Erasmus+ Youth: Involve Youth and Community Services

“Irish Travellers don’t get many opportunities to take part in youth exchanges or to even go to another country. It is great to be able to do this and receive this funding so we can change the lives of these young people.” 

Involve Youth and Community Services have a strong track record of engaging young people in European opportunities through Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps. Their work focuses on inclusion, intercultural learning, and supporting Traveller youth to take part fully in international experiences.

Involve has delivered youth exchanges since 2016 with partners in Italy, Spain, Bulgaria and Portugal, enabling their young people to gain confidence, new skills and awareness of different cultures. The organization also participates in European programmes through staff training and hosting European Solidarity Corps volunteers from other countries.

Involve has contributed to strategic partnerships aimed at improving youth services and challenging social exclusion. This included collaborating on a toolkit to support Traveller engagement with universal services and participating in national work to counter hate speech through European programmes.

Involve’s participation in European programmes highlights their commitment to youth empowerment, inclusion and international learning, ensuring that more young people from marginalised backgrounds can access meaningful opportunities.

In 2024, Involve’s Mental Health Youth Work Patrick McDonagh spoke about how these experiences shape young people’s futures: