The International Network for Inclusion, coordinated by Associazione Joint, unites over 30 organisations across Europe working directly with young people facing barriers, with long-standing experience in youth exchanges and mobility projects.
Our shared mission is to make international mobility truly inclusive, accessible, and safe, especially for those young people most at risk of exclusion.
Since 2022, our Network has involved more than 100 organisations in a collaborative process to identify barriers, co-create solutions, and test innovative models within the Erasmus+ framework. This led to the definition of Highly Vulnerable Young People (HVYP), as those young people facing multiple and intersecting forms of exclusion, at least one of which is a long-term or permanent condition. To make their involvement in youth mobilities effective and safe we have been developing tools, standards, strategies and practices.
Sign the petition and support our call for a more inclusive, equitable, and safe Erasmus+ for Highly Vulnerable Young People.
Our Call to Action
We urge the European Commission, EACEA, and Erasmus+ National Agencies to adopt measures ensuring that Highly Vulnerable Young People can fully and safely participate in Erasmus+ mobility opportunities.
To achieve this, we call for 3 key measures:
1. Official recognition of “Highly Vulnerable Young People (HVYP)” as a distinct category in the Erasmus+ Programme
- Formally include HVYP as a distinct category within the 2028–2034 Erasmus+ Programme, separate from “young people with fewer opportunities,” to address the specific needs of those at highest risk of exclusion.
- Establish official Quality Standards and safeguarding requirements for organisations working with HVYP, ensuring appropriate preparation, support, and follow-up during all project phases.
- Provide targeted tools, training, and funding to strengthen organisational capacity, enhance safety, and guarantee meaningful and sustainable participation for all.
2. A dedicated funding action for local outreach and inclusion initiatives
- Create a specific funding line to support local awareness-raising and cooperation with organisations working directly with highly vulnerable young people.
b. Encourage flexible cooperation models — such as local inclusion networks or peer-learning initiatives — that expand Erasmus+ access to underrepresented groups.
c. Support young people as active agents of inclusion, empowering them after their mobility experiences to engage in outreach, peer learning, and local promotion.
3. Increased investment in professional capacity and staff wellbeing
- Promote the professionalisation of group leaders, ensuring access to financial and training resources tailored to work with HVYP.
b. Recognise the need for additional training and preparatory work, by better clarifying it in the Guidelines and by creating a dedicated budget item that can be activated when projects involve HVYP.
c. Ensure systematic attention to the mental health and wellbeing of youth workers and group leaders, through access to supervision, psychological support, and scenario-based training for challenging contexts.
Why It Matters
Youth mobility transforms lives. It helps young people grow, connect, and find their place in Europe.
But without targeted measures, the most vulnerable remain excluded.
We believe that no young person should be left behind from European opportunities because of their background or condition.
Together, we can build an Erasmus+ programme that truly embodies inclusion, safety, and equity for all.
Read the full version of our Position Paper
Sign the petition and support our call for a more inclusive, equitable, and safe Erasmus+ for Highly Vulnerable Young People.
