With this project, we set out to understand how knowledgeable young people and parents were about Erasmus+ and identify the barriers preventing them from participating. By mapping these challenges, we were able to develop targeted approaches to lower obstacles and make Erasmus+ more accessible to everyone. We aimed to strengthen collaborations with young people, parents, schools, and communities, creating a supportive network to promote Erasmus+ opportunities effectively. We also focused on teaching young people valuable digital skills, empowering them to use their phones and social media to spread information about Erasmus+ to their peers, creating a ripple effect of awareness. Strengthening the collaboration between Malta and Sicily was another key goal, enabling us to create impactful Erasmus+ projects and build a foundation for long-term partnerships. This project made a real difference. Our organisation is now stronger, more visible, and better equipped to support youth. As a result, we’ve seen a significant increase in interest and participation in Erasmus+ among young people, ensuring its benefits reach even more communities.
We applied for this project to first understand what young people knew about Erasmus+ and to identify the unmet needs among Maltese & Sicilian youth, particularly those under 18. We discovered that many young people were unaware of Erasmus+ opportunities, which limited their ability to benefit from these experiences. Parental hesitation also emerged as a significant barrier, often due to safety concerns or a lack of detailed information. Our aim was to bridge this gap, especially for younger teens, by making Erasmus+ more accessible and understandable. We partnered with an organisation in nearby Sicily, providing an international experience that felt both exciting and reassuring for young people and also parents. This helped create trust and made it easier for them to support their children’s involvement. We also made sure parents were informed and engaged at every stage of the process. Our goal was to establish strong partnerships, locally and internationally, that could create more opportunities for youth engagement, particularly for those in rural and underserved areas. We wanted to inspire young people to expand their perspectives, boost their confidence, and take an active role in their communities and internationally.