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Coaching and Mentoring Academy 1.0
- a professional development training for youth workers & youth leaders -
- in Vienna, Austria from 5 to 12 September 2026 -
- Countries: Austria, Croatia, Czechia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Serbia, Slovakia -
Project reference: 2025-3-DE04-KA153-YOU-000385909
Application deadline: 19 August 2026
GENESIS OF THE TRAINING:
Youth work in Europe is doing more than ever, and in too many places doing it with less preparation. The pandemic, economic instability and high turnover across the sector pushed experienced youth workers out while drawing newcomers in, often with no formal training behind them. The result is a widening gap between the number of activities offered to young people and the quality of the support behind them. At the same time the young people themselves arrive carrying more: disrupted schooling, exclusion, language barriers and rising mental-health needs. Coaching and mentoring are what many youth workers reach for in response — usually with goodwill and instinct, rarely with structure, and almost never with training. Coaching and Mentoring Academy 1.0 was designed to close that gap. Over six days in Vienna, 30 youth workers from 10 European countries build practical, structured competences in coaching and mentoring: how to contract a mentoring relationship, how to listen deeply, how to help a young person name a goal and move towards it, and where the boundaries of youth work sit. The project is coordinated by Ukrainer in Bonn e.V. with EMOTiC as host and training partner, and is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.
LEARNING EXPERIENCE:
The training runs on experiential learning: you meet a method by using it, not by hearing about it. Across the week participants move through five stages — establish, learn, apply, test, create. The opening day builds the group, agrees a code of conduct and introduces Youthpass. From there the programme works through the foundations: key concepts and ethics of coaching and mentoring, deep listening and non-violent communication, goal setting with GROW and SMART, and what to do when a mentoring relationship stalls. Midweek goes deeper into models and approaches — OSCAR, solution-focused coaching, cognitive and behavioural techniques, emotional intelligence and psychological safety — and then into more advanced ground: metaphor and storytelling, navigating conflict, structured self-assessment, and the ethics and boundaries that keep youth work from drifting into therapy. Practice is the core of the course rather than a demonstration at the end. Participants coach one another in pairs, receive structured feedback and refine their approach in real time. Every day closes with reflection and each participant keeps a learning diary. The final day is spent on transfer: action plans, follow-up roadmaps, Youthpass and evaluation. After Vienna every participant delivers a coaching session with at least five young people at home, and the group continues as a Community of Practice around a shared open library of tools.
THE PROFILE OF PARTICIPANTS:
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you live in one of the participating countries: (Austria, Germany, Croatia, Czechia, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Serbia, and Slovakia)
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you are between 24 and 35 years old — a limited number of places are open to participants aged 36 to 39, reserved for official staff of the partner organisations.
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you work actively with young people, as a youth worker, trainer, facilitator, youth leader, educator or volunteer.
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you commit to full participation for the whole activity and all sessions.
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you can communicate in English (B1+ level is enough).
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you wish to learn new coaching and mentoring skills, methods and tools.
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you want to build the confidence to guide a young person through a real conversation, not just deliver content to them.
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you are ready to test coaching tools on yourself before using them with young people.
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you can cooperate and work with others in a team.
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you are ready to deliver a follow-up session with young people at home.
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you are ready to support dissemination and visibility activities online and offline.
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you are curious to learn and you appreciate diversity in every sense.
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you would like to build new friendships and international connections.
WHAT ARE THE COSTS:
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There is no participation fee. The training is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.
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Accommodation, training, materials and all meals are covered directly by the host.
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Travel is reimbursed up to a fixed ceiling per country. Anything above that ceiling is your own or your organisation's contribution — the Erasmus+ grant is a contribution towards participation costs, not full funding of the activity.
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Participants book their own transport (flights, buses, trains) to and from Vienna, and we refund the eligible costs after successful participation.
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Book nothing before your travel plan is approved by us. Tickets bought without prior written approval may not be reimbursed.
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Only international travel is reimbursed. Local transport in Vienna, and travel from your home to your departure airport or station, is not.
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The refund is paid after you have delivered your local follow-up session and submitted all original travel documents.
PARTICIPATION RULES AND CONDITIONS:
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You should attend the entire activity from 5 to 12 September 2026.
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You should engage in all preparation and follow-up activities.
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You should fill out the form before 19 August 2026.
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You should sign the participation agreement once selected, within a period of three days.
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You should purchase your travel tickets within five days of signing the agreement, and only after your travel plan has been approved by us.
TIMEFRAME:
Preparation:
From 20 August to 4 September 2026 (in various stages)
Participation:
5 to 12 September 2026 (in Vienna, Austria)
Follow-up:September to October 2026 — public webinar on 5 October, local follow-up sessions delivered by 17 October 2026
OTHER IMPORTANT REMARKS:
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Applications will be reviewed and accepted based on motivation and eligibility.
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Places are limited to three participants per country; selection results are sent by email shortly after the deadline.
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More details such as preparatory tasks will be shared after selection via email.
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You will receive a Youthpass certificate on the final day of the training in Vienna.
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