A Youth Exchange is a meeting of groups of young people from at least two different countries. They gather for a short period to implement jointly a non-formal learning programme, a mix of workshops, exercises, debates, role plays, simulations and outdoor activities on a topic of their interest. Youth Exchanges aim to foster intercultural dialogue and learning and a feeling of being European, develop skills and attitudes of young people, and strengthen European values and break down prejudices and stereotypes. Youth Exchanges also raise awareness about socially relevant topics and thus stimulate engagement in society and active participation in democratic life. In Youth Exchanges, food and accommodation are fully covered for participants; this is mandatory, not an exception. Our guide on what Erasmus+ is explains how the programme is built, inclusion support in Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps explains the extra help for people with fewer opportunities, and what non-formal education is explains the learning style used.
Last updated: October 2026.
Who can join a Youth Exchange?
Eligible participants in Youth Exchanges are young people aged between 13 and 30 residing in the countries of their sending and receiving organisations. A sending organisation is a participating organisation sending one or more participants to an activity of an Erasmus+ project. A receiving organisation is a participating organisation receiving participants and organising activities of an Erasmus+ project. At the start date of the activity, participants must have reached the minimum age of 13 and must not be older than the maximum age of 30. Organisations must follow the age rules of the Erasmus+ Programme Guide fully, but they 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.
The Member States of the European Union and the third countries associated to the Programme can fully take part in all the Actions of the Erasmus+ Programme. Young people from third countries not associated to the Programme neighbouring the EU (regions 1 to 4) can apply to the Erasmus+ youth projects, but there are fewer places and more competition, because projects give priority to participants from EU Member States and third countries associated to the Programme. Young people from countries that are not EU Member States, third countries associated to the Programme or third countries not associated to the Programme neighbouring the EU (regions 1 to 4) cannot take part in the Erasmus+ youth projects (Youth Exchanges, Mobility projects for youth workers, Youth participation activities); for them, Erasmus+ higher education mobility, Erasmus+ Virtual Exchanges (Region 9 only) and Erasmus Mundus are open. Our guide on opportunities for young people outside the European Union explains what is open to you.
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. 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 who can apply to Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps goes through the conditions case by case, the age limits by activity explains how age is counted, and which countries can take part lists where you can apply from.
How do you join a Youth Exchange?
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. Erasmus+ youth projects have no standard application format; each call explains how to apply. In Erasmus+ youth projects, a motivation letter is rarely asked for; most Erasmus+ calls use an application form instead. There is no limit on the number of applications: you can apply to every project that suits you.
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, because some projects receive so many applications that coordinators do not reply to each one. Hundreds of young people may apply to the same project, so a rejection or no reply should not discourage you; people who keep applying do get into a project. There is 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. Neither Erasmus+ nor the European Solidarity Corps is hard to get into if you apply properly and show your motivation clearly.
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. Using Match requires creating an account on the site; signing up with Google is available but not required. Opportunities on the site are grouped in seven categories (Erasmus+ projects, European Solidarity Corps (ESC) projects, internships, jobs, scholarships, fellowships, others). Our guide on how to apply for Erasmus+ or ESC takes the steps one by one, how to find Erasmus+ and ESC projects shows where open calls appear, and how to prepare your Europass CV covers the document most calls ask for.
What happens on a Youth Exchange?
During a Youth Exchange, groups of young people from at least two different countries implement jointly a non-formal learning programme. The duration of the activity is from 5 to 21 days, excluding travel days. The following activities are not eligible for grants under Youth Exchanges: academic study trips, exchange activities that aim to make financial profit, exchange activities that can be considered as tourism, festivals, holiday travel, performance tours, statutory meetings, and training courses by adults for young people.
Here is one example of a daily schedule from a single exchange, not a rule for all of them:
🕘 09:30 to 11:00: First session (first 10 minutes: morning energiser, then content)
☕ 11:00 to 11:15: Coffee break
🗣️ 11:15 to 12:30: Second session
🍽️ 12:30 to 13:30: Lunch
🕐 13:30 to 15:00: Third session (first 10 minutes: afternoon energiser)
☕ 15:00 to 15:15: Coffee break
🗂️ 15:15 to 16:30: Fourth session
🪞 16:30 to 17:00: Daily reflection, every day
🌙 Evening: free; one evening a week is the intercultural night
The days of that schedule have a different character:
🛬 Day 1: the arrival day, with an informal welcome in the evening only.
🤝 Day 2: getting to know each other, the group agreement and team building; the teams for the whole week are formed.
🧭 Days 3 to 6: content and field work in the same daily frame of energiser, content and reflection.
🎓 Last day: Youthpass reflection, evaluation and closing.
Some of the methods used in that example are:
🏷️ Name game: links each name to a movement so names stick in a group of 30+.
🔀 Moving icebreaker: breaks the seating plan and mixes country groups.
📜 Group agreement: participants, not the facilitator, write the rules for the week.
👥 Team building: the facilitator forms the working teams, balancing countries and skills.
⚡ Energiser: a 7-10 minute active game in the morning and after lunch.
💬 Daily reflection: 30 minutes at the end of each day turning what happened into conversation; the basis of Youthpass.
🌍 Intercultural night: each country table offers a taste, an activity and a story, with a time limit.
🔵 Youthpass reflection and closing circle: the eight key competences are linked to concrete moments; each participant writes their own certificate text.
Our guide on how to plan a youth exchange covers the organising side, and travelling, learning and connecting on an Erasmus+ Youth Exchange describes what a week on one feels like.
Where can a Youth Exchange take place?
A Youth Exchange must take place in the country of one of the organisations participating in the activity, or in the countries of several of them in case of itinerant activities. Activities cannot take place in Belarus or Russia. Our guide on which countries can take part lists the eligible countries, and visa and residence for ESC and Erasmus+ covers entry papers.
What does Erasmus+ cover for you on a Youth Exchange?
🏠 Accommodation and food: in Youth Exchanges, food and accommodation are fully covered for participants; this is mandatory, not an exception. In Erasmus+ youth projects, participants usually stay in hotels. The aim is to provide basic living conditions, so do not expect luxury.
✈️ Travel: a contribution to the travel costs of participants, including group leaders, accompanying persons and facilitators, from their place of origin to the venue of the activity and return. 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 receiving organisations before buying. If the ticket costs more than the travel distance band amount, the participant pays the difference; if it costs less, the remaining amount stays with the organisation. When travel costs are reimbursed differs from project to project; it should be written in the info pack, and if it is not, you must clarify it with the organisation before the project. Our guide on how travel distance bands work explains how travel distance places a Youth Exchange trip in a band, and green travel in Erasmus+ and ESC explains what changes when you travel by low-emissions transport.
🩺 Insurance: young people involved in mobility activities of the Erasmus+ Programme must be insured against the risks linked to their participation in these activities. The Programme leaves it up to project organisers to seek the most suitable insurance policy.
🧩 Inclusion support: additional costs directly linked to participants with fewer opportunities and their accompanying persons, group leaders and facilitators. Our guide on inclusion support explains who qualifies.
🛂 Visa and visa-related costs: visa and visa-related costs, residence permits, vaccinations and medical certifications are covered as exceptional costs. Our guide on visa and residence for ESC and Erasmus+ walks through the paperwork, how much money you actually need works through the daily reality, and what Erasmus+ covers lists the budget categories in full.
Do you have to pay to take part in a Youth Exchange?
No fee is ever asked for applying, in ESC or Erasmus+ youth projects; nobody should pay anything at the application stage. In Erasmus+ Youth Exchanges, training courses, seminars and study visits, about one in ten calls asks participants for a participation fee; Youth Works Hub does not support this practice. The participation fee is not a payment made in advance: it is usually deducted from the travel reimbursement. A participation fee is usually a contribution the organisation asks for its own institutional capacity, not a cost of the programme. A participation fee is never paid at application, only by selected participants, and in many cases it can be negotiated or even waived by the organisation.
The amount of the participants' contribution must be very low. It must be clearly justified by a direct benefit to the participant, its purpose must be well explained and justified to the participants, it must be collected on a non-profit basis, and it may not create unfair barriers to participation. Contributions cannot be collected from participants with fewer opportunities. Additional fees or other participant contributions cannot be collected by other service providers chosen by the organisation. 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 the hidden costs of a fully funded project counts what is left to you.
Who is who on a Youth Exchange?
🏠 Sending organisation: a participating organisation sending one or more participants to an activity of an Erasmus+ project.
🏢 Receiving organisation: a participating organisation receiving participants and organising activities of an Erasmus+ project.
🧭 Group leader: in youth mobility projects, an adult of at least 18 years of age who joins the young people participating in a Youth Exchange in order to ensure their effective learning (Youthpass), protection and safety. A Youth Exchange involves group leaders, and group leaders monitor and provide support to participants to ensure the qualitative learning process during the core activity. At the same time, group leaders enable a safe, respectful and non-discriminatory environment and protection of project participants.
🗣️ Facilitator: a person who helps a group of (young) people to work together better, understand their common objectives, and plan how to achieve these objectives through Erasmus+ activities.
If a problem comes up in a Youth Exchange, the young person should go first to their own group leader, then to the host coordinator, and last to the facilitator. Our guide on the role of youth workers covers the people who prepare a group, and what National Agencies are explains who runs the programme in each country.
Frequently asked questions
How long is a Youth Exchange?
The duration of the activity is from 5 to 21 days, excluding travel days. Our guide on how to plan a Youth Exchange walks through the stages of a project from preparation to follow-up.
Is a Youth Exchange the same as a training course?
No: a Youth Exchange is for young people aged between 13 and 30, while training courses support the professional development of youth workers. Professional development activities for youth workers last from 2 to 60 days, excluding travel days, and participants must be minimum 16 years old. Our guide on what a training course is explains the training course format.
How young can you be?
Young people aged between 13 and 30 residing in the countries of their sending and receiving organisations can take part. At the start date of the activity, participants must have reached the minimum age of 13 and must not be older than the maximum age of 30. Our guide on Erasmus+ and ESC age limits compares the minimum and maximum ages across activities.
Is it hard to get into a Youth Exchange?
Neither Erasmus+ nor the European Solidarity Corps is hard to get into if you apply properly and show your motivation clearly. There is 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.
Do you get your learning recognised?
Youthpass is recognised in practice by employers and universities. Organisations should support the learning process, the identification and the documentation of learning outcomes, in particular through Youthpass. Our guide on what Youthpass is explains how Youthpass works.
Where do you go from here?
Our guide on how to apply for Erasmus+ or ESC takes the application step by step, and how to find Erasmus+ and ESC projects shows where open calls are published. Our guide on how to plan a youth exchange is the one to read if you want to run a project rather than join one. Our Youth Works Hub guide on what Erasmus+ covers explains every budget category.
Related pages: how to apply for Erasmus+ or ESC · how to find Erasmus+ and ESC projects · what Erasmus+ covers · Erasmus+ and ESC age limits · how to plan an exchange project
👉 Erasmus+ projects: youthworkshub.org/?tab=erasmus-projects
