work. Behind the Scenes: Exploring Youth Empowerment through Job Shadowing in the Middle East was a Mobility of youth workers (KA153) project of grow e.V. in Germany on the Erasmus+ Project Results Platform. Our guide on the role of youth workers explains the work youth workers do.
What did youth workers do in the Youth Hub Study Visit?
The project centred on a Study Visit to Helsinki, Finland, where 23 participants engaged in non-formal exchange. The primary goal of the project was to explore best practices for youth spaces in Helsinki, to support the development of a dedicated youth hub and youth friendly spaces within cultural and civic buildings in Galway City. Youth Hub Study Visit for GRETB Youth Inclusion Team was a Mobility of youth workers (KA153) project of the Galway and Roscommon Education & Training Board in Ireland, with Finland, on the Erasmus+ Project Results Platform. Our guide on what an Erasmus+ study visit is explains the study visit format.
What did youth workers do in Innovation & Inclusion in Youth Work?
The project organised a two-day seminar that included workshops, inspirational presentations and interactive sessions, and after the seminar a one-day open conference at an external venue, covering innovative and inclusive youth work practices. The main objective of the StreetSmart Seminar and Conference was to bring together and empower youth workers and street educators who have an opportunity-focused approach and are willing to innovate. Innovation & Inclusion in Youth Work: Cultivating the Change Maker Mindset was a Mobility of youth workers (KA153) project of Mobile School VZW in Belgium, with Romania, Albania, Georgia, Greece, Germany and Poland, on the Erasmus+ Project Results Platform. Our guide on what an Erasmus+ seminar is sets out the seminar format.
What did youth workers do in Gamification for Environmental Sustainability?
The project included a single primary activity, a Professional Development Activity (PDA), which took place in Vienna, Austria, in the period of 24 to 31 August 2024, including travel days. The project focused on equipping participants to adopt an interactive and engaging approach in youth work by utilizing board games as a tool to address environmental issues. Gamification for Environmental Sustainability was a Mobility of youth workers (KA153) project of Ecological Future Education in Latvia, with Austria, Greece, Hungary, Croatia, Czechia, Slovakia, Poland, Slovenia and Romania, on the Erasmus+ Project Results Platform. Our guide on what non-formal education is explains the kind of learning these activities use.
How do you join a mobility project for youth workers?
For Youth Exchanges, Volunteering Teams, training courses, seminars and study visits, young people apply to the call itself; the call may ask you to apply directly, or it may name a sending organisation in your country through which you have to apply, so you must read the details of each call. SALTO training courses, seminars and study visits are pulled into Youth Works Hub automatically several times a day and appear in the Erasmus+ projects category. Youth Works Hub has a Match page that finds projects suited to you: it asks 8 questions and shows the results as a swipeable deck of cards, and saved projects stay on your profile page. Our guide on how to apply for Erasmus+ or ESC takes the steps one by one, and how to find Erasmus+ and ESC projects shows where the offers are published.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a mobility activity for youth workers last?
The duration of activities is from 2 to 60 days, excluding travel days. The minimum 2 days must be consecutive. Youth worker activities and study visits usually last from 4-5 days up to 10-12 days. Our guide on what a training course is explains the training course format.
Do you pay to take part?
No fee is ever asked for applying, in ESC or Erasmus+ youth projects; nobody should pay anything at the application stage. In Erasmus+ youth projects that ask selected participants for a participation fee, the fee is usually deducted from the travel reimbursement, not paid in advance. In Youth Exchanges and youth worker activities, food and accommodation are fully covered for participants; this is mandatory, not an exception. Our guide on what Erasmus+ covers lists what the grant pays for.
Do you need to belong to an organisation to apply?
No: being active in a youth organisation is important but not required; young people who understand how these projects work and cooperate with local organisations have a clear advantage. Our guide on how to find Erasmus+ and ESC projects shows where the offers are published.
Where do you go from here?
Our guide on what a training course is covers the rules, the costs and the certificate for youth worker activities. The Youth Works Hub pages below cover the next steps.
Related pages: what a training course is · what an Erasmus+ study visit is · what an Erasmus+ seminar is · the role of youth workers · how to find Erasmus+ and ESC projects
👉 Erasmus+ projects: youthworkshub.org/?tab=erasmus-projects
