Empowering youth across borders

Five hundred participants. Eight years. A pipeline bigger than ever. This spring, IC-YEC crossed a milestone we set for ourselves back in 2022: 500 young people reached through our projects. It is a number built one application form, one project week, one Youthpass at a time — across youth exchanges, training courses, and volunteering placements in Poland, Georgia, Armenia, Spain, Italy, Greece, Lithuania, Romania, France, and beyond. Every one of them participated for free. That will not change. We have launched new open calls for 2026, starting with 'Create & Regulate' — a youth exchange in Zakopane, Poland (October 5–12, 2026). The project places creativity and emotional regulation at its centre: participants will use art, digital self-expression tools, and Canva portfolio workshops to explore how creative processes can build emotional resilience. Twenty-five spots are available across European partner countries. Applications are open now. Running in parallel, the multi-phase 'Touch of the Arts' training course continues its arc across France, Spain, Greece, and Armenia — an 80-participant Erasmus+ project that is using art as a thread across four countries and two years. The Armenia phase, held in Tsaghkadzor, brought the project full circle to where IC-YEC started. We are also preparing 'Find the Balance,' a mental health and movement-focused youth exchange heading to Bakuriani, Georgia in June, and continuing our role as Masterpeace Armenia representatives, with local events connecting young Armenians to the global network throughout the year. Eight years ago, a small group of Armenians came back from Erasmus+ exchanges convinced that non-formal learning across borders was one of the most powerful tools for growth that exists. Five hundred participants later, we are more convinced than ever. Thank you for being part of this story — and for helping us write the next chapter.

Seven projects. Six countries. One year of going further than we thought possible. 2025 was IC-YEC's most active year since we were founded in Yerevan in 2018. Across the twelve months, we delivered seven projects in six countries — Poland, Georgia, Italy, Greece, Lithuania, and Armenia — and for the first time brought more than 120 young Armenians into the Erasmus+ programme. These are young people from Yerevan and beyond who had never had access to a European mobility opportunity before. Now they carry the experience, the network, and the Youthpass certificate with them. The year's standout moment was our summer youth exchange in Yerevan: 36 participants from 8 countries, our largest gathering to date. But the breadth of 2025 matters just as much as any single peak — youth exchanges in Poland, Italy, and Georgia; training courses in Greece and Lithuania; a digital literacy project in Tbilisi; and the ongoing multi-phase 'Touch of the Arts' training running across France, Spain, Greece, and Armenia. Our partnership with Masterpeace continued to grow. As Armenia's official Masterpeace representative, IC-YEC connects our community to a global network spanning more than 70 countries — all using art and sport as tools for peace. In 2025 we co-organised local Masterpeace events in Yerevan and contributed to the international network's collaborative projects, giving our participants a stage well beyond the Erasmus+ programme. We go into 2026 with Erasmus+ accreditation secured through 2028, three new partner organisations from France, Portugal, and Hungary, and our first 2026 open call already live. The pipeline has never been fuller. We are grateful for everyone who has been part of it — participants, partners, and everyone who has cheered us on from the sidelines. More is coming. Watch this space.

Two projects in one month. A training course that sold out in a week. September and October were our most active stretch of the year. We opened with 'Way to Fulfillment,' a training course near Kielce, Poland, bringing together 25 participants to work through purpose, self-awareness, and meaning-making using non-formal facilitation. Days later, 'Art Beyond Boundaries' moved 25 young artists from across Europe to Lusevera, Italy — a week of creating, performing, and reflecting on what it means to make art when you do not share a language. In October, we ran back-to-back projects in the South Caucasus and Southern Europe. A digital literacy training in Tbilisi focused on online safety, creative media production, and practical digital tools for youth workers — skills participants are already applying in their home organisations. Simultaneously, a sport-inclusion exchange in Thessaloniki brought together young people with fewer opportunities to explore teamwork, resilience, and belonging through physical activity and structured sport. We closed the season with 'Cool Leaders Academy 2025' in Bakuriani, Georgia — a training course on environmental awareness, sustainable leadership, and outdoor education set against the backdrop of the Caucasus mountains. Twenty-five participants from across Europe spent ten days building skills they can take back to their communities as young environmental advocates. The autumn also brought a piece of news that caught even us off guard: we opened applications for our January graphic facilitation training course, and spots filled up within a week — the fastest we have ever reached capacity. It told us clearly that demand for high-quality, accessible Erasmus+ training in this part of Europe is real and growing. Applications for winter and spring 2026 projects will open soon. Stay close.