Youth exchange

Association APSA is an association for people with intellectual disabilities in Alicante (Spain). APSA is a non-profit organization, created in 1961 and declared of public utility in 1970, serving over 2,000 people with disabilities and their families a year.

A few months ago in APSA we started the Chair of disability and employability together with Tempe Grupo Inditex (the company that makes shoes for stores like Zara, Pull & Bear ...) and with the University Miguel Hernández (Elche, Valencia) (link).

Within this Chair, in September we began a training course in the specialty of store auxiliary tasks, for students with intellectual disabilities. Currently, 18 students participate in this course.

Now we plan to apply for a student exchange (mutual visits) within the European call Erasmus +. The objective of this project in 2017 is that young students with intellectual disabilities could meet similar people from other countries that are being trained to achive an employment or that are already working, and that they can serve them as a form of encouragement in their effort.

So we would visit your country and you to ours, to know the way we work to promote access to employment for people with intellectual disabilities. Also, students may know each other and share their hopes and difficulties as well as models of success.

For this reason we are writing to you, as we are now exploring other European associations or federations that could be interested in participating in this project. Would you be interested in participating?

We remain at your disposal for any further information you may require, thanking in advance for your answer.