Positive lessons learned

1. Consortium cohesion is the key: collaboration among project partners is vital for success and achieving the desired impact. Unexpected challenges will inevitably arise during implementation. The ability to face these challenges effectively hinges on a united front among partners, who can share the workload and responsibilities based on their strengths. This collective effort simplifies problem-solving and enhances project resilience.

2. Simplicity fosters transnational connection: young people require very little to connect with one another; sometimes, a simple ball is enough to transcend language and cultural barriers. While on transnational youth exchange, instead of overloading the schedule with complex activities, allow for unscheduled moments where participants can interact freely. These spontaneous exchanges can lead to friendships that might profoundly influence their lives.

3. Embracing local contexts diversity: it is essential to respect the unique qualities of each participating local context, representing organisation and avoiding a homogenised approach that dilutes the activities. While goals should be clearly shared, the local implementation strategies must reflect the specific context of each organisation. This respect for diversity helps maintain the activities' authenticity and maximises their impact.

4. Youth engagement and active participation can lead to very enriching and positive experiences. Most of the youth involved in this project were enthusiastic about the cause and the activities.

5. Respect cultural, social, and personal differences in others. This will lead to a better understanding of each other and more fruitful experiences.

6. Local activities are important for international participants to get to really experience a different culture. Emersion into a different environment with different rules and standards can be an eye-opening experience that broadens young people’s horizons.

7. Mixing participants from different countries during international activities will enrich the experience for everyone. Language barriers may seem like an issue in the beginning, but young people are very clever in overcoming these barriers.

8. Establishing strong relationships with schools and teachers is a critical step for project success. Teachers not only facilitated access to students, but also provided essential logistical support. Their involvement as key partners ensured that activities ran smoothly within the school setting, greatly contributing to sustained engagement.

9. While operating within the framework of the project, empowering youth by involving them in decision-making - whether about topics, methods, or activities - proved to be highly effective. When young participants had a voice in shaping the project, their sense of ownership and commitment grew significantly. This approach made the project more relevant to their interests, fostering deeper engagement and motivation to actively participate and contribute. It also fostered a multiplier effect, ensuring that more young people heard about and were eager to join the project’s activities and events.

10. Ensuring equal access to participation: while relying on teachers to share project information and invite students was helpful, it risked unintentionally excluding some participants due to personal biases. Teachers, like anyone, may have preferences that lead to the selection of certain students over others. To address this, it was crucial to ensure that the initiative was communicated school-wide, emphasising that participation was open to all interested students. This approach helped prevent discrimination and promoted inclusivity, allowing a diverse group of students to engage. For instance, we received feedback that, in one of the schools, it was the first time a Roma youth had been given the opportunity to participate in an Erasmus+ project.

11. Being flexible and open-minded: flexibility and adaptability were vital throughout the project. Challenges such as scheduling conflicts or shifts in student interest were inevitable, but maintaining an open mind allowed the team to adjust plans as necessary. This adaptability enabled us to respond effectively to logistical hurdles and participant feedback, ultimately improving the project's success and relevance.

12. Proposing activities that are located in different places around town require for the groups some extra organisational effort, but it also opens up the curiosity. When a group has to walk 20 minutes from its Hostel to the place where the activity will take place, those 20 minutes are not lost. It is a time made to simply open the eyes and benefit from the diversity of the culture proposed. All the cities visited had functional and (most of them) cheap public transport. It is also a way to immerse in the local culture.

13. Each nationality has its own connection with food and the ritual going with it. It is very enjoyable to discover this reality all together. Sharing food is a special democratic moment where the young adults can express things with the others that they would not express with an adult watching over them. It is a ritual when everybody is at the same level and it seems important to make sure everybody involved will share lunch and dinner all together.

14. Meetings among the youth workers involved in the project, coming from different countries are crucial in order to share experiences and collect feedback. Taking time for this also allows the youth workers to get to know each other. It gives them the possibility to talk about the characteristics of their own group: “I have one young adult who goes through this or that…”. Sharing insights like this gives the opportunity to all the youth workers to know a little more about each participant in order to better connect with them.

15. Overall, the mobilities, such as the ones that SPGs project promoted, offers a unique opportunity for youth personal growth, mainly those that have experienced vulnerable situations. These mobilities put the participants into dynamic experiences offering a transformative learning adventure that develops valuable life skills such as communication, better decision making and conflict resolution. The mobilities journey agendas, as in the SPGs project, take a central position in the achievements experienced by youth in vulnerable situations. it will help them grow in confidence, comprehension, and capability, and will learn more about yourself. By stepping outside of one's comfort zone, young people can gain valuable skills, broaden their horizons, and create lasting memories.

16. Another positive point is related to cultural exposure. The SPGs mobilities are a good example based on an interaction between a youth group that hosts other groups coming from other cultures. Expecting the unexpected: an opportunity like this is your opportunity to place your heart in another community and gain global understanding and perspective by deepening your appreciation for other cultures and customs. By living and interacting with people from different cultures, the youth in vulnerable situations can broaden their understanding of the world and challenge their own perspectives.

17. Communication among youth people is one of the biggest challenges that they faced during the SPGs mobilities. Immersion into a foreign language environment can accelerate language acquisition skills and improve communication abilities – but it can also hinder communication. Educators are crucial players in preventing any negative situations, proposing mediation and translation for participants that are facing difficulties.