Keep it Real! 2025

What does it truly take to prepare a REAL Youth Exchange application? What is YOUR REALITY that could be reflected in your project? If you’ve applied before, how was the experience—what challenges did you face, and what did you learn? What are the key tips and tricks for writing an application that enhances both the quality of the proposal and the future Youth Exchange itself?

"Keep it REAL! 2025" will offer participants the opportunity to explore what it takes to write a solid Youth Exchange application. This course is primarily aimed at those with little or no experience in applying for international youth mobility grants—whether you've recently applied and received a negative response or are planning to submit an application for the first time.

The main objective of this training is to help Youth Exchange applicants enhance the key quality aspects of their application process. The training approach combines theoretical input with hands-on practice, allowing participants to engage in real-life problem-solving, exchange advice, and tackle challenges that matter most to them. Erasmus+ Youth Exchanges involve multiple quality criteria, and this training course will focus on the aspects that applicants often struggle with: youth participation, equal partnerships, non-formal learning, intercultural learning, the Youthpass process, viewing the project as a long-term learning journey, and managing potential risks.

We invite organization representatives to attend with a young person or young people who are actively involved in planning a Youth Exchange project. This training course will host up to 25 participants from Programme Countries, Partner Countries, and Eastern Partnership Countries. To encourage youth participation, priority will be given to young people applying individually or youth workers applying together with a young person.

Team

The training will be facilitated by Vika Matuzaitė and Aistė Šlajūtė, who will share their expertise and experience in Youth Exchanges. Representatives from the Lithuanian National Agency will also join the training to provide technical guidance, share real-life project examples, and engage directly with participants.

Activity Structure

This training consists of three events:

• Online Kick-Off Event (7 July 2025, 2 hours): Meet your trainers, the organizing team, and fellow participants. Gain insights into Youth Exchange quality requirements, assess whether your idea aligns with project criteria, and prepare for the training course.
• Face-to-Face Training Course (25-30 August 2025): The training will take place in a remote venue near major cities in Lithuania. A full information pack (including details about the venue, transportation, and group structure) will be provided to selected participants after the selection process.
• Online Consultations: Each project application group will receive a 1-hour consultation 1-2 weeks before the EU application deadline, if needed.

In case you have any questions regarding the training course, do not hesitate to contact the representatives of Agency of Youth Affairs (Lithuanian NA) ernesta.karosaite@jra.lt and monika.sudeikyte@jra.lt