BASKETSHIFT EUROPE - Food Inflation, Household Resilience and Smart Consumption

How can young people adapt their shopping and weekly meals when food prices change but their budget stays the same?

Küçükçekmece Municipality is looking for partner organisations for BASKETSHIFT EUROPE, an Erasmus+ KA152-YOU Youth Exchange proposal focusing on everyday food budgeting, informed consumption and food-waste prevention.

The project will bring together 30 young women aged 18–30 from Türkiye and two partner countries for eight activity days in Istanbul, excluding travel, followed by six weeks of local activities.

Participants will explore food choices by considering price, dietary variety, available time, storage conditions and how purchased food will actually be used.

Working in six international teams, they will prepare a weekly menu and shopping plan, then adapt it to a hypothetical price increase while keeping the same budget and starting stocks. They will compare the original and revised plans, explain their choices and improve them through feedback from peers in other countries.

Main activities

Food Inflation Observatory: Record a small basket of food prices monthly in participating cities as a youth-led learning exercise.
Smart Basket Lab: Compare shopping options for the same scenario, considering cost, usable quantities, variety and practicality.
Market Literacy: Explore unit prices, pack sizes, shrinkflation, labels and promotional conditions.
Zero Waste Kitchen: Practise planning portions, storing food safely and using suitable leftovers.
Seasonal Food Academy: Compare seasonal and locally available options and adapt meals to different conditions.
Grandmother’s Kitchen: Exchange everyday shopping and kitchen knowledge with older generations and explore how it can be applied today.
Food Budget Challenge: Prepare and revise a seven-day menu and shopping plan within a fixed budget.
Digital Food Basket: Use a shared spreadsheet to record prices, compare basket and meal costs, and document food use.
Community Food Labs: Run youth-led local workshops after the exchange, aiming to reach at least 45 additional young people across three cities.
European Household Resilience Toolkit: Produce a Turkish and English guide containing the methods, templates, 25 meal cards and teams’ weekly-budget scenarios.

The exchange will combine non-formal education, market observation, practical kitchen activities, intercultural teamwork and peer learning. Its environmental dimension focuses on using existing food, planning purchases and preventing avoidable waste.

During local follow-up, participants will adapt the tools to their own prices and living conditions and test a practical habit. The project aims to strengthen everyday decision-making skills rather than promise changes in inflation or household income.

Who are we looking for?

We welcome youth organisations, NGOs, municipalities and organisations working in social inclusion, consumer education, food-waste prevention, sustainability or community learning.

Each partner is expected to involve 10 young women aged 18–30 and one group leader, support local price observations and preparation, contribute to the exchange and organise a local follow-up workshop.

The participant focus will be grounded in identified learning and access needs. Cooking and household budgeting will be approached as shared life skills. Local workshops will welcome young people of different genders.

Interested organisations are invited to share their PIF and a brief description of their relevant experience and possible contribution.

The project is under development for an Erasmus+ application. Implementation is subject to funding approval; exchange dates will be agreed with partners.