Western Balkan Project Lab

The “Western Balkan Project Lab” aims at bringing the Erasmus+ Programme in the field of youth and the European Solidarity Corps closer to organisations in the Western Balkan Partner Countries and finding ways how to use the Programmes in a meaningful way for the participating organisations, young people and the local communities involved with an intention to increase the quality of project proposals with the region.

The participants in the “Western Balkan Project Lab” will:

• discover what kinds of opportunities are offered by the Programmes;
• explore the ways the Programmes can support the organisations’ core mission in the field of youth;
• hear and see variety of good practices and practical approaches relevant for designing and implementing meaningful projects within the Programmes;
• have an opportunity for networking and exchange of practices with other organisations in the Western Balkan countries.

The activity will be consisted of inputs, reflection, group work, workshops and peer support activities.

The programme is designed to follow the adapted version of Design Thinking process with five stages: EMPHATISE –  DEFINE – IDEATE – PROTOTYPE – TEST. (More information about the Design Thinking process and how its applied in the activity is in the enclosed document.)

Target group:

The activity addresses representatives of organisations from the Western Balkan Partner Countries, who are interested in working with the Erasmus+ Programme in the field of youth and / or European Solidarity Corps. We welcome everyone from newcomers to experienced project leaders, however, all participants should have an intention to take a leading role in their future projects within the Programmes (either as applicants or as partners).

We are looking for participants representing an organisation with the following situation/need:

• The organisation has identified specific needs in its local context, has an idea how to respond to these needs through transnational cooperation, and is interested in finding out how the Erasmus+ Programme in the field of youth or European Solidarity Corps can play a part in the process.
• The organisation has a concrete project idea to be implemented in the frame of the Erasmus+ Programme in the field of youth or European Solidarity Corps but needs further information or inspiration to take it forwards.
• The organisation or its partner has tried to apply for grants within the Erasmus+ Programme in the field of youth or European Solidarity Corps, but has so far not been successful, and needs further advice how to improve their proposals.
• The organisation has a specific vision what it wants to achieve in its local context and is interested in developing the competences of their staff through transnational cooperation.
• The organisation is interested in building its capacities and / or contributing to the development of youth work and youth systems in the Western Balkan region through transnational cooperation.

More information about the activity and the programme of activities is in the document below.