What is the objective of the conference? 

Youth work practice, research, policy, and young people have been working together through the EPLM to improve the quality of learning mobility activities. At the same time, sustainability has become one of the key areas of consideration for learning mobility, encompassing environmental, sociocultural, and economic dimensions (and more). The topic has gained importance due to young people’s growing climate change concerns. It has been incorporated as one of four key priority areas of Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps.  

Seeing that learning mobility is one of the key pedagogical instruments in the European youth work field, now the question is, how to ensure more sustainable processes before, during, and after learning mobilities?    

While many discussions in the youth field focus on the environmental (or “green”) aspect of sustainability, it is important to make connections between all three aspects and understand how they influence and are interdependent on each other. Therefore, starting with the holistic approach towards sustainability in learning mobility projects, the conference will have the following objectives:   

● broaden participants’ perspectives on sustainability by exploring its sociocultural, economic, and environmental dimensions and how they might be demonstrated in youth learning mobility;  

● map and connect stakeholders, organisations, and initiatives, which work on sustainability in youth learning mobility, and increase their visibility;  

● provide a space to explore the connection between sustainability and learning mobility practices;   

● reflect on participants’ strengths concerning sustainability, explore gaps and possible crossroads for support and co-operation;  

● raise and explore dilemmas regarding learning mobility and sustainability;  

● establish the connection of sustainability in learning mobility with current Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps programme priorities and priorities of other funding mechanisms, such as European Youth Foundation; and  

● include the perspectives of young people, their understanding of sustainability, and their practice examples.

Who is the conference for?  

The Sustain-Mobility Conference will gather around 150 practitioners, researchers, policy-makers, young people and other stakeholders, who will explore the topic of sustainability. As the EPLM supports the connection between research, practice, and policy, this event should have representation from all of these as well as young people themselves. The national delegations (of maximum four people per country) should come from the following profiles:  

1. Youth worker/NGO worker in the youth field, with experience of implementing learning mobility projects and willing to explore sustainability in this context  

2. Young person (age 18+), especially if they have a story to tell about how their learning mobility experience influenced them to make a (positive) impact on society through sustainability  

3. Policymaker from local/regional/national level, related to youth policies, especially with a sustainability focus  

4. National Agency staff members with an interest in how to expand the focus on the sustainability priority in EU Youth Programmes

This Conference – Symposium - Forum is

• for 150 participants
• from Erasmus+ Youth Programme countries , Partner Countries Neighbouring the EU , and recommended for
• Youth workers, Youth leaders, Youth project managers, Youth policy makers, Youth researchers

Find more info on the event website