DiscoverEU Inclusion

What is DiscoverEU Inclusion?

The DiscoverEU Inclusion action is for groups of one to five young people who have fewer opportunities, are from the same country, and want to gather for a short period to travel through Europe. Organisations or groups of young people receive project funding and support to do this. The project is made up of four phases: planning; preparation; implementation before and during travel; and follow-up after the travel.

• Planning – Define the needs, objectives, and desired outcomes
• Preparation – Establish the practicalities
• Implementation – Carry out the activities
• Follow-up – Evaluation, dissemination and feedback.

DiscoverEU Inclusion is part of the Erasmus+ programme. Erasmus+ seeks to promote equal opportunities and access, inclusion and fairness across all its actions. Organisations should design accessible and inclusive project activities, taking into account the views of participants with fewer opportunities and involving them in the decision-making process.

The short duration and support of an organisation make DiscoverEU Inclusion particularly suitable for inclusion of young people with fewer opportunities:

• to experience travelling alone as an individual or
• to experience international travel in the safety of a group.

DiscoverEU Inclusion also supports work on inclusion and diversity. It supports the fight against stereotypes, fosters understanding, and promotes tolerance and non-discrimination.

What Happens on a DiscoverEU Inclusion project?

Youth organisations or informal groups of young people carry out a DiscoverEU project that brings together up to five young people from the same country. The group travel by train for a short period through Europe.  These activities can be from 1 up to 30 days in duration and the projects span between 3 and 18 months.

The organisation should benefit from its participation in the DiscoverEU Inclusion action and the project should therefore be in line with the objectives of the organisation and fit its needs. Cooperation with stakeholders in other countries that could offer activities or support to the young people involved is possible – for example, hosting participants.

A quality DiscoverEU Inclusion project:

• relies on the active involvement of young people with fewer opportunities and participating organisations, who should take an active role in all the stages of the project, enhancing in this way their learning and development experience
• involves preferably diverse groups of participants with fewer opportunities and builds on this diversity
• is based on clearly identified needs of the young participants
• ensures that the non-formal and informal learning outcomes of the DiscoverEU experience of the participants are properly identified and documented
• encourages the participants to reflect on European topics and values.

Eligible organistions:

A participating organisation can be:

• a non-profit organisation, association, NGO; a public body at local, regional, national level; a social enterprise; a profit-making body active in Corporate Social Responsibility
• an informal group of young people

established in an EU Member State or third country associated to the Erasmus+ programme. Any eligible participating organisation or group established in an EU Member State or third country associated to the Programme can be the applicant.

FAQs

What would a project include?

The Erasmus+ Programme seeks to promote equal opportunities and access, inclusion and fairness across all its actions. Organisations should design accessible and inclusive project activities, taking into account the views of participants with fewer opportunities and involving them in the decision-making process.

What financial support could we be eligible for?

A young person is eligible to receive inclusion support of €100 and individual support of €62 per day for a maximum of 21 days. If a young person and their accompanying person need additional inclusion support, then these costs can be reimbursed once they have been explained and approved by Léargas. Make sure to keep receipts related to these additional inclusion supports.

A young person can be reimbursed for expenses necessary for their travel that they couldn’t otherwise afford, such as buying a suitcase or backpack, visa costs, or medical certs.

The organisation is eligible to receive €100 for each young person with fewer opportunities involved as a contribution to unit costs for the organisation of the activities.

How many organisations can participate in a DiscoverEU Inclusion project?

There’s a minimum of one participating organisation.

How long does a project need to be?

A project can last from 3 to 18 months.

Where do I apply for a DiscoverEU Inclusion project?

As an Irish organisation or group of young people, you apply to Léargas, the National Agency for Ireland. The online application form is expected to be available in June 2022.

Where can I find out what other people are doing?

Visit the DiscoverEU Facebook Group to connect with other participants who live or are travelling to the same places.