A successful Erasmus+ Youth Exchange should leave behind more than photographs.
It should create knowledge, skills, relationships and motivation that continue after participants return home.
This was the ambition of “Sustainable Youth Action for Community Impact,” implemented in Smolyan, Bulgaria, from 22 to 31 December 2025.
The activity brought together 19 young participants and three group leaders from Bulgaria, Romania and Greece.
The programme combined sustainability, environmental awareness, active citizenship, community participation, European values, intercultural dialogue and non-formal education.
Quantitatively, the mobility exceeded its initial participant target.
The indicative objective was 18 participants, while the activity involved 19 young participants.
Inclusion was also significant: 14 of the 19 participants were participants with fewer opportunities.
Green mobility produced another strong result, with all 22 people involved in the exchange recorded as using sustainable means of transport.
However, numbers tell only part of the story.
The official group leader reports provide important evidence of the educational impact.
All three reports confirmed that participants benefited from the exchange.
They also reported positive outcomes in teamwork, adapting to new situations, cooperating with people from different backgrounds and cultures, tolerance, understanding European multiculturalism, critical thinking and active citizenship.
All reports indicated an increased European sense of belonging.
Participants were also reported as more willing to take action to change things that do not work in their surroundings and more prepared to express and defend their opinions.
The exchange also supported practical skills.
Feedback identified improvements in communication, media and social media content creation and awareness of future learning opportunities.
Not every indicator was equally strong.
Results related to increased self-confidence, independence and clearer personal and professional goals reached 66.67% in the three group leader reports.
Rather than ignoring the difference, the organisation identified it as a learning point.
Future exchanges can strengthen individual goal-setting, personal reflection and follow-up after mobility so that longer-term personal development is monitored more systematically.
This approach reflects the purpose of Erasmus+ accreditation: not simply to repeat activities, but to learn from each implementation cycle and continuously improve quality.
All participants also received Youthpass, supporting recognition of the competences developed during the mobility.
For Young Improvers for Youth Development, the exchange contributed to a wider long-term objective: making European learning opportunities more accessible to young people in Smolyan and the Rhodope region while strengthening active citizenship and the quality of local youth work.
The real result of the project therefore cannot be reduced to ten days in December.
It continues through the skills participants developed, the friendships created between Bulgaria, Romania and Greece, the ideas brought back to local communities and the young people who will discover Erasmus+ because someone who participated decides to share their experience.
That is how mobility becomes impact.
Project: 2025-1-BG01-KA151-YOU-000298009
Accreditation: 2023-1-BG01-KA150-YOU-000193502
Programme: Erasmus+ Youth
Activity: Sustainable Youth Action for Community Impact
Dates: 22–31 December 2025
Host location: Smolyan, Bulgaria
Disclaimer: Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the competent programme authorities. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.