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Unleashing Creativity: From Lens to Life

2026-1-LU01-KA153-YOU-0003970702026Mobility of youth workersongoing
Countries: LU|ES|FR|EE|PT|NL|TR|RS|PL|BE · Grant: €40,305
Digital skills and competencesPromotion of alternative forms of participationCreativity, arts and culture

Objectives

In the field of youth work, a critical paradox exists: while youth organisations create immense value, their youth work often remains invisible. A study by the National Youth Council of Ireland found that 57% of youth workers are concerned their projects get lost due to a lack of visibility. This issue is compounded by a second challenge: many young people, particularly those facing communication barriers, lack the tools to express their inner worlds and articulate their perspectives on issues that directly affect them. We identified these needs through our Project Cycle Management (PCM) analyses and direct input from youth workers in the field. Our project directly addresses these twin challenges. We will equip youth workers with skills in participatory photography, a powerful methodology where photography shifts from a fine art to a tool for empowerment, social advocacy and active participation. So, our vision is twofold: first, to empower youth workers to creatively document and promote their work, increasing its visibility, quality and impact; and second, to provide them with the methods to help young people find their voice, tell their own stories and advocate for tangible social and policy change. Since photography has always served as a means of communication and of sharing experiences, it holds particular relevance in youth work as a non-formal learning tool. When integrated into youth work practice, it supports young people in expressing their realities, strengthens their participation in line with the European Youth Goals and gives youth workers concrete methods to make youth voices visible in society. Photography is a uniquely suitable tool for youth work as it is accessible, low-cost, mobile and non-verbal. It fits seamlessly into daily activities: documenting projects, telling authentic stories, engaging young people who struggle with verbal expression and opening dialogue with communities and decision-makers. To achieve this, our project has two primary objectives from the perspective of youth work practice: • To build the competences of youth workers in photography, digital communication and visibility strategies. This will enhance youth workers ability to design impactful programs and creatively showcase their work and directly improve the quality and recognition of youth work in line with the ETS Competence Model • To equip youth workers with participatory methods, such as Photovoice, to use photography as a non-verbal medium of expression for young people. By transferring these skills, they will empower youth to communicate their experiences and perspectives and directly contribute to European Youth Goals #4 (Information & Constructive Dialogue) and #9 (Space and Participation for All). This approach is strategically aligned with European priorities. It harnesses visual storytelling to amplify youth voices, a key goal of the EU Youth Strategy 2019-2027 and strengthens key competencies outlined in the ETS and YOCOMO models, such as creativity, communication and facilitating learning. By integrating digital photography and online platforms, our project directly contributes to the Digital Transformation priority while its focus on advocacy and amplifying youth voices addresses Participation in Democratic Life. Our project aligns with the objectives of Erasmus+ and Mobility of Youth Workers as follows: • Applying methods like Photovoice to guide youth reflection --> critical thinking and media literacy • Equipping youth workers with skills in community needs assessment and project design --> building capacity • Using photography as a universal tool to bridge cultural differences --> intercultural dialogue • Strengthening youth workers' ability to promote their work and advocate for youth issues --> building capacity and professional development • Developing creativity and problem-solving skills (YOCOMO) by applying photography for youth expression and visibility --> participation in democratic life • Adding photography skills to the youth workers' professional repertoire (ETS Model) --> building capacity and improving program design • Transferring photography skills to young people to better handle emotions and empathy --> communicating meaningfully (ETS) • Integrating digital photography tools and online platforms to strengthen digital competences --> digital transformation • Organizing youth-led local exhibitions after the mobility --> youth participation (European Youth Goal: Space and Participation for All) Ultimately, our project will cultivate a new generation of visually literate youth workers and empower young people to become active authors of their own narratives and architects of social change. As the fifth submission, this project has been significantly strengthened by integrating the constructive feedback from four evaluation reports. We are confident that this application presents a fully developed and impactful project that addresses all previous recommendations.

Project partners (10)