Youth exchange: Flying Beyond the Hoops!, Vienna

Flying Beyond the Hoops! was an Erasmus+ youth exchange hosted by EMOTiC in Vienna from 12 to 19 August 2026, travel days included. It brought together 42 participants, 35 young people aged 18–25 and 7 group leaders, from Austria, Croatia, Czechia, Italy, Latvia, Serbia and Slovakia. EMOTiC was the coordinator and host, and the group lived and trained together at the Jugendgästehaus Wien Brigittenau in Vienna's 20th district.

Why quidditch

The programme used quidditch, also known as quadball, a gender-mixed team sport, as a tool for exploring fair play, leadership and active citizenship. Through training sessions, matches, workshops and peer exchange, participants strengthened teamwork, communication and ethical decision-making while addressing social exclusion, unequal participation and the pressures on young people's wellbeing.

What we set out to do

The project set out to test and promote quidditch as a sport and learning tool that can be replicated. It also aimed to help participants understand how gender roles, mental health and political participation are connected, to improve mental and physical health through movement and teamwork, to foster critical thinking and problem-solving, and to promote inclusion and diversity through communication and collaboration.

From the basics to a tournament

The programme moved from the basics to a full tournament. After welcome and team-building sessions, participants learned quidditch skills alongside sessions on fair play, equality, and leadership and integrity in sport. Advanced strategy training was combined with workshops on roles and responsibilities, mental health and wellbeing in sport, and leadership styles and communication in teams. A practice match led into role-play and scenario-based learning on fairness and leadership, a session on fair play beyond sport and its links with equity and active citizenship, and the planning of a community quidditch event for social impact. A quidditch tournament and debrief followed, and the final day brought an SDGs Intelligence Exhibition, work on developing participants' own communities and the evaluation.

How we learned

The approach rested on three ideas: learning by experience, learning to play and playing to learn, and learning through the outdoors. Many sessions took place outside in sports clothes, with daily reflection time, a mid-term evaluation and evenings of intercultural talks and community time, ending with a farewell party. No previous Erasmus+ experience was needed, but participants had to be ready to join daily sport and outdoor activities and to communicate in English.

Before and after Vienna

The week in Vienna was one part of a longer learning journey. A preparation phase from 20 July 2026 helped each national group reflect and set goals before travelling, and a follow-up phase in September 2026 took the learning home. Each national team designed a local follow-up action plan to carry the values of fair play back to their communities. The week closed with Youthpass, the Erasmus+ certificate that recognises non-formal learning.