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Intercambio Inclusivo: Erasmus para Jóvenes con Baja Visión o Ceguera

2025-3-ES02-KA152-YOU-0003846772025Mobility of young peopleongoing
Countries: ES|DE|IT|NL|NO|FR · Grant: €47,202
DisabilitiesRecognition, transparency, certificationQuality and innovation of youth work

Objectives

All of us young people who suffer from low vision dream of the right of being Erasmus, enjoying the opportunities that this Programme offers to the rest of youth. However, we are hardly represented in European mobilities (European Commission, Inclusion and Diversity Strategy in Erasmus+, and ESC 2021–2027). This exclusion is not due to lack of motivation, but due to accessibility barriers, insufficient support, and lack of references. Being an Erasmus, according to our personal experience (collected through interviews, surveys, and SWOT analysis with more than 60 young people with low vision from Spain, Germany, Norway, France, Italy, and the Netherlands) and the bibliographic analysis carried out by experts from our entities, would allow us to address the key needs that we suffer, caused in most cases by the direct consequences of our low vision or the disease causing that (albinism or aniridia): ‒ Breaking social isolation. ‒ Gaining autonomy and confidence. ‒ Developing digital, social, and employability skills. ‒ Accessing quality international experiences. ‒ Being heard and recognized as protagonists. This project is unique because it serves a doubly vulnerable and almost invisible group in Erasmus+. Low vision and blindness, coupled with social and economic barriers, have left most of these young people out. According to the European Disability Forum (2022), less than 2% of Erasmus+ mobilities include young people with visual impairments. We want to show that inclusion is not an add-on, but the heart of Erasmus+! The objectives of the project are born from these needs, in line with the youth work and youth exchanges of Erasmus+ (Erasmus+ Guide 2025): O1. Empower ourselves as youth with low vision or blindness: We want to face our reality in a positive way, gain resilience and well-being. This is how we respond to the Erasmus+ objective of “developing young people's capacities and attitudes” through non-formal learning. The European Youth Strategy 2019–2027 stresses that youth work must strengthen self-esteem and participation, especially in those with fewer opportunities. O2. Equal participation in Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps: Many of us have never had access to international mobility… sometimes we have not even left our region. With this project we want to show ourselves and our families that it is possible, fulfilling Erasmus+'s goal of opening opportunities to all young people, especially to those who face obstacles. O3. Develop key skills for life and the future: We seek to improve basic skills (teamwork, communication), digital skills (use of accessible apps, creation of inclusive content), citizenship skills (democratic participation, environmental commitment), and also for our employability (autonomy, confidence, resilience…). We will use European frameworks such as “DigComp” and “LifeComp”, ensuring recognized and transferable learning. O4. Generate accessible resources for other young people: We don’t only want to learn, but also leave a legacy. We will create a European Guide to Inclusive Mobility, a podcast, accessible materials, and protocols that other young people and organizations will be able to use. As the “Making Waves” guide recommends, dissemination must ensure impact beyond the direct participants. O5. Strengthen our entities and the European youth network: This project also seeks for our organizations to improve their inclusive practices, professionalize youth leaders to perpetuate them, and strengthen their international dimension, complying with the “Train” pillar of the European Youth Strategy. O6. Integrate sustainability and democratic participation throughout the project cycle in order to enhance our European values and our commitment to a fairer, more equal, green, and inclusive EU in the future. Our objectives answer to our needs as young people with low vision and blindness, and meet European priorities: inclusion and diversity, digital transformation, green sustainability, and democratic participation. We are looking for something simple and ambitious: to become part of Europe on an equal footing, to learn, grow, and to leave a legacy that inspires others. As stated in the EU Council Resolution on the Youth Strategy 2019–2027, “no young person should be left behind”. This project is our way of making that promize a reality. This project is a practical example of how to advance the European Youth Goals, especially Goal 3 (Inclusive Societies) and Goal 10 (Green and Sustainable Europe), demonstrating that accessible and sustainable mobility is replicable throughout Europe. Let's be honest: for many of us young people with low vision or blindness, the idea of participating in an Erasmus project seemed impossible. Now, for the first time, we have the opportunity to demonstrate that it is possible.

Project partners (7)