Impact Lab for Youth Work

The first day started with a series of team-building and icebreaker activities designed to create a safe and collaborative learning environment. Coming from nine different countries, participants had the opportunity to share their backgrounds, experiences in youth work, and expectations for the training course.

Through interactive challenges and group activities, participants quickly built connections and established the trust needed for open discussions and meaningful collaboration throughout the week. The session laid the foundation for an international learning community where every participant felt welcomed and encouraged to contribute.

The first thematic session challenged participants to look beyond successful activities and positive feedback. Working with realistic Erasmus+ Youth Exchange scenarios, they explored an important question: does a good experience automatically create impact?

They discovered that participant satisfaction alone is not enough to demonstrate impact and that meaningful change requires intentional learning design. The session encouraged participants to rethink common assumptions and explore what impact really means in youth work practice.

Day 2 began with an interactive cooperation challenge that encouraged participants to work together, adapt to changing situations, and reflect on the importance of communication, leadership, and inclusion. While the activity itself was engaging and dynamic, the real learning happened afterwards.

Through a structured debriefing process, participants revisited their experience and explored what had happened within their teams. They analysed group dynamics, identified competences that had been activated, and discovered how reflection helps transform an activity into a meaningful learning experience. The session highlighted the important role of debriefing in non-formal education and demonstrated how learning outcomes emerge when experience is combined with intentional reflection.

Building on the previous session, participants explored how quality Youth Exchanges can be designed around the real needs of young people. Working with realistic youth personas and scenarios, they practised identifying needs, prioritising them, and translating them into competence-based learning outcomes.

The groups then connected learning outcomes to activities, reflection moments, and opportunities for practice, creating coherent learning journeys rather than isolated activities.

The day began with an exploration of how facilitation choices influence learning. Participants experienced the same activity delivered in different ways and reflected on how elements such as instructions, participation, inclusion, and debriefing shaped the outcomes of the experience.

Through discussion and analysis, they discovered that methods are not neutral tools. The way an activity is facilitated can significantly influence participation, engagement, and learning. The session highlighted the importance of intentional facilitation and meaningful debriefing as essential elements of quality non-formal education.

Participants then stepped into the role of facilitators. Working in small teams, they designed and delivered their own learning activities based on specific competence-based learning outcomes developed during the previous day.

Each team carefully selected methods, planned reflection questions, and considered inclusion, participation, and learning objectives throughout the design process. After facilitating their sessions, participants received feedback from their peers, helping them reflect on their strengths and identify ways to improve their facilitation practice.

The fourth day challenged participants to rethink how success is measured in Youth Exchanges. Through the analysis of common evaluation tools such as feedback forms and satisfaction surveys, participants explored an important question: what do these tools actually tell us about learning and impact?

Working in groups, they examined the difference between satisfaction, participation, learning outcomes, and impact, discovering that positive feedback alone does not necessarily demonstrate meaningful learning. The session encouraged participants to think more critically about evaluation and explore ways to collect evidence of learning and change in non-formal education settings.

During the day, participants also took part in a field study visit, exploring the cultural landscapes and local context of the host community. The experience offered an opportunity to connect with the surrounding environment, strengthen intercultural learning, and reflect on how local realities can enrich educational experiences.

The visit provided a different learning setting, encouraging participants to observe, discuss, and learn from the community while continuing to build connections within the group.

The final day focused on one of the biggest challenges in youth work: ensuring that learning continues after the mobility. Participants explored how impact develops over time and discussed why valuable learning experiences are often lost when transfer and follow-up are not intentionally planned.

Working with real examples from Youth Exchanges, they identified factors that support transfer before, during, and after a project, including preparation, reflection, mentoring, and local follow-up activities. 

Participants explored how the results of the training course can be shared and used beyond the project. In teams, they developed dissemination plans by identifying target groups, key messages, communication channels, and responsibilities.

The session highlighted practical ways to share learning and resources and encouraged participants to consider how the Impact Toolbox for Youth Workers could be used in their local contexts.

In Cluj-Napoca, Romania, Csenge organized a dissemination session with a group of 5 friends to share the experience of participating in the Impact Lab for Youth Work training course.

During the meeting, she presented the main learning outcomes of the project, introduced the Impact Toolbox for Youth Workers, and shared practical examples of how the tools can support the design of more meaningful and impactful Erasmus+ Youth Exchanges. The discussion encouraged participants to reflect on the importance of intentional learning design, meaningful reflection, and creating lasting impact through youth work

During an Erasmus+ Youth Exchange in Lithuania, Laura facilitated a dissemination session to share the experience and outcomes of the Impact Lab for Youth Work training course, for 45 participants.

Participants were introduced to the main themes of the training course, with a special focus on the importance of reflection in non-formal learning. To make the topic more interactive, Laura invited participants to reflect on their own learning journey and share moments when a session initially seemed less valuable, but later became meaningful through reflection. The activity sparked insightful discussions and helped participants recognise how reflective practices can support deeper learning and stronger learning outcomes.

During a training course in France, Andreea delivered an international dissemination session to share the experience and outcomes of the Impact Lab for Youth Work training course.

Through a presentation and the project aftermovie, she introduced participants to the main themes, activities, and results of the training course, with a particular focus on the competences and tools that support youth workers in designing impactful learning experiences. The session reached 20 participants, inspiring discussions on quality youth work and encouraging fellow youth workers to explore and apply the good practices and tools developed during the project in their own activities and future Erasmus+ projects.

In Chișinău, Republic of Moldova, Cătălina organized a dissemination session at the Academy of Police, reaching 16 participants.

During the session, she shared the main learning outcomes of the Impact Lab for Youth Work training course and introduced the Impact Toolbox for Youth Workers. A special focus was placed on how non-formal education methods can complement formal learning environments. Participants explored the importance of reflection as a learning tool and discussed how reflective practices could be integrated into their daily educational activities to support deeper learning and personal development.

Cătălina organized a second dissemination session at the Academy of Police in Chișinău, Republic of Moldova, involving 15 participants.

Building on the concepts explored during Impact Lab for Youth Work, she presented practical approaches from non-formal education and highlighted the role of reflection in making learning more visible and meaningful. The discussion encouraged participants to consider how reflection activities and learner-centred methods could be incorporated into their everyday lessons, contributing to improvements in the educational process within the Academy of Police.

During a Youth Exchange he facilitated, Victor shared the results and experiences of the Impact Lab for Youth Work training course with 32 young participants and teachers.

Through interactive discussions and practical examples, he presented the main learning outcomes of the training course, highlighting the importance of impact-oriented learning design, meaningful reflection, and the role of non-formal education in creating quality learning experiences. The session encouraged participants to look beyond activities and consider how Youth Exchanges can contribute to meaningful learning and personal development.

In Mezőberény, Hungary, Victor organized a second dissemination session during an international training course, reaching 21 youth workers from different backgrounds and organisations.

The session focused on sharing the key concepts, tools, and learning outcomes developed during Impact Lab for Youth Work. Participants were introduced to the Impact Toolbox for Youth Workers and explored practical approaches to designing more intentional and impactful Erasmus+ Youth Exchanges. The dissemination generated valuable discussions among youth workers and inspired participants to integrate impact-oriented practices into their future projects and educational activities.