Most people only see the final Erasmus+ Youth Exchange call: a title, a few dates, smiling photos and an application deadline. Behind every call is real work that happens long before that moment. The example in this article is a fictional but fully realistic Erasmus+ Youth Exchange hosted in Italy, and the example explains how coordinators actually plan a project step by step. For coordinators, the work started months ago. I am @youthworker_eu, and this article comes from my experience. Our guide on how an Erasmus+ Youth Exchange is planned explains every technical rule.
Last updated: November 2026.
Where does a Youth Exchange really start?
A Youth Exchange starts with a problem, not with activities. A Youth Exchange never starts with games, energisers or workshops; a Youth Exchange starts with questions:
😟 The struggle: what are young people struggling with today
🔍 The gap: what is missing in their local or social reality
🧩 The limit: what cannot be solved with a single training or presentation
No clearly defined problem means no project. Activities are tools and the problem is the foundation. Once the problem is clear, the concept takes shape: why a Youth Exchange and not another format, why this topic matters now, why this target group and why international cooperation adds real value. At this stage, coordinators already define learning objectives, reflection and long-term impact. The concept defines everything that comes later: the programme, the partners and the budget. Our guide on what non-formal education is explains the learning approach behind these activities.
What does a Youth Exchange look like on paper?
On paper, the fictional Youth Exchange in Italy brings 8 countries together for 11 days, travel included. The plan has these parts:
🏠 Host country: Italy
🌍 Partner countries: France, Germany, Spain, Türkiye, Poland, Greece and Georgia
👥 Each country sends: 4 young people and 1 group leader
🧮 Total: 8 organisations and 40 people, counting the group leaders
📅 Programme: 11 days including travel, designed day by day and session by session
Partners are not random, because balance matters: different realities, different experiences, same commitment. Coordinators put learning objectives before games, reflection before outputs and impact before visibility. Fun matters, but purpose comes first. The application form comes last. The budget has no flexibility and no guessing, only rules and formulas. Our guide on what Erasmus+ covers explains what that budget pays for on your side.
What happens when a Youth Exchange partner causes problems?
Problems with partners are handled the way they are in any other kind of work: finding new partners, valuing long-term cooperation and staying in constant contact. Our guide on how organisations find project partners explains the search.
Why does a good Youth Exchange project application still get rejected?
A good Youth Exchange project application may still not be accepted because the budget is not enough for the volume of applications. Rejected Youth Exchange applications are normal, and an application can also fall short on its score. In each application round, applications are ranked by score from highest to lowest and the grant is distributed starting from the top. The grant can run out at 80 points in one round and at 85 points in another, so a project with a good score can still go unfunded because the budget is not enough. If your application was rejected with a low score, you can ask the National Agency for the evaluation report, revise the application according to the report and submit it again. Our guide on how an Erasmus+ Youth Exchange is planned explains how the points are given.
What does a coordinator see when applications arrive?
As a coordinator, I see a lot of competition but few good applications. Most applications are rejected at the first screening because the applicant did not read the details of the call. Hundreds of young people may apply to the same project. A motivation letter is rarely asked for in Erasmus+ youth projects, and most Erasmus+ calls use an application form instead. Organisations can tell when a motivation letter was written with AI, and organisations read around 100 letters a day. Four problems show up in applications:
✍️ Answers shorter than the question: from my experience, about 80% of applicants answer application form questions with replies shorter than the question itself; to "How will you use what you gain after the project?" they write only "in my education", starting with a small letter and without a full sentence. Answers like this lead to rejection, so fill in the form properly, in full sentences
📧 An unprofessional email address: nicknames, jokes and random numbers almost always cost you the place, so use your name and surname
🤖 A letter built on generic information: a generic letter is obvious and coordinators catch it, so if you use AI for a motivation letter at all, you should write your own information and sentences first, use AI only for translation if possible, then correct the text and add something of your own
📄 The wrong CV format: Europass is the format commonly used in Erasmus+ youth programmes, and applications that do not use the Europass CV format are generally not accepted
Our guide on the application mistakes that cost places lists more of these, and how to prepare a Europass CV explains the format.
What should you read first in a Youth Exchange call?
Read the details of each call first, because the call may ask you to apply directly, or it may name a sending organisation in your country through which you have to apply. Organisations must follow the age rules of the Erasmus+ Programme Guide fully, but organisations can narrow the age range within a call, for example 18 to 25 for a Youth Exchange instead of 13 to 30, because project coordinators plan the activity around its aims and the target group. For Youth Exchanges, a high level of English is usually not needed, but if the topic is technical a better level helps, so read the topic of the project carefully. The info pack is shared at the application stage, so you already know all the conditions. A good info pack includes:
🎯 Topic: project topic and objectives
📍 Place and time: dates and city or country
🧭 Programme: activities and methods
🧾 Travel: travel budget, reimbursement rules and when travel costs are reimbursed
🏨 Stay: accommodation and meal details
🙋 Participant profile: age, country and skills
🗓️ Applying: application steps and deadline
If any of these are missing, ask for clarification before applying. Our guide on the age limits in Erasmus+ explains the age rules, and how to find Erasmus+ and ESC projects shows where the calls are published.
Why do coordinators not answer every application?
Coordinators do not answer every application because some projects receive so many applications that coordinators do not reply to each one. After you apply to an Erasmus+ youth project, you may or may not receive an email confirming that your application arrived. Selected applicants are always contacted, but rejected applicants are often not contacted at all. The time until the first answer varies; the answer usually becomes clear 3 to 4 weeks before the start date of the activity, but participants can also be included at the last minute. Because of travel arrangements, everything should be clear 2-3 weeks before the start, so if no answer has come by 2-3 weeks before the start you have not been selected, except for urgent calls. While you wait, these points apply:
📵 Phone calls: organisations do not welcome being phoned about applications, so do not overwhelm them
💬 Feedback: organisations generally do not give feedback after a rejection, but feedback can be requested from them
🔄 Applying again: reapplying is possible, so update and improve the application
🔀 Two acceptances: if you are accepted to two projects at once, you choose one
Our guide on what to do when you apply and hear nothing covers the wait, and what to do after a rejection covers the next step.
How much does participant selection matter in a Youth Exchange?
Participant selection is a very critical part of a Youth Exchange, and there can be many changes; once the tickets are bought there are usually no problems. We work very hard to make sure participants really fit the project. For me, it is very important that everyone both benefits from the project and takes an active part in it. Our guide on application tips for Erasmus+ helps you prepare your application.
What happens on the coordinator's side after you are selected?
After you are selected, you coordinate the rest with the organisation, and the process usually continues with the ticket and the ticket confirmation. In Youth Exchanges and training courses, the agreement is usually signed between the sending and the receiving organisation, not with the individual participants. Four points about the ticket are worth knowing:
🎫 Who pays first: in Erasmus+ projects, participants usually buy their own return ticket first and the organisation reimburses them afterwards; for participants with limited financial means, organisations can also support them, so this should be agreed with the sending and host organisations before buying
🧾 The price of the ticket: if the ticket costs more than the travel distance band amount, the participant pays the difference; if the ticket costs less, the remaining amount stays with the organisation
📆 When you get it back: when travel costs are reimbursed differs from project to project; the timing should be written in the info pack, and if the timing is not written there, you must clarify it with the organisation before the project
🔁 The return ticket: the return ticket does not have to be bought together with the outward ticket; in short-term activities the return ticket is usually bought together with the outward ticket
Our guide on how travel distance bands work gives the figures, and the full timeline from application to departure puts these steps in order.
What happens when travel goes wrong before a Youth Exchange?
When travel goes wrong, the cause matters:
🧍 Caused by the participant: if the problem is caused by the participant, the participant pays
🏢 Organisational problem: if the problem is an organisational problem, the problem is resolved by talking to the airline, and organisational cases get different solutions depending on how the situation develops
Our guide on what Erasmus+ covers explains which travel costs are covered.
What do coordinators arrange for food and accommodation?
In Youth Exchanges, food and accommodation are fully covered for participants; this cover is mandatory, not an exception. In Erasmus+ youth projects, participants usually stay in hotels. When the accommodation is good quality there are generally no problems, so in our projects we choose the best hotel possible. The aim is to provide basic living conditions, so do not expect luxury. Because the projects aim at cultural mixing, rooms can be for 2, 4, 6 or 8 people. The food preferences of all participants are collected before the project, and preparation is made so that participants will have as few problems as possible. In Erasmus+ Youth Exchanges, participants receive no pocket money or cash allowance: food, accommodation and travel are covered and the host organisation arranges everything, while personal expenses are the participant's own. Our guide on the costs a fully funded project does not cover explains what is left to you.
Why do some Youth Exchange calls ask for a participation fee?
Some Youth Exchange calls ask for a participation fee because the fee is usually a contribution the organisation asks for its own institutional capacity, not a cost of the programme. In Erasmus+ Youth Exchanges, training courses, seminars and study visits, about one in ten calls asks participants for a participation fee, and Youth Works Hub does not support this practice. The fee is never paid at application, only by selected participants, and in many cases the fee can be negotiated or even waived by the organisation. 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. If an organisation asks you to pay at the application stage, report it to the National Agency or the European Commission and let us know, so we can report it too. Our guide on how to spot fake Erasmus+ offers shows the other warning signs.
Who solves a problem during a Youth Exchange?
Your own group leader is the first person you should go to if a problem comes up during a Youth Exchange. If a problem comes up in a Youth Exchange, you should go to:
1️⃣ First: your own group leader
2️⃣ Then: the host coordinator
3️⃣ Last: the facilitator
We usually set the rules in advance and plan the project process together with the participants. The group sets its own rules and decides what to pay attention to and what to follow, and this keeps problems to a minimum. Our guide on what a Youth Exchange is explains these roles.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Youth Exchange in this article a real project?
No: the example is a fictional but fully realistic Erasmus+ Youth Exchange hosted in Italy. Our guide on how an Erasmus+ Youth Exchange is planned explains the rules behind a real one.
Can a Youth Exchange project with a good score still go unfunded?
Yes: a project with a good score can still go unfunded because the budget is not enough. In each application round, applications are ranked by score from highest to lowest and the grant is distributed starting from the top. Our guide on what National Agencies are explains who receives the application.
Do participants receive pocket money in a Youth Exchange?
No: in Erasmus+ Youth Exchanges, participants receive no pocket money or cash allowance. Food, accommodation and travel are covered and the host organisation arranges everything, while personal expenses are the participant's own. Our guide on what Erasmus+ covers explains the rest.
Will a coordinator tell me if I am rejected?
Not always: selected applicants are always contacted, but rejected applicants are often not contacted at all. Our guide on what to do when you apply and hear nothing covers the wait.
Who do I go to first if a problem comes up in a Youth Exchange?
Go first to your own group leader, then to the host coordinator, and last to the facilitator. Our guide on what a Youth Exchange is explains these roles.
What does the backstage of a Youth Exchange show?
The backstage of a Youth Exchange shows that Youth Exchanges are not built with inspiration alone; Youth Exchanges are built with preparation, structure and rules. Ideas do not get funded; planning does. Behind every approved Youth Exchange, there is work like this. Youth Works Hub has a Match page that finds projects suited to you; using Match requires an account on the site, and signing up with Google is available but not required.
A project can change a life before the last day: some young people on my projects received job offers and internship offers before the project had ended.
The biggest example I know is my own. I studied agricultural engineering and left university to go into this work. In 2010, I was late to a university meeting and walked into the first meeting room in sight, where the talk about international youth projects sounded like another language to me; I asked to stay, and the presenter said yes. I have now been in this sector for 15 years, and I have trained thousands of young people, sent them abroad and hosted them.
Related pages: how an Erasmus+ Youth Exchange is planned · what a Youth Exchange feels like · what an Erasmus+ exchange for young people is · application tips for Erasmus+ · why applications get rejected
👉 Erasmus+ projects: youthworkshub.org/?tab=erasmus-projects
