Article written by Gemma Núñez Fulgencio

Just a month ago, I had the opportunity to travel to the European Castle in the region of Steiermark (Austria) to attend my first Training Course on the design and implementation of Erasmus+ programs. This experience marked a turning point in both my personal and professional journey. Beyond the theoretical and practical aspects of the project, we enjoyed a few days of disconnection, while also building new friendships with young people from a wide range of European and non-European countries.

The first few days were dedicated to breaking down each stage of creating an Erasmus+ project, continuing with how to apply for funding, how to implement the project, and finally, how to handle the documentation stage.

The scenery in Steiermark is almost unbeatable — the lush green landscape, the clear blue skies, the colourful houses and the postcard-worthy paths through nature all created a vibrant atmosphere, full of animals, where time seemed to slow down and was measured by the birdsong.

The castle stood proudly above the village, with corridors full of history once walked by dozens of European leaders — including Robert Schuman himself. During that week, those same halls became a space for us to learn how to design transformative projects for young people, both within and beyond our borders.

Although the training was long and intense — around eight hours a day of theory and practice — the chance to live for a few days in such an idyllic setting, so deeply meaningful to the European Union, was truly one of the greatest privileges I’ll ever have.

Reflecting on everything I learned, I wanted to share with you one of the key questions we explored during that week, among a group of thirty young people from all over:
How do you create a successful programme?

Of course, this is a tricky question — and one that cannot be answered without proper reflection. And that’s exactly where the value of what we learned in Steiermark comes in.

A good programme must start with the question: Where are we now?, and then ask: Where do we want to go? A meaningful project should have a clear purpose and contribute — even at a small scale — to solving a real issue in our society. From there, it should define clear objectives that bring that purpose to life, followed by a strong and thoughtful methodology.

Let me pause here for a moment. Methodology is a vital part of the process, and in many cases, non-formal education, which is central to Erasmus+ projects, is often underestimated. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. These methods — which are incredibly diverse — encourage participants to connect with content in creative and engaging ways, making the lessons stick long after the programme ends.

Once the purpose, objectives and methodology are clear, the next question is:
How are we going to make this happen? And this time, the answer is simple: by dedicating our energy to building the best program and the strongest application we can.

The next stage is implementation — turning the idea into reality. And here’s a spoiler: it takes much more work than expected, but it’s absolutely worth it. In the end, results are evaluated to see how the project has contributed to society.

After a week of intense learning, which ended with a visit to the beautiful city of Vienna, we all came away with a deeper appreciation for the importance of structure and communication within any organisation — and how essential they are to building successful projects.

Beyond the knowledge we gained, the experience with the brilliant team at JEF Steiermark was a true boost of energy and motivation to develop new projects within the YEL framework — giving our members the chance to grow through alternative learning opportunities and gain tools for their personal and professional development.

So, if you don’t want to miss what’s coming in the next few months within our organization — or if you’d like to be part of the group leading Erasmus+ applications and projects at YEL — I warmly invite you to apply to the Finance Team vacancies and turn your ideas and projects into reality, with our support.