UPSKILL-MIGRANTS Erasmus+ project grows directly out of what we experience in our daily work with young migrants and refugees. Many arrive full of motivation and curiosity, yet they face a combination of barriers that are difficult to navigate: interrupted education, language challenges, unfamiliar school systems, uncertainty about residence status, discrimination and sometimes trauma. At the same time, youth workers are often the first people they meet who are not part of formal institutions. Young migrants come to our centres for support, advice, friendship and belonging, and we want to be ready for them. However, across our organisations, we repeatedly noticed similar gaps. Youth workers rarely receive structured training on migration-sensitive approaches, trauma-aware facilitation, digital recognition of learning or pathways toward employment and civic participation. Much of what we do we learned “on the job”, through trial and error. This project aims to respond to that reality. We want to strengthen youth work as a strategic space where young migrants feel safe, are taken seriously, and can progress in their personal, social and educational lives. Our first objective is to develop the professional competences of youth workers working with migrant and refugee youth. We want participants to improve their abilities to create welcoming environments, handle sensitive situations, mediate cultural misunderstandings, and design activities that include rather than separate. This also means learning how to recognise signs of stress or trauma and how to respond appropriately without overstepping our professional role. A second objective is to deepen participation and youth voice. Too often, programmes for migrant youth are designed “about them” rather than “with them”. We want youth workers to gain concrete facilitation tools that allow young people to set priorities, co-create activities and take responsibility for small initiatives. When migrants feel they are part of shaping the process, their confidence and sense of belonging grow significantly. A third objective is to improve recognition of learning and future opportunities. Youth work gives young migrants the chance to practise teamwork, problem solving, digital skills, creativity and leadership, but these competences often remain invisible. Through this project, we want youth workers to feel confident using Youthpass, digital badges and simple e-portfolios so that non-formal learning becomes visible and usable when applying for school, volunteering or work. In this way, youth work becomes a bridge rather than an isolated island. A fourth objective is to encourage cross-sector and community cooperation. Supporting young migrants requires collaboration with municipalities, schools, social services, migrant associations and employers. Our project is designed with our partners to helps youth workers map stakeholders, build relationships and design realistic Local Action Plans that connect youth work to wider support systems. This also strengthens sustainability after the mobility. As the final point we want to foster reflection, wellbeing and professionalism among youth workers themselves. Working with migration issues can be emotionally demanding. Through peer learning and self-care elements, we aim to help participants develop resilience, ethical awareness and supportive networks across countries. Altogether, these objectives aim at one simple but powerful outcome: youth workers who feel more prepared, more confident and better connected, and young migrants who experience youth work not only as a place to spend time, but as a real pathway to participation, recognition and future opportunities.