Youth Exchange

Youth exchanges offer young people the chance to meet with others from different countries throughout Europe. Young people are at the heart of every exchange, helping to plan the themes and activities of each one. The exchanges offer young people from throughout the region a chance to broaden their horizons and develop skills and confidence that will benefit them in the future.

Let’s hear it from the horse’s mouth!

“My overall experience was brilliant, I hadn't been on an exchange before and had no idea what to except, I learnt so much about Belarus, the food, the location, even a few words of Russian, although the visits to the houses were good and the hospitality wicked I loved the workshops, when we put them on and attended because the diversity within the groups and being able to pursue your own interests and try something new. I'd love to do another exchange, and the leaders were great just as the overall exchange was”.

“I know more about rights and duties in my own country and other countries”

“The project lived up to my expectations because it helped me gain confidence it encouraged me to meet new people and try new things and I had fun!”

“The whole experience was brilliant. Learning about a different culture was interesting and eye opening as their way of life is so different. The project didn’t live up to my expectations as I didn’t really have any because it was such a new experience for me, but it certainly was better than I could have imagined!”.

In summer 2009 WAYC delivered a Training Course in Kazan, Russia with the title of Facilitating Intercultural Learning Process in Peer Led Youth Projects to young leaders in Russia’s 3rd largest City. The project was run with partner youth and volunteering organisations in Kazan as well as in partnership with Ministry of Tourism and Sport of Tatarstan Republic. During the week long training participants took part in informal learning activities and developed ideas for projects to benefit their local community. The project built on the All Different – All Equal Campaign which many of the young people had participated in.

• The course enabled participants to recognize the role of peer educators dealing with inter Cultural Learning (ICL) during local and European youth projects;


• To share best practices and methods of ICL process facilitation on youth exchanges, meetings and encounters;


• To enable participants to reflect about ICL and key values associated with it (e.g. respect for diversity , tolerance, participation and democracy);


• To raise awareness of the need for ICL in youth activities and exchanges;


• To identify the role of peer educators in the process of ICL at the youth projects/youth exchanges and to consider the skills they require and their possible accreditation.

During the course many of the participants expressed an interest in Volunteering and the Trainer was able to share experiences of the National Youth Volunteering Programme in the United Kingdom. Ideas were developed and one participant is now writing his dissertation for University based around the ideal of volunteerism. The knowledge learnt from the course is shared among peers and has been promoted through the Kazan Youth Council.

If you are interested in participating in future exchanges please contact us:

Call: 01926 450156

Email: info@wayc.org.uk