Erasmus + Programme has been instrumental tool for the internationalisation of Azorean youth
The Regional Director for Youth stressed in Ponta Delgada the importance of Erasmus+ programme, considering it has been "an instrumental tool for the internationalisation of Azorean young people, "mainly due to the creation of networks of contacts and the enhancement of cooperation with third countries and international organisations."
Pilar Damião spoke Wednesday at the presentation of the conclusion of the "DoUrProject" project, developed by Solidaried'arte - Association for Integration through Art and Culture under the European programme Erasmus +/Youth in Action. The government official revealed that number of regional youth associations applying to Erasmus+ "increased considerably," doubling the number of projects developed in the Region last year.
For the Regional Director for Youth, Erasmus + has been a key EU programme insofar as it "has improved the level of young people's key skills, including those with fewer opportunities."
According to Pilar Damião, this European programme has promoted the "democratic participation of young people in Europe and in the labour market, active citizenship, intercultural dialogue, social inclusion and solidarity" by "increasing learning mobility opportunities aimed at young people, youth organisations, youth workers and youth leaders."
The 'DoUrProject' project began on February 11 and ends today with the participation of 30 youth leaders from Portugal, Albania, Azerbaijan, Spain, Georgia, Italy, Poland, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine, who have learned to develop their own youth mobility projects under the programme Erasmus +/Youth in Action and establish partner networks.
Among other goals, this initiative was intended to train young people for Erasmus+ programme as well as to promote the acquisition of skills in the following areas: budget preparation, implementation, execution and management, project assessment and closure, dissemination of implementation of good practices in the countries of origin, and the promotion of tolerance, equality, multilingualism and cultural diversity.