ECOuprising!
- a youth exchange for young people -
- in Vienna, Austria from 19 to 26 August 2026 -
- Countries: Austria, Croatia, Czechia, Greece, Latvia, Serbia, and Slovakia -
Project reference: 2025-3-AT01-KA152-YOU-000378262
Application deadline: 12 August 2026
GENESIS OF THE YOUTH EXCHANGE:
ECOuprising is an Erasmus+ Youth Exchange that brings together young people from seven European countries to explore sustainability, climate action, eco-anxiety, wellbeing, and active citizenship. Through experiential learning, environmental games, creative activities, nature connection, and intercultural cooperation, participants will transform environmental concern into practical community action.
Today’s young people are increasingly aware of the environmental challenges shaping their future. Climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, unsustainable consumption, and environmental injustice are no longer distant issues—they directly affect young people’s communities, opportunities, and wellbeing. While many feel motivated to act, the scale of these challenges can also create frustration, helplessness, eco-anxiety, and disengagement. At the same time, traditional education often provides information without offering enough practical, participatory opportunities for young people to transform knowledge into meaningful action. ECOuprising was created to bridge this gap. The project brings together young people from seven European countries to explore sustainability, climate responsibility, wellbeing, and active citizenship through non-formal education. Its name reflects the project’s central message: environmental concern can become a positive uprising of creativity, cooperation, resilience, and community action. Through experiential learning, environmental games, creative arts, nature-based activities, intercultural dialogue, study visits, and structured reflection, participants will explore topics such as biodiversity, greenwashing, circular economy, responsible consumption, human rights, and eco-anxiety. They will strengthen their environmental awareness while developing teamwork, leadership, critical thinking, communication, and emotional resilience. In line with Erasmus+ values and the European Youth Goals, ECOuprising creates an inclusive space where young people can exchange perspectives, learn from one another, and recognise their ability to influence change. The project does not stop at raising awareness: participants will turn their learning into practical Action Plans and local initiatives that continue in their communities after the exchange.
LEARNING EXPERIENCE:
The programme has been carefully designed around the principles of learning by doing, peer-to-peer exchange, and guided reflection. It combines interactive, creative, and nature-based activities with intercultural cooperation, allowing participants to explore complex environmental topics in an accessible and engaging way. The learning process will be adapted to the participants’ needs, experiences, and different learning preferences and will unfold in three main stages:
Initial Preparation: Before arriving in Vienna, participants will take part in national preparation activities and receive practical information about the mobility. They will reflect on their motivations, learning needs, environmental interests, and personal goals. Participants will also begin exploring sustainability challenges in their own communities so that they arrive ready to contribute their perspectives, experiences, and ideas.
Exchange Mobility: During the youth exchange, participants from seven countries will learn together through environmental board games, sustainability simulations, Land Art, urban-greening study visits, outdoor activities, intercultural teamwork, discussions, and creative exercises. Activities such as the SDGs Intelligence Exhibition and GreenQuest will help participants connect global environmental challenges with everyday choices and possible local solutions.
Daily reflection groups, learning diaries, peer exchange, and Youthpass activities will help participants recognise their learning progress and connect each experience with practical competences. They will not be passive recipients of information but active co-creators of the programme.
Follow-Up: At the end of the exchange, each national group will develop a practical Action Plan for transferring the project’s learning into its local community. Follow-up initiatives may include school or youth-centre workshops, community environmental events, awareness campaigns, storytelling activities, sustainability games, or small urban-greening actions.
Participants will also help create visual and digital materials that share the project’s messages with a wider audience. Supported by their partner organisations, they will become multipliers who inspire others and transform their ECOuprising experience into visible and meaningful local action.
The aims and objectives of this project are:
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Strengthen young people’s environmental awareness and practical action competences by exploring climate change, biodiversity, greenwashing, circular economy, responsible consumption, and human rights;
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Help participants transform environmental knowledge into meaningful action through experiential learning, interactive games, creative activities, Land Art, simulations, and study visits to urban-greening initiatives;
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Address eco-anxiety and strengthen emotional resilience, confidence, and wellbeing through nature connection, peer support, and structured reflection;
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Develop teamwork, intercultural communication, critical thinking, problem-solving, leadership, and active-citizenship competences;
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Promote inclusion, European solidarity, and respect for diversity by bringing together young people from different cultural, social, and educational backgrounds;
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Empower each national group to create and implement a practical Action Plan, transferring the project’s learning into sustainability initiatives in their local communities.
THE PROFILE OF PARTICIPANTS:
- Young people aged 18–25 who legally reside in one of the partner countries: Austria, Croatia, Czechia, Greece, Latvia, Serbia, or Slovakia;
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Austria-based participants may be between 15 and 25 years old;
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Participants under 18 will be required to provide parental or legal-guardian consent if selected;
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Genuinely interested in sustainability, environmental protection, climate action, wellbeing, and active citizenship;
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Open-minded and ready to participate actively in an international and intercultural learning environment;
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Able to communicate in English well enough to cooperate, participate in discussions, and support other group members;
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Willing to take part in the complete programme, including teamwork, environmental games, creative activities, Land Art, outdoor learning, study visits, discussions, and daily reflection;
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Comfortable participating in walking and outdoor activities, with reasonable support or adaptations available when required;
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Ready to respect different perspectives and contribute to an inclusive environment in which every participant’s voice is heard and valued;
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Willing to participate in the preparation process, the full youth exchange, evaluation, dissemination, and follow-up activities;
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Ready to create a local Action Plan and share the project’s learning with their community after returning home;
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No previous Erasmus+ experience or specialist knowledge of sustainability is required. First-time participants and young people with fewer opportunities are strongly encouraged to apply;
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Committed to Erasmus+ values, including human dignity, equality, inclusion, democracy, respect for human rights, and non-discrimination;
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Each partner country will select five young participants and one group leader;
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Group leaders must be at least 18 years old and should have relevant experience in youth work, mentoring, inclusion, safeguarding, group support, or non-formal education.
WHAT ARE THE COSTS:
- The youth exchange is "fully" funded!
- It is financed by the European Commission as part of the Erasmus+.
- The hostel, training, materials, meals, and transport are covered to the determined limits.
- Participants are required to book their own transport (flights, busses, trains) to and from Vienna and we will refund the eligible costs to you after your successful participation.
- Only selected persons can book their tickets, after our advice!
- The refund of travel costs is after the implementation of the local follow-up initiative.
- The coordinator and host are not responsible for any charges or payments the participants have to do to the sending organisation.
